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Speak Up: Tips on Falling Asleep

by 31

My bed and me are usually best friends, and when it's time to get into my PJs and retire for the night, I usually have no trouble falling asleep. Occasionally though, I lie in bed tossing and turning and worrying about my coughing daughter down the hall, stressing about tomorrow's to-do list, or daydreaming about what I'll make for the dinner party I have planned for the weekend. The next thing I know, I look at the clock and an hour has gone by.

I'm sure you can relate to having a tough time getting your shut-eye, so please share your tips below on what helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.

Source: Getty
SleepHealthy LivingSpeak Up

31 Comments

bchicgrl bchicgrl
I start reading the Da Vinci Code and I'm fast asleep. It's weird I liked the movie but the book is so darn boring. Another thing that puts me asleep is Bill Maher, I think he's funny but something about his voice makes me fall asleep.
Run2bfree067 Run2bfree067
sorry, above i say breathe to my self, not breath!!
Run2bfree067 Run2bfree067
exersizing at some point in the day at least 2 hours in advance before sleepy time. I also have a fan for white noise, read for 20 minutes (im on jane austen's emma right now) and close my door almost all the way to block out light. If im up for more than a 1/2 hour then I make myself stop thinking and plannning by saying in my mind " breath....breath...." every time i inhale. Don't let your mind go off into anything else, just go back to gentle slow breathing. :) Sweet dreams
ellieb ellieb
If I have time to plan ahead, I'll exercise (usually about 15 minutes of light yoga), take a shower and have a cup to tea. On the other hand, if it's 2AM and I want to fall asleep fast, I count with deep breathing: 1, 1 2, 1 2 3, 1 2 3 4, and so on, since the repetition really helps me. I'm usually out by the time I hit 12. I like the good sleep hygiene- I may try that!
ellieb ellieb
If I have time to plan ahead, I'll exercise (usually about 15 minutes of light yoga), take a shower and have a cup to tea. On the other hand, if it's 2AM and I want to fall asleep fast, I count with deep breathing: 1, 1 2, 1 2 3, 1 2 3 4, and so on, since the repetition really helps me. I'm usually out by the time I hit 12. I like the good sleep hygiene- I may try that!
1apple 1apple
I take a couple of calcium/magnesium supplements around bedtime. I saw a sleep specialist one time and he said to make sure I do that. It really helps my body to feel tired!
Zivanod Zivanod
I try not to focus on anything but allow random thoughts/images enter my brain and that usually allows me to calm down enough to fall asleep.
kclulu kclulu
I wake up at 5 am everyday, it makes going to bed a whole lot easier at night. I also need my bedroom to be relatively chilly so I can curl up in blankets. I don't have a tv in my bedroom either, that would always keep me up later than I needed to be.
hmweis1 hmweis1
I've come to the conclusion that if I use by bedroom for sleeping only (no TV, computer, etc) my body just knows that it's time to fall asleep when I crawl into bed.
Antioxidant Antioxidant
I start reading in my bed and my eyes can't stay open after about 30 minutes. I have to make sure I have no caffeine after about 4PM. If I think I'm going to have a hard time sleeping, I'll take a Magnesium tablet.
Dana18 Dana18
Camomile tea is good to calm and sooth you to sleep. Also try not meditaion before bed to clear you mind.
Dana18 Dana18
Camomile tea is good to calm and sooth you to sleep. Also try not meditaion before bed to clear you mind.
kia kia
If it is bedtime and I can't sleep I usually softly run my finger over the bridge of my nose and my brow. If my husband does this for me I am out right away, it takes a little longer if I do it.
cg130 cg130
Exercise! And if something's bugging me, I try to write it down in my journal. And I ALWAYS wear a sleep mask to block out light!
Leila07 Leila07
Reading a book has always worked for me. In college I used to read my history books, I would only have to read a paragraph and then I would be out! Oh and limiting my caffeine intake after lunchtime. I only allow myself one cup of coffee when I get off work (I don't drink sodas).
Leila07 Leila07
Reading a book has always worked for me. In college I used to read my history books, I would only have to read a paragraph and then I would be out! Oh and limiting my caffeine intake after lunchtime. I only allow myself one cup of coffee when I get off work (I don't drink sodas).
sharshar sharshar
Lavender linen spray works for me.
JulieJean JulieJean
I used to have a lot of trouble falling asleep before I started to regularly work out. Now my body feels too tired to put it off. If I still have some trouble I just focus on breathing deeply and relaxing. But no matter how tired I am, I can't fall asleep with tv noise in the background. It's a constant issue between my family and me, my dad likes to watch late night tv very loud...
For me, exercise is the best insurance for good sleep. Also, I find it good to keep my room dark and cool and free of technology like the TV and the computer. I always sleep with my window open, winter or summer. It gets sort of ridiculous in winter - I need to heat up my bed with an electric blanket before I get in bed and there are many many covers. And socks. I wear socks to bed in the winter. Without the fresh air, though, I find it impossible to get to sleep.
sweetpeabrina sweetpeabrina
Reading or trying to do a puzzle. Sudoku can put me to sleep really quickly!
cjstraus cjstraus
I suffered from really bad sleeplessness until I went to my doctor and she told me about "sleep hygiene." I got rid of the tv, the books, the alarm clock with the light up numbers, etc any thing that could potentially keep me awake. Now I just use the bed for sleep and.... I also take a bath, drink some tea, and turn the computer off about 1 1/2 before bed time. Working out also helps me sleep easier...I notice that on my rest days it's harder for me to fall asleep
warm bath, melatonin, focusing on not moving and counting how long I can lay still
Spectra Spectra
Sometimes I have to go to bed when it's still light out, so I try to make sure the bedroom is dark. And I tend to get too hot when I sleep, so I try to make sure my fan is on. I also find that if I get more than 7 hours of sleep the night before, it's tough for me to fall asleep.
Kimpossible Kimpossible
~Soothing music such as Enya or Enigma. ~A cup of sleepytime tea (or sleepytime extra - it has valerian in it). ~If something is really strong on my mind then I write in my journal and get the thoughts out so I can clear my head in order to get to sleep.
Kimpossible Kimpossible
~Soothing music such as Enya or Enigma. ~A cup of sleepytime tea (or sleepytime extra - it has valerian in it).~If something is really strong on my mind then I write in my journal and get the thoughts out so I can clear my head in order to get to sleep.
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