For a long time, I’ve been suffering from insomnia and I know how painful that is. So if you can’t sleep just look here for some tips
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don't check the time - linked to people trying to force themselves to sleep, which is counterproductive
relax yourself, but don't force yourself to relax, just be in the moment
put electronics away
take a shower before you sleep
do something calming, like doodleing or reading
hope this helped! happy sleeping and sweet dreams!
This will sound strange. I lie on my side and move my ankles so that my feet move up and down. Almost like tapping your feet to music but slowly with the side of your foot rubbing against the bottom sheet. I don’t know why it works. I have a friend who has always done it and it used to drive me crazy during sleepovers when we were kids because it was just another thing keeping me awake. Now it’s one of the few things that can get me to sleep.
Bored Panda is usually my friend through the insomnia. When I can't sleep, I just don't. I watch TV and movies or read. Reading is calming to me. I usually don't try to sleep when I can't or nightmares abound.
If you have the possibility, try to sleep at a different location. Sometimes I can't fall asleep in bed, go to the living room, read for like 10 min and fall asleep on the sofa then.
I wouldn't recommend to do this every night (sleep hygiene is a real thing), but it helps from time to time.
Not a tip for when you can’t sleep, but a tip to help you sleep better in the future: Don’t do anything in your bed but sleep. Don’t study on your bed, don’t eat on your bed, don’t hangout on your bed, just use it for sleep. If that’s too hard or there’s nowhere else available to do anything, then try not to do anything else in the same position you sleep in. Like if you’re gonna study or smth, turn yourself around and study at the foot of your bed. Make sure the only time your head is on your pillow is when you are intending to sleep. All of this is to build up the association with the environment. The more you only sleep on your bed, the easier it is to get sleepy when being in bed.
Lay in bed for several hours with your phone inches away from your face watching increasingly strange YouTube videos about a very specific topic, such as conspiracy theories about ancient archeological artifacts and how the paintings on the wall of some random tomb "clearly show that ancient civilizations had electeicity and advanced technology," or the debunking of said conspiracy theories.
When I am thinking about all the things I have to take care of the next day, I write them down and then my brain will be quiet, so I can sleep!
