Insomnia...what cures it?

WEED. And stop drining sodas

 I was laying there last night and I couldn't stop thinking about photosynthesis of all things: that photon of light streaming down, hitting that carbon dioxide molocule, freeing the oxygen, generating a little bit of electricity that the plant uses to make sugar, and using the remaining carbon atom to build its structure.  I also think about string physics a lot to when I try to sleep. Not because I want to, just because that gets pulled up into the forefront of my mind and I can't shut it off.

Some hypnosis mp3s. It worked for me I used to have the same problem. You are exhausted yet you still can't sleep properly. Hope you find it useful, there are a ton of recordings on youtube, just put "sleep hypnosis" and find one that suits you.

What are you usual pre-bed rituals?  It can be extremely beneficial to set up a routine and stick to it.
As a few people have mentioned using your bed only sleep and sex (even the solo kind) will help train your mind and body to get used to being relaxed in bed.
 
Tim_The_Corsair touched on an excellent point as well, and something that's been helping me personally lately - I wake up every night at about 3:30, it can't seem to be helped, so now I just roll with it. I wake up at 3:30, take a piss, get some water, flick on the table lamp and read a little something, within 45minutes to an hour I'm ready for bed again.

Go jog outside or even walk for around an hour outside, fresh air + exercise = sleep.

@njean777 said:

@Stonyman65 said:

Melatonin pills work. They are mostly used to cure insomnia and sleep disorders. They are different from sleeping pills as they change your systems melatonin balance rather than just making you drowsy. You can get them in pretty much any drug store in the world.

I wouldn't do this, it throws off your brains normal chemistry by changing its melatonin levels. Sleeping pills are not good for you, the best thing to do its maybe look at natural ingredients.

That depends, some people (like myself) have a melatonin imbalance, therefor my Doctor recommended that I take those to level it out. I agree that normal sleeping pills are bad, but then again if you can't sleep for such a long time, taking sleeping pills that will mess with your system is the least of your worries.

I have the same problem. My brain is just non-stop through the night. So occasionally I'll have nights where I don't get a minute of sleep. What I do in that situation is usually to get up and do some things, then go back to bed, and my brain sort of resets itself and I'm able to fall asleep.

Sleeping.

Whatever you do don't listen to Crystal Castles CDs to try and fall asleep.

I was insomniac all the way through school, then when it finished and I wasn't worried about getting up it stopped.  What did help was putting on the same talking book every night.  It was 2001 a Space Odyssey read by Arthur C Clarke.  Once you knew it by heart and didn't have to listen to it then it would have a definite soporific effect.  If you're a musician listening to music can be a bad thing if you're at all analysing it.

I've been an insomniac and whatever the reverse of an insomniac is. I suggest doing stress relieving activities a lot, and drugs will help but may not be necessary.

what you could try is to hard boot your body. Basically set yourself 6 hours in your day/night which are your sleep hours. No matter what, you don't sleep before or after those hours. if you couldn't sleep during those hours then wait for the same time the next day. I don't know if it'll work but I saw this on a documentary about sleep and I'd say give it a try before reverting to drugs

i know what you mean. i kind of have insomniac problems. i went to bed at 2:30, i couldn't sleep and ended up going to bed around 4ish. i don't have work so that is probably the problem also. i just woke up not to long ago.

I save the non-Bombcast Whiskey Media podcasts for nights I can't sleep, as I don't give a damn about any of them at all. The format for BTSD is just not really correct for a movies podcast, and I don't care enough about comics or tech to actually listen to the other two regularly, but I like the people, so I don't oppose to having the podcasts lie around, and some nights that can slow me down from a good Bombing run and get me the fuck to sleep.

But I'm loving this idea most people are suggesting of making your bed a place for sleep and nothing else. That would definitely help my sleep schedule, which has been ruined since I saw Harry Potter 7 Part 2 and stayed up afterwards till around 5 AM. I know I should put away the laptop sooner than 3 or 4, but the nights where I put it away and can't sleep for an hour are literally the worst thing ever. On those nights where I stay up too late on my computer, I tend to set up the GB auto-play, which just rolls while I sleep; the less I care about the video, the better.

Music definitely doesn't put me to sleep, but maybe that's because I'm a pretty heavy musicophile. If you're looking for a white noise to clear your thoughts, I think podcasts are easier, as it's other people doing thinking for you. I very occasionally use the method of just thinking the word "sleep" and putting down any other thoughts I have forcibly; eventually, one breaks through (usually about a woman) and then I let that one slowly formulate as I fall into the dreamstate. I think it's a sort of self-hypnosis, and it seems to work adequately.

Also, sometimes I think of this song I used to sing in choir.

"Can't fall asleep. Fap until you pass out." - Foul Bacherlor Frog

Have crazy sex.

Get some exercise every day would probably help. Also cannabis, but help for insomnia can be strain dependent, so I would research and try a few different types.

To try to cure my insomnia I stayed awake as long as I could, then passed out for a long time. It didn't work, and I don't even remember what I was trying to accomplish with it. I guess that's what no sleep does to the brain.

Sleeping?

Weed is a great cure for insomnia. stops you dreaming though 

When I have a terrible sleeping schedule, I don't sleep for a night, or only sleep for a couple hours one night, then get back right on schedule the next night.
 
Not sure if this will help insomnia, but it might be worth a try I think

@TotalEklypse said:

Also, sex. That is all.

QFT. I've had sessions that made me so fucking drowsy i had to sleep after.

@TotalEklypse said:

Also, sex. That is all.

QFT. I've had sessions that made me so fucking drowsy i had to sleep after.

I usually find the thing that keeps me awake is my own thoughts rattling around in my head. When this happens I just need to drown the thoughts out with something; I usually get up and go to the couch to watch a movie with the audio commentary on. It's got to be a commentary I've heard dozens of times before, though, otherwise I'll just sit up watching the whole thing.

whiskey works if you have enough

Podcasts help me sleep. I use Bloggingheads.tv and Tech New Today -- So I'm always on top of politics and tech news :-P.

I also generally stay away from caffeine after 5pm.

@Fajita_Jim: Do you get headaches much? Do you actually feel tired? How much is your lack of sleep affecting your everyday activities? Are you taking any medications? Do you have anything stressing you out lately?

Also, the foot twitching does sound like RLS, but if it didn't happen when you didn't have insomnia, then it's not RLS because it will occur naturally when fatigued and laying still.

Alcohol and nyquil.

obvious solution is obvious: smoke pot

Triangle chokes work well 

exercise til you literally have no energy left. I don't mean stop when your muscles get a little tired. I mean keep doing sit ups and push ups, etc, til you literally pass out on your floor. Time this so that about 8 hrs or so later it'll be morning., repeat. 

Hilary Swank cures it. Seek her out.

Bullets.

Im in the same boat, always up all night. Makes me remember this show.

Wiki editing

@StrikeALight said:

So basically, drugs are the answer.

Drugs are always the answer.

Beer.

some indica and a good fap should do the trick

Smoke weed... or  OR bake brownies  OR or get high THEN bake brownies and fall asleep while making them lol

You're really telling a guy who stays up at night thinking about String Theory to get laid and/or smoke weed? Come on, people.

I often fall behind on my sleep schedule to work or school, so one night every few months I reset my body clock by staying up all night, and crashing around 8pm the next day. I don't mope around while doing that either; I carry out a normal day and am exhausted enough to fall asleep early. Eventually, I won't get tired till 2:30am again, so I just end up doing it again. Works every time.

Just note that my method can't be healthy, and the day after the all nighter is miserable.

Try peace of mind. 

When you don't get sleep, try to find out why you can't.  
When you find out why, try to find a way to do something about that. 
 
After that, you will find some sleep. 
 
Drugs make you dependent. Sex is cool, but ultimately, it's another dependency. Don't EVER watch TV or your computer. It will just swallow your sleeping time.   

Eating a small snack a few hours before bedtime may help. There are no specific foods that help you sleep. But, it's a good idea to avoid certain foods late in the day. Everyone has trouble sleeping from time to time. See a Doctor if your insomnia doesn't improve.

1. Don't go to bed hungry. A light snack before bedtime can keep hunger pangs from waking you up. For example, have a bowl of oatmeal, cereal with low-fat milk or yogurt with granola. If you have diabetes, discuss nighttime snacks with your doctor.

2. Avoid large, high-fat meals late in the day. Also avoid garlic-flavored and highly spiced foods. These foods can make you uncomfortable or cause heartburn.

3. Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Both can interfere with sleep. Keep in mind, it can take up to eight hours for the stimulating effects of caffeine wear off.

4. Don't drink too much liquid. Drinking lots of fluids before bed can cause you to wake up repeatedly to use the bathroom.

Look on the bright side: you only have 4 more sleeps until Christmas.

Not an internet connection, that's for damn sure. Thing's breaking my sleeping pattern apart constantly.