Create an alter ego for yourself. The alter ego will be everything you wish you could be, even if people tell you that its something you shouldn't be. This ego will live a life for you in those hours that you can't sleep, thus insuring that time is not gone to waste. And remember: Soap is good.

Or listen to either white noise from a youtube video or http://www.rainymood.com/

I sometimes drink one beer about an hour before I want to go to sleep. Not enough to do anything (tipsy, buzzed, drunk) but that one beer always makes me sleepy. I guess it's my body saying, "If we ain't partyin', we sleepin'!"

OP, I use ASMR videos to fall asleep, but the intentional ones don't work for me. Mock medical examinations or someone drawing usually do the trick. Check out www.soothetube.com for a whole jackpot of ASMR videos.

Punch yourself in the face repeatedly until you knock yourself out.

Or alternatively engage in some tiring physical activity, it will make you feel pooped and you will want to rest.

Maybe he just needs to poop before going to bed.

Yeah, I watch ASMR videos as well, the role-play ones. I agree that the intentional ones don't do the trick.

I'll try this website, thanks.

Have you tried meditating? I used to have trouble sleeping too and I started meditating, had my favorite incense, sound of soft rain going, sitting back in my comfy chair. Often times I wouldnt doze off for a hour or two but I was still more rested than if I had stayed up.

Could be due to a lack of activity during the day. Go for a jog or hit the gym every other day.

Chugging Ny-Quil is my fall back.

I had a similar problem back when I was traveling overseas frequently.

It turns out there is a trick to reset your biological clock, which worked quite well for me. In the evening, don't eat anything, and stay up all night, then eat your first meal at precisely the time that you want to wake up. Stay up the rest of the day and don't go to sleep until the time you want to be your normal bedtime.

Apparently many mammals (humans included) have this adaptation which allows them to reset their internal clocks based on the availability of food. Perhaps when hunting was scarce during the day, some ancient humans may have adapted to a nocturnal schedule, or vice versa.

I find that if I am wired - and I struggle with sleep issues on and off - watching any of those National Geographic documentaries, like about Stonehenge, or Egyption pyramids or whatever else, puts me out quick - something about the gentle narration, even when they are presenting something they think is exciting, the voice pitch is low and soothing. Plus half those programs are repetitive and rather dull.

The other show - which is interesting - but is like visual nyquil for me is "How It's Made" or whatever it is called. Just half hour segments narrated by some guy explaining how this that or the other thing is made... like how they make marbles, or metal widgets, or blenders and stuff. Snorrrrrrre.

Hmmm...Interesting. Do have a source for that? I am interested but not sure what to look up.

Whoa, I'm going to try that. I think I'll do it over spring break.

I suffered from insomnia for years on and off, alot of times you just wont sleep, but what you need to do is to give your brain and body a rest, lay back and relax as much as possible, like everyone else that suggested to not drink caffeine drink, its really good advice, laying back and reading a book or laying back and watching a movie are good, playing games keeps your mind to active and you to switch it off and put it at rest, i was told drink hot milk because it has tryptophan, it didnt work for me, i purchased it in tablet form, it helped me get some small amount of sleep one night and was useless after that night, not all things work the same for everyone so might be worth trying.

Insomnia can be really annoying especially if it goes on for an extended time, the best you can do is try to get mental and physical rest, even if you dont sleep, because your body needs it.

The music is awesome too.

Sounds like a pretty good idea. I like watching shows. Sometimes in a rare moon, History Channel has one interesting documentary. But I'm afraid of leaving it on while I sleep and waking up seeing http://static.lockerz.com/decalz/mobile/image00133680255373422ijit.jpg in the mirror.

Seems like any time I want to stay up for something I fall alseep....when I have to be up early next day I can't...

Try the exercise, a 1/2 hour walk after dinner. Even if it does not help the sleep, you'll start to feel better.

Speaking of insomnia...

I got it.

Now what is the cure for noisy neighbors? I can't kick their asses or I will get kicked out of my Dorms. I already asked nicely. It isn't necessarily them but their loud ass friends who come over and apparently are resistant to being hushed. I can hear them trying to hush their friends. Headphones? That seems like such a cop-out though.

Well I know you hate medication, and I do, but I'm currently dealing with insomnia as well but I take antihistamines every night a couple of hours before bed. Works like a charm. Grades are good.

I would still recommend antihistamines. The drug I take is levocetirizine, if I remember correctly.

Edit: My mom takes these antihistamines(for other purposes), my doctor has been taking it every day for the past few years. Shouldn't be dangerous. unless you have a drug allergy to that or something.

Coffee actually is very calming for me. Probably won't do the same for AWOL unless AWOL has ADHD, which means the coffee would just become more like the stimulants used to treat ADHD. I have ADHD, so I can enjoy night time coffee. Had some last night and slept only horridly due to having an awful day of being exhausted for no understandable reason. Coffee really isn't an issue if you have a few messed up brain chemicals and a few brain cells jumping around like monkeys during mating season.

Melatonin is actually something already in the human body. The pill form of melatonin is considered a supplement, though it has some side effects if you take stuff like birth control and some immune system suppressives. I wish it still worked for me so I could not have to worry about trazodone's large amount of somewhat more strong interactions with my other medications.

Trazodone is, sadly, the only medication that works for me as far as helping my insomnia issue. Hate how tired it makes me when I shouldn't be tired, but that could also just be all the anxiety sapping the energy out of me like some evil bot fly saps out sanity.

I'll just shut up about how disgruntled I am with having to be medicated due to how extreme many of my disorders are.

I find somber blues music to be very good for calming myself when I get hyper. Maybe blues might be calming for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lthYaPW465M
It might not be good for going to sleep, but being calm does help with sleep

.
Documentaries still are show on TV? I'd better look up what channel those are on in my area because I love watching those kinds of things! Animal Planet used to have tons of them, then the reality TV trend started. Some of the shows now have high pitched censorship bleeps, which actually make me nervous if I hear them. Just found that it is a basic station in area on Time Warner Cable. Awesome. Time to enjoy the learnings.

I used to fall asleep everytime I watched Bob Ross. You know the artist that put little happy trees next to small bubbling brooks. Something about his voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX2AEfZpWT8
Meditation works best for me when I can't sleep. And the more time you spend meditating the more effectively it seems to work.
CCNA already asked that members not recommend meds. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleep-aids/AN01820 Which is why we don't want members recommending meds.

This actually isn't a lie. If you drink lots of coffee, once the crash comes you will pass out hard.


Like Klawed Flaw said, I drink coffee in the morning to get going and drink it at night to actually help me relax, maybe that means I have ADHD..

Actually, no. This isn't always the case. I know people who don't have ADHD yet can drink coffee and caffeinated drinks without getting hyped up. Some people with ADHD will still get hyped up by caffeine. Caffeine just is a stimulant, which means it often does act differently for people who are calmed by them. Just found a somewhat funny quote from a mental health article on ADHD.

"First, he likens the experience of the ADHD child, to living in a video game with sounds, blinking lights and sensations coming at you all at once."

So, ADHD is kind of like playing Tempest? Interesting.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090325091452AAGij33

ASMR videos have been helping me get to sleep several times, but otherwise I just drink coffee.

I find not to worry about sleeping. My sleeping pattern has always been all over the place and I've never needed sleep much in the past. Being in University it doesn't help when you come in from a night out at 4am, but I've just learnt to adapt to that. My "natural" sleeping pattern is about from 4am - 12pm. Obviously I have to go to work and attend lectures and such in the mornings (as the rest of the world sleeps at the wrong times ), but even if I've got work at 8am and I'm still up at 4am I don't stress. Sure, I might be tired in the morning, but then I can sleep for a few hours in the day.

Point being is that since I've stopped worrying about "Oh my god it's 2am and I need to be up in 5 hours", then I sleep a lot better. My sleeping times and patterns are still utterly erratic, but that's just me. I just sleep when I'm tired as opposed to trying to stick to a dedicated time. I know this doesn't work for everyone, but it works great for me.

Barring any medical conditions, I defy anyone to stay awake through a recording of any chemistry lecture, especially when delivered in a monotone. I couldn't do it even on a full pot of coffee.

When you get home from school, DON'T GO IMMIDIADLY TO BED. Stay awake as long as you can, and the best way to stay awake is to STAY AWAY from pc's, consoles or tv. Do something, it doesnt have to be sports or to work out, just keep youself a little active to make the rest of the hour pass. Stay up until dinner.

After dinne, you can do whatever you want, and when you get tired, you should go to bed immidiadly.