Can't turn off my brain when sleeping

[chardog]

I got a tip from Andrew huberman that helped me. As soon as you wake up, go outside and get sunlight on your face. I face the sun and read stuff on my phone so I get some indirect sunlight in my eyes. (INDIRECT! Don't look directly at the sun obviously). You need around 10 minutes, but anything is better than nothing. Sunlight through glass is way weaker, so you'd need like an hour. So it's better just to go outside.

Anyhoo, you can Google the reasons why it works, but the gist is that it releases some chemical in your brain that takes something like 14-16 hours to wear off. And when it wears off, you get really sleepy. Your brain won't want to think about anything anymore.

Of course bad behaviors can counter this effect, so caffeine, screen time before bed, etc, will make it seem like it doesn't work.

5am, there is no sun. Tough life TS, I'd say go for a sprint then a really hot shower. Sprint can be replaced with an extra long session of sex.

sleep aids or allergy meds

 

[chill doggie]

Try a GABA supplemen, gamma aminobutyric acid. It‘s a neurotransmitter inhibitiot, calms the nerves and promotes deep states of sleep and actually counteracts caffeine ingested during the day.

I also recommend hitting the sauna in the afternoon before bed, maybe find a gym that has one.

Takes a bit of effort to stop there and change clothes and shower but it works.

 

[Steveston]

Go to the gym, chat with someone. Seroquel works well too also have good sleep hygiene, make sure you have a life style and things to do that make you feel good. Alcohol & weed can screw with your sleep also. Cut it out entirely.

 

[Vergilius]

I had real bad insomnia last year for the first time in my life. However, I got out of it and now sleep better than I have in years. Still have a bit of anxiety about sleep, though, and the occasional bad night affects me more than it should.

I did sleep restriction (reducing the time you are in bed to give you a better chance of falling asleep) and it was hard as hell, but it worked.

Now, I find what works for me is:
*stable bedtime and wake-up time (probably the most important thing as, over time, it gets your body into a healthy daily rhythm).
*1/2-1 hour wind down time before bed (doing something you enjoy which relaxes you - ie. it can't be overly exciting. Reading didn't work for me as it got my mind going. I watch the same youtube show every night and it puts me straight to sleep).
*20 minutes of meditation during the day
*15 minutes outside during daylight.

That's my daily routine and it works. It annoys me sometimes that I have to be so regimented, but it really has improved my sleep.

Final important thing: you can't make yourself go to sleep. It's not something that responds to effort, so you shouldn't be in bed "trying" to go to sleep. It has to happen on its own. Instead, you can create the right conditions for sleep by having a stable routine and focusing on relaxing things you enjoy.

I was told: "you can't do anything, really, that guarantees you will sleep well tonight. But you can absolutely do things that you will start sleeping well in general. But it takes a few weeks to work". That was certainly true in my case.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

Try binaural beats.

 

[ARW]

Have you tried masterbaiting

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

That sucks, personally I can't function well if I don't get at least 6 hours of sleep.

 

[yamahacrasher]

I've been dealing with this for the last 6+ months, and it's starting to take its toll. I can't concentrate, lose my temper far more quickly than usual, and have been gradually sinking into a black hole that I currently don't see a way out of. I hope your insomnia resolves itself soon Sherbro.

 

[Mike]

Yeah, since I was a kid. Comes and goes, probably related to my anxiety.

 

[BearGrounds]

Yes, this has a been a lifelong issue of mine. My brothers can go to sleep the moment their heads hit the pillow, but I'd be there for at least 30mins just thinking, unable to sleep.

It's annoying, especially when trying to take a nap (which I normally don't because of this).

Added to that, I have always had vivid and crazy dreams. Multiple per night. So I wake up every night, multiple times.

If I'm not near death, getting to sleep is always difficult.

 

[BearGrounds]

I can relate. Thing that helps me nowadays are podcasts. I listen to ones I already listened to, that way I'm not gonna be that interested in what's being said and I'm just lulled into sleep listening to it. I can give recommendations if you want.

Yup, this is something I do as well. I'll throw on an hour or longer podcast to let play while I try to sleep. It's a pretty good tactic.

 

[facePuncher7]

People always say to cut out phone well before bed, but for me that is backwards.

If I have nothing to focus on my brain will spin for hours and hours while staring at the ceiling.

If I can focus on some dumb YouTube crap on my phone I get sleepy very quickly.

 

[RichardHarrow]

Print off some cbt worksheets fill them out in depth and keep going through them.

 

[emefer]

Maybe try listening to some nighttime ragas.

 

[Phlog]

Was listening to Rogan 2060 Gary Brecka, he talks about the racing thoughts at bedtime. I need to listen again because there's a hell of a lot of information, I think he suggested L theanine same as Huberman.

 

[Roop Holstry]

I first recall having sleeping issues around 7 years old. I remember laying in bed awake and then complaining to my parents about it.

I still have issues and have tried to self medicate with weed, alcohol, and other drugs…and I began relying on them for sleep. Now I’m in the process of cutting back all of that and trying to get to bed earlier. I’ve been exhausting myself by being active, working out, and fishing in my free time. I get home dead tired and actually fall asleep relatively easily, around 830-930. Only Problem is I now wake up in 3-5 hours and don’t get a proper nights sleep. It typically takes me 1-3 hours to fall back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night.

 

[deviake]

My brain hasn't shut off since as far back as I can remember; sleeping issues as far back as I remember (delayed sleep phase syndrome). I recommend an audio book or reading with a book light or dimly lit kindle app. Helps me mucho unless I've boundless energy for some reason. Melatonin has helped me a bit too but my results are mixed.

 

[fica]

Has anyone else been having this problem? I can't stop thinking when I'm on my bed, trying to get some sleep. Usually, this happens every once in awhile. I gotta get up at 5am for work and I'm laying there on my bed past midnight, my brain going 100 miles per hour. It's been a week now, every night I've been doing this and I need sleep. I can't seem to take a nap either. Maybe for only a few minutes.

Do cold shower before bad and I mean handle to very cold. Shower for 2-5 minutes until you get headache from how clod it is or you can feel how numb the brain is.i sometimes do that and fall asleep right now I drank 2 liters of cola and can not sleep at all

 

[William Huggins]

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate, just increase the dosage slowly, until it knocks you out, your completely shut down, 4 hour coma...... Best sleep every, apart GA which it's on par with.

 

[Hog-train]

TS - this is a super common problem and gets worse as you get older.

What really helped me, don't eat for a couple of hours before bed. And simply wind down earlier than you need to. If you have to get up at 5, you're probably stressing about getting up.