I'm an insomniac, to say the least. I just spent the last 2-3 hours laying in bed, trying to sleep, like usual. My mind races when my head's on the pillow. I'll jump from topic to topic, literally writing short essays and comedy routines in my head when I'm trying to fall asleep. Then, I'll "say" one word in my head, and all of a sudden I start thinking about that subject. I can't stop thinking, ever.

I used to try and relax my mind by pretending I was similar a giant jug of water (I know this sounds lame). I would imagine if i metaphorically pulled the plug out of my toe or something, and I could feel the water draining out. I would concentrate on this, and hopefully slow my thoughts enough to fall asleep. It didn't work very well, but it helped a little.
It's not helping much now.

Does anyone have any remedies for insomia that don't involve drugs?

A bottle of at least 80 proof liquor.  And a suitable ammount of mixer. Your flavor may vary.

I repeat, no drugs.

I've been tired. My eyes are tired. Now the birds are chirping outside of my window. I'm going to the range this morning, and I want to be in good mental shape for it, plus I have to work tonight, so I don't want to be tired all day.

I guess I'll make myself a drink and go clean the M4 after all

Avoid caffiene and exercise 4 hours before going to sleep.
Only sleep and fuck in your bed-no watching tv or reading.
Watch "Victory at Sea" before attempting to retire for the evening.


I had this same problem for a long time. I think of one topic, and only one, and then just think the shit out of that one thing until i eventually fall asleep.

Note: Thinking of all the guns, accessories, ammo, and gear you need to purchase before the election in 08 is not one of the things to think about.

Avoid Arfcom at night.

Just lie down, close your eyes, and clear your mind.

One thing that worked for me for a while was to have a fan running and trying to concentrate on the noise of the fan. It did help but after a while I started getting used to the fan running and I can't sleep with out it.   Go figure.

well, I'm going to go back to bed and see if I can't salvage the rest of the darkness....

Doesn't sound lame at all. BTDT more than I can count. When studying for under graduate degree it was really bad. If I found myself stuck and unable to fall asleep within 20 to 30 minutes then I got back up.

There were times when I needed to spend extra time in front of the computer and accomplish a project, answer back email, or just browse the Internet to start feeling tired. Other times I could take a hot shower and it worked.

What might be an option is to start writing your thoughts the next time you cannot sleep and see how that turns out for you. Perhaps work on a story? Just a thought.



Best of luck in finding what works for you!

 

This will sound extreme but I find it's both healthy and effective. Get on what I like to call a "farmer's schedule". In other words, keep your window blinds open, your curtains to the side. Even leave the windows open if it's not uncomfortably hot or cold. Wake when the sun comes up (if you have good light the sun is amazingly effective at waking you up), and in the evening, as it starts to get dark, turn off most of your lights and go to bed shortly after total darkness. This works pretty well assuming you work hard at your job and don't just watch soaps at home and collect unemployment. I know it sounds crazy but it is essentially how we were made to operate. Our access to unlimited artificial lighting, 24 hour TV programming, and the endless internet has shifted the time frame of our day.

The reason I suggest this instead of medication is that there really is no long term solution with medication. Sedative-hypnotics like benzodiazepines (Restoril, Valium, Lorazepam, etc..) and some closely related drugs such as Zolpidem (Ambien) and Zaphlon (Sonata) are really only short term solutions and too many people begin to think they'll never sleep if they don't take them after using them for awhile. Abruptly stopping the use of these meds after a moderate time on them and you will experience some withdrawal effects and insomnia worse than before for awhile. It's a road not worth taking if insomnia has been a life long problem (as opposed to insomnia brought on by some temporary stress in your life). I would suggest seeing a sleep specialist  if it seriously affects your quality of life.

I really only suggested the farmers schedule because it did wonders for me but it is really impractical to keep up with in today's business world. I went on a 2 week vacation once that essentially involved sleeping outdoors along a river bank every night. The sun would wake me up at about 5, and after it got dark there was really nothing to do as all we had were flashlights and fire so we went to bed both out of boredom and natural fatigue. Doing this for 14 days straight with the light/dark cycle of the earth controlling your own awake/sleep cycle was powerful. I felt unusually good every day, slept like a baby at night, and didn't have any trouble waking or falling asleep. For over a week after that vacation I would spontaneously wake up at around the same time as the sun would come up, maybe 5ish. I spent plenty of time studying the neuroscience behind all this but I was amazed at how powerful those cycles are when they are consistent and induced naturally by the rising and setting sun. So that's my little story I felt like sharing. Now go make an appointment with a sleep specialist.

Melatonin.

Join support groups. It worked for Jack




j/k

Quoted: Melatonin.

Problem with that is the purity/quality of any melatonin you buy is questionable as it is considered a supplement and not controlled by the FDA. It's bioavailability and efficacy in that form is very low. Another strike against it, which is a deal breaker in my opinion, is that long term intake of melatonin has induced male sterility in a number of animals in some recent studies. I for one won't be playing that game. Not sure how well the animal model translates to humans in this respect but I don't want to be the one to find out after taking it every night for a few years. It's simply not all that effective and with the recently published studies that support its role causing some male animals to become sterile I would shy away from long term, every night use.

Read ANYTHING printed by Microsoft.  Will put ANYONE to sleep in 30 seconds flat.

A water glass full of bourbon usually does the trick, but then I wake up with a helluva headache... <Marty Crane - "Frazier's" dad>

Quoted: Melatonin.

Melatonin works very well. No grogginess in the morning like a drug. Melatonin is naturally occuring in the body. Take 1mg about 20-30 minutes before you want to sleep.

Quoted: Quoted: Melatonin. Problem with that is the purity/quality of any melatonin you buy is questionable as it is considered a supplement and not controlled by the FDA. It's bioavailability and efficacy in that form is very low. Another strike against it, which is a deal breaker in my opinion, is that long term intake of melatonin has induced male sterility in a number of animals in some recent studies. I for one won't be playing that game. Not sure how well the animal model translates to humans in this respect but I don't want to be the one to find out after taking it every night for a few years. It's simply not all that effective and with the recently published studies that support its role causing some male animals to become sterile I would shy away from long term, every night use.

Interesting. I use it occasionally for headaches i get. Only side effect is an occasional upset stomach if I take more the 1mg. Guess sterility isn't an issue for me I have 2 children and don't really want a third.

You could leave the TV on and watch that as you try to get to sleep. This will allow you to think of something besides what's keeping you awake. I would record on a DVR or VCR a few hours of mellow programming. PBS is good because there aren't any loud commercials or people shouting to wake you up while you're dozing off. Set the TV's sleep timer so it's not running all night.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Melatonin. Problem with that is the purity/quality of any melatonin you buy is questionable as it is considered a supplement and not controlled by the FDA. It's bioavailability and efficacy in that form is very low. Another strike against it, which is a deal breaker in my opinion, is that long term intake of melatonin has induced male sterility in a number of animals in some recent studies. I for one won't be playing that game. Not sure how well the animal model translates to humans in this respect but I don't want to be the one to find out after taking it every night for a few years. It's simply not all that effective and with the recently published studies that support its role causing some male animals to become sterile I would shy away from long term, every night use. Interesting. I use it occasionally for headaches i get. Only side effect is an occasional upset stomach if I take more the 1mg. Guess sterility isn't an issue for me I have 2 children and don't really want a third.

I'd like to pose this question to some here. I've read a few threads about some members just getting back from having their swimmers shut off from the outside world and such. I don't yet have children of my own, maybe in a few years, but don't you want to always know that you can? For some reason I can't imagine wanting to surgically sterilize myself. I  think I would feel like less of a man. I know there is no real reason to feel that way but does anyone else share this feeling? Does your view on that fly out the window when you've already got a few kids and one is becoming a little punk ass teen that's mouthing off to you? I guess I'll find out when my time comes.

I really hate teenagers for the most part. I've often said I'd like to ship my kids off to some hard ass military school and ask for them to be returned to me at age 20. Obviously I was kidding but teenagers bug me like no other.