Post: #1

I'm a firm believer in going to bed early, getting at least eight hours sleep and raising early, but I have a hard time switching off my brain at bedtime. I exercize every day, I don't drink coffee after lunch and I try to spend the last hour or so before bedtime doing something that doesn't engage my brain that much, mainly reading or watching fiction with the right mind frame, but to no avail. Night time seems to be a creative time to me due to the peace and quiet and the lack of distractions, which has the effect of making my brain race. I also have herbal tea, but even having two drinks with two bags each the effect is not strong enough. I've given up coffee altogether for weeks at a time but I only have less energy during the day while I still struggle to go to bed.

What's your bedtime routine?

Post: #2

Beer.

Post: #3

Protein shake and sex/masterbate

Turn temperature down a bit and use white noise

Post: #4

I read until I fall asleep.

Post: #5

White noise + breathing technique always make me fall asleep quickly.

This breathing technique works well :
https://www.drweil.com/videos-features/v...-8-breath/

Post: #6

1. Meditation
Do 20 min meditation before you sleep. I used to do this often when I first got into RSD (before I found Roosh, Heartiste etc) and there's something to it, I believe. And then I would spend a 5 minute on writing my to do-list for the next day.

Actually, probably just 5-10 min focused meditation will make a difference.

2. Block the blue light at night time
Also, a good thing could be buying a pair of these blue blocking glasses (you can get them cheap from eBay):



If you look into the science on this, you'll see that blue light from computer screens etc. inhibits the body's production of melatonin which plays a role in you feeling sleepy etc. Look here for example: https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics...-and-sleep

And if you haven't installed the program F.lux on your Android phone or use iPhone's built in blue blocking function, it's something you should try.
Install it on your computers as well.

[Anecdote - back in 2015 (i think it was) I wrote a long as letter to Apple and told them to implement a blue blocking function to the iPhones and about 5 days later there was an update with that function.

https://justgetflux.com/

3. Magnesium before bed.

Magnesium - the most powerful relaxation mineral
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-h...25499.html

There you go.

But not only does magnesium help you relax a bit. I find it to be awesome for my dreams.

You might have heard of the psychedelic drug DMT. But thing is that the brain is actually believed to produce a tiny amount of DMT during sleep and while we're dreaming and is actually what makes us dream.

And I think it was from a study talked about in the book "DMT - the spirit molecule" I read that magnesium seems to help with the production of DMT.

I always notice myself waking up with more intense dreams that I can remember if I've taken magnesium before bed (and if you look online you'll see I'm far from the only one who have experienced this) and I love it. You'll sleep a 3rd of your life so might as well spice up that part of your life a bit and make it as interesting as you can.

Post: #7

I've been under a lot of pressure lately so my mind is racing at night. I found putting on some quiet chill music with a sleep timer works well for me.

Post: #8

Odd as it sounds: a cool/cold shower. Maybe it won't work for you, but it does for me. I don't know why it wakes me up in the morning and drowsy at night, but there it is. I've been taking cold showers daily (well, almost daily...) for years, so it's not strange to me.

Other than that, when I want a good, early night (not tonight, then), I turn off all devices and dim the lights for the 30-60mins before bed, using candles where dimmers aren't available. I rarely drink coffee anymore, only at breakfast when I do, and I stopped drinking tea after lunch a while back, unless I'm planning to stay up late.

Post: #9

I have real issues getting to sleep owing to long term injuries etc.

My current program is :

No screens in my bedroom (apart from my dinky little cheap mp3 player) Cheap alarm clock rather than my phone.

Before bed: lie on my back with my legs up the wall (viparita Karani pose in yoga) and ankle circles in this position. The ankle circles stimulate the calf pump in the leg which is part of the lymphatic drainage system and aids sleep. You will know it's working when your calf starts twitching.

General leg stretching with long holds.

In bed, I get in child's pose (yoga) and take 300 deep slow breaths counting down from 300 to 1.

Then on my back and muscle relaxation mp3 until I fall asleep.

I am often very refreshed in the morning.

Post: #10

- Ventilate the room - the fresher the air the better sleep.
- Meditation
- Do some unimportant mental math - I like to calculate how many hits do various strategy game units need to kill other units or how many usefulness points heroes scored in last action movie I saw. I guess it's the same as counting sheep only more complicated and not as dull, therefore more effective.


I don't believe in any technological solution like white noise or pills or special glasses or whatever.

Post: #11

Circadian rhythm cues: Getting very bright light at the beginning of the day, and no blue light later in the day will likely solve most people's problems. Add physical activity to the mix and it's pretty much guaranteed heavy eye lids. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated if you live closed off from natural light cues, the body will have the natural inclination to stay up an extra hour each night (25 hour wake/sleep cycle). Getting weak light cues in winter or working a night shift has a similar result.

Temperature: Your body temperature naturally decreases before sleep, that's why people benefit from cold showers and/or cool room temperature.

White/Brown Noise: Good if minor noises from outside alert you. Brown noise has more bass which is good for blocking people living above you walking around like baby T-rexes. Unexpected noises release cortisol which is stimulatory and terrible for health and good rest.

Physical Techniques: Slowed breathing techniques definitely help create a relaxed feedback loop that will trick your brain into slowing down. Stretching helps to decrease tension and discomfort, both enemies of sleep.

Comfort: A memory foam mattress is so clutch. Since I'm an expat traveling I bought a thick memory foam mattress top and it transforms a mediocre mattress into a cloud for about 150 bones. A good mattress and pillows is probably one of the best investments you can make.

Listening to something: A podcaster with the right voice like Sam Harris might work for some people. Relaxing music works for some but not for me because even relaxing music grabs my attention too much during song changes. There's a free app that has a couple dozen sounds from hairdryers to waves that is worth experimenting with.

If there's a language you're learning but not fluent in, it can be ideal because as your concentration drifts you don't understand it anymore and it transitions to being effectively white noise. Language learning before bed also allows you to be productive without using prime concentration hours. If you're tossing and turning for an hour or two, at least the time gets utilized. If a new language is the last thing you hear your brain will also continue to process it while you sleep. I imagine Amazon Alexa could be great for flipping between audio books/content without blasting your eye balls and brain with strong cell phone or computer blue light. Listen to something ultra boring like Plato's Republic if you want the lights to go out fast.

Post: #12

1. Bright Light Therapy - /thread-39799.html
2. Rigorous exercise
3. Don't drink caffeine after lunch
4. Magnesium + Zinc

Post: #13

My every night routine is to keep the temperature low, have white noise and an air circulator/cleaner going in my room to have a draft. If that doesn't work then I will at times take meletonin.

One of the things I also do while going to sleep is to imagine a chalkboard in my mind, write down all of my thoughts and concerns, then imagine I'm erasing it. Then focus on nothing going through your head after that. Hopefully that helps.

Post: #14

I read feminist literature and my brain automatically shuts itself off.

Post: #15

The schedule that works for me is this one

1 hour before bed, take a zinc supplement and read for 30 minutes (preferably fiction or biographies) turn off all white light and start getting the room cool
30 minutes before bed take calcium, protein shake, magnesium etc (other supplements I would stay away from melatonin)
30-25 minutes before bed take a cold shower after you're done turn off all light in the bedroom
20 minutes before bed meditate... I forgot the name but the clearing of the mind at night is better than using mantras (i use mantras for morning meditation)
after that, I get in the bed and try to find the most comfortable position and do the 4-7-8 breathing technique.

Usually, im sleep before I can remember doing the breathing technique 6 times.

Post: #16

I take a 50mg seroquel pill (not a narcotic but heavily sedating.) It's not ideal but I'm highly prone to hypo-mania and can pull 48 hours twice a week easy if I don't take the pill. I pretty much lack the ability to sleep naturally on the days I don't lift (every other day.)

Edit: This is not a recommendation. Like I said I get hypomania so my insomnia is unusually bad.

Post: #17

I'm kind of the same way. I feel like about 9am I'm at my most creative and feel like working but not really condusive to my schedule. I try not to start projects later in the evening as it gets my mind running and I have a hard time turning it off. For me weed helps put me to sleep but I realize that's not everyone's cup of tea

Post: #18

My technique:

Post: #19

If you're using technology, the best thing to do is download an app or setting for your pc/phone/tablet, that get rid of the white/blue? light and makes it more yellow. That's why so many people are having issue falling asleep.

Also, get your phone on the other side of the room, so it's not reachable by impulse.

I like to put on a lecture from Jordan Peterson, Tommy robinson, or some other right wing intellectual and listen to it.

Books are great also (physical books).

In terms of science, complete darkness is great, as are cool temperatures.

Post: #20

(04-02-2018 01:41 PM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  My technique:

^^Best advice !

The burden of having brain overloaded with useless informations, distracted by smartphone essentialy disabling you to gather your very thoughts...

Get a dump of your brain, write down any information or idea that need to be remembered 1h before going to bed (should be done through the course of your day), the explanation is that your subconscious will do that dump for you anyway but in a less pleasant manner (weird incohérent dreams).
A step further would be to have a list of things you need to get done in priority and note everything else, the more you'll do the less you'll load your brain unnecessarily.

Then you can focus on your breathing if your not into méditation, 5s inhale/exhale or the 4/7/8 but you'll need a lot of training before being able to knock yourself out in minutes :

Post: #21

I set the thermostat on my room air conditioner to 68 degrees. Constant temperature and no humidity works for me.

Post: #22

Have you had any success using Melatonin?

Post: #23

On rougher nights I try a bit of aromatherapy. lavender/cedarwood and chamomile works like a charm, mixed with sleepytime tea usually knocks me out. According to the sleep tracker I have, it keeps me in REM sleep almost twice as long.

foamrolling or stretching before bed also puts me to sleep faster as im much ore relaxed.

Maybe try those things

Post: #24

Big azz indica strain joint.

Post: #25

Make sure you're very tired at the end of the day.

I have the same problem as you. For some reason I get the energy and motivation to do things during the night. Probably because of the silence and peace I experience when it's all dark and quiet outside. But I do fall asleep when I'm very tired.