What's your remedy when you can't sleep?

[HipChick]

The Merlot simply isnt working..

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. Vodka.

[HipChick]

2. No vodka here...

[OffWithTheirHeads]

4. Seriously? Vodka is everywhere! Sarah can even see it from her house!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. My dear HipChick...

Wine is not normally considered to be good for making you sleep.

When I can't sleep, I get up, and sit at my computer. I scan DU, play electronic Solitaire, or sometimes write poetry. I try to empty my mind of whatever is keeping me awake, and to relax.

After awhile, I am more relaxed, and then I go back to bed. Once there, I refuse to let my mind start whirling around on all the stuff that was keeping me awake.

On the rare occasion when pain keeps me awake, I will take a very small narcotic and let it work. It always does.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

5. Yeah, Vodka sort of works like the drugs but you don't need a scrip.

[pinboy3niner]

6. I think I see the problem...

[a la izquierda]

35. That's me! nt

[txwhitedove]

54. Haha, that's me too!

[olddots]

7. I meditate and make beleive i took 5 valiums and drank a quart of Old Mr. Boston Slow Gin .

honestly I have super boring books that will trance me out in 1/2 a page.

[fizzgig]

8. i'd say a glass of milk

but i don't think that's such a hot idea right now.

[Duer 157099]

9. Audiobooks

that way, even if I can't get to sleep, at least I learn something in the meantime.

Or, melatonin.

[womanofthehills]

12. Audiobooks for me too

Last week I was listening to an Audiobook that took place in India when I fell asleep, so, of course, I had a dream that night that I was in India.

[Duer 157099]

25. Yes, I have the best dreams

When I awake and can recall the dream, I always wonder which part of the book was playing that inspired the dream. I can almost never figure it out.

But I do know it happens.

[MiddleFingerMom]

10. Red wine usually does it for me -- it doesn't put me out, but I call it...

.
.
.
... "Fireplace in a Bottle" -- creates a warm, fuzzy, drowsy state that doesn't necessarily put
me out, but will if I want to go to sleep.
.
.
I've never done it for sleeplessness, but often a good dose of Nyquil makes it IMPOSSIBLE
for me to stay awake.
.
.
I also have some "lullaby albums" -- Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and Nektar's
"Remember the Future" (great prog-rock from the early 70's).
.
.
.

[Jamaal510]

11. ZZZ Quil,

and wearing a sleep mask and listening to nature sounds on my iPod while I sleep. Also sometimes on warm nights when my room is stuffy, I take a shower before bed.

[Honeycombe8]

40. +1. That's great stuff. Works like a charm. A little dab'l do ya. nt

[freshwest]

47. +1

[Rhiannon12866]

13. Melatonin

My doctor suggested it for me, ages ago, and I've had trouble sleeping lately, so I just went out and got some. I used to use alcohol, but I gave it up four years ago. It would put me to sleep, but then I'd wake up when it wore off and I felt crappy in the morning...

[name not needed]

14. melatonin and scotch

[Socal31]

15. Benzos + Booze = bad news!

nt

[eShirl]

16. 2 hops capsules + 3 valerian capsules

BTW I find a hoppy beer (such as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale) is superior to merlot for liquid sedation

[eShirl]

17. just remembered this: audio of "yoga nidra" puts me out within 5-10 minutes every time

here's one I haven't tried out but is free:

http://www.suburbanyogini.com/2011/09/06/yoga-nidra-an-audio-download-for-you/

[vanlassie]

46. Me too. Maybe because it tells you NOT to sleep!

[freshwest]

48. Thanks. I also use an 8 hour rain mp3 converted from a video. I have several of these.

They supply white noise to block out other sounds. I have some other meditation CDs and a lot of music that makes me sleepy. The rain is working the best for me right now.

[In_The_Wind]

18. Usually ... playing music from my DU Journal puts me to sleep.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018355340
My photobucket keeps me up at night.

[Bertha Venation]

19. Get out of bed, go to my chair in the living room, and read.

I'm out in about fifteen minutes. Only problem is I wind up sleeping the rest of the night in my chair. But at least it's sleep.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

20. Milk!

Cold milk in fact...as long as I haven't already set the stomach to churning by mixing wine and 'spirits' in too large quantities!

I used to keep a volume of the Will & Ariel Durant "The Story of Civilization" on the nightstand...the writing is just so pedantic it would knock me out in under half an hour.

[Moondog]

21. I get up.

And go do something.

For me, it is pointless to fight it. And so I do not.

[ConcernedCanuk]

33. You nailed it. Get up do a chore, watch tv, whatever.

.
.
.

Fighting it is useless. never works,

and I ain't into taking meds for it.

It's a known fact, or at least should be,

when we are stressed, getting older, sleep is not always available -

So I will repeat what you said in different terms.

Get the fuck up and do something! -

Your body will let you know when to crash.

works for me.

CC

[LiberalEsto]

22. Warm a cup of milk in the microwave nt

[lastlib]

23. My Economics 201 textbook........

(If that doesn't work, I have a 1982 Income Tax Law text on standby.........But Econ usually works.)

[talkingmime]

24. Don't mix it with Merlot, but I use lorazapam and oxycodone. Does the trick - NO ALCOHOL!

Neither drug is compatible with alcohol in any way.

Still, they knock me out. Merlot just makes me horny.

[RebelOne]

26. Over the counter sleeping pills. n/t

[grasswire]

27. new method: reciting my genealogy

I name my four grandparents and where they were born.

Then I name my eight great grandparents and where they were born.

Then I start to name my great great grandparents and where they were born.

I never finish that. Am asleep part-way through.

I spose it's a kind of counting sheep.

[kurtzapril4]

28. Watch the Golf Channel! n/t

[MADem]

29. In the hospital, they gave me benadryl. They'll give ya a 2nd one if the first doesn't kick in.

Cheaper than Sominex....and it's the same damn thing.

I don't have trouble sleeping, ordinarily, but if I do, benadryl does the trick.

[840high]

30. Works for me, too.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

51. benadryl does nothing for me for sleep.

Kava Kava and melatonin.

Alcohol is out of the question. Makes me feel bad in the morning.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

31. A big swig of Nyquil

followed by playing solitaire on my iPhone until I drift off.

[Aristus]

32. A couple of slugs of diphenhydramine and a good book.

[olddots]

34. i just cry myself to sleep

I'm a sensitive guy ( yeah sure) I go to my friends place Float Lab and float for an hour and don't have to sleep for days.

[hobbit709]

36. About 3 pages of Ayn Rand will do it.

[GoCubsGo]

37. MidNite

You can get MidNite at just about any grocery or drug store, as well as Target and likely Squallmart.

Merlot just exacerbates the problem. Alcohol makes you sleepy at first, but it really screws up your sleep patterns, and behaves more like a stimulant after a few hours.

[Rhythm]

38. Honestly? Orgasm

Even if i've had a rough night at work, and am wound up tight as a drum, i'll be asleep within 5 minutes of that...

[mithnanthy]

39. My husband found a tape of the sound of rainfall...

We play it on the Ipad next to the bed............ahhhh... even the cats like it.

[Kali]

41. a bunch of coffee, bright lights, loud music, a college text book and an exam the next day

usually had me out like a freaking light by 7 PM


some kind of dry and boring reading still works on the extremely rare night I have trouble sleeping

[LuckyLib]

42. Much of insomnia involves "stewing" over present life issues. What sometimes

works for me is to keep focusing on details of the past -- memorable trips, a particular memory of a grandparents' farm, adventures with an old friend, the layout of an old apartment . . . until I drift off.

[DearHeart]

43. A big, thick, boring book...textbooks work very well.

Good luck!

[HipChick]

44. Well.. I have to study for a certification test..

so maybe I will drag my laptop and textbooks with me to bed..

[DearHeart]

49. laptops are a NO NO! Constantly being told that by my mother! :)

Laptop light simulates daytime in the brain...screws up your "timeclock" I guess. Yet, I never listen...I'm on my laptop at 12:15 am.

Good luck with your certification!!

[Lex]

45. Doxylamine succinate. It's an over the counter sleep aid.

. . . it is also the most effective over-the-counter sedative available in the United States and is more sedating than some prescription hypnotics. One study found that doxylamine succinate was more effective than the barbiturate phenobarbital for use as a sedative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doxylamine

It's just an antihistimine, very safe, and you will sleep without feeling hazy in the morning. I use it occasionally but not often.

[Skip Intro]

50. Half a Valium? nt

[olddots]

52. I make a really crumby gin martini

blow up the sex doll and bossa nova till we fall asleep in each others arms (is that so wrong ? )

[politicat]

53. Warm blanket, specific scents.

Lifelong insomniac here. Sleep hygiene (not laying in bed awake, dark room, et cetera) is only somewhat effective for me. Ambien is my sanity saver, but it's not always effective, either,and I won't exceed my dosage or mix anything with it. If I've done two rounds of ironing (my mindless meditative chore) while listening to one of several books/podcasts, it's time for the big guns.

This was my Mom's trick for getting infant me (seriously, life-long) to sleep. Your scent may vary.

Acquire a bottle of Love's Baby Soft perfume or White Shoulders perfume.
Throw a duvet/comforter in the dryer and set dryer to high. Spritz exactly 1 pump of scent into dryer. Turn it on and let blanket get warm. Make a hot, non-booze, non-caffeinated beverage and drink. Sometimes a serving of protein (cup of milk, slice of cheese, peanut butter) helps if I'm feeling peckish -- just no sugar.
When blanket is warm, wrap up. The scent should be faint.