It happens to the best of us—you feel so ready to go to sleep after complaining about how tired you’ve been all day. When your homework is finally done (or put off until the next day) you climb into bed and get all snuggled up. You close your eyes, take a sigh of relief, and then…nothing.
A lot of times, I feel like I should be able to sleep, but can’t. Sometimes it’s because my mind is racing, and sometimes I just can’t get comfortable. Whatever the reason, it’s always frustrating to feel so tired, but still be awake. Life as a self-diagnosed insomniac has made me come up with different ways to trick myself into falling asleep. Maybe you already use them, or maybe you’ll think they’re totally weird, in any case, the next time you find yourself wide awake, give one of them a try.
Switch up your location
I love my bed more than anything. Some nights though, it just doesn’t do it for me. My pillows stop being comfortable, my sheets feel scratchy, or my back will start to hurt. I’ll toss and turn for hours and then finally decide to leave my bed. I grab my two favorite pillows and comforter, and camp out on my bedroom floor. By some miracle, I usually fall asleep instantaneously. Maybe its the contrast of the hard floor instead of a soft mattress—I don’t know. But the next time your restlessness is getting the best of you, roll off your bed onto the floor, and you might just slip into dreamland.
Background noise
More often than not, my own thoughts keep me wide awake. I need silence for thinking when I’m studying or trying to solve a problem in my life. The thing is though, silence makes me continue to over think everything, even when it’s supposed to make me sleep. After a while, I’m wired because I’m worked up over my homework load or latest boy drama. I have found that listening to someone else’s dialogue helps me forget about my own inner monologue. I’ve developed a habit of listening to reruns of shows I know and love, like Modern Family or Gossip Girl, in order to pass out faster. I put my computer on low volume, dim my screen, and I’ll be out like a light in no time. Admittedly, this probably isn’t the healthiest habit I have, but it’s effective in that it gets me out of my own head, and into someone else’s made up life, which is always less stressful!
A little over the counter help
This is something of a last resort for me. I usually only take something to help me sleep if I napped earlier, and know that I have an early morning or a lot of studying to do the next day. My go to sleep aid is ZzzQuil; it comes from the makers of NyQuil, and uses diphenhydramine to help you pass out (aka, the chemical that makes you feel drowsy). It lessens your time between being awake and being asleep, and is non-habit forming. Still, only use this product when you absolutely have to—it’s healthier to get yourself into a rhythm where you can fall asleep naturally. And use it only if you plan on getting 8 hours of sleep, otherwise you’ll wake up feeling even more tired than the night before.
Dress for success
You dress appropriately for your conscious life, so why not do the same thing when you’re getting your beauty sleep? We all know what we feel the most comfortable sleeping in—for me it’s boy shorts and a loose shirt. But sometimes, I realize I can’t sleep because my collar feels extra annoying, or I forgot to take off my socks. No mater what it is, sometimes you just need a change of PJs. And it doesn’t hurt if they’re cute—it’s way easier to face my sleepy self in the morning when my pajamas look prettier than my crazy hair.