Tips for Better Sleep Before a Trip | Advice to Help Relax

[GCT]

sit on a couch, in a peaceful room with all of the lights turned off and have a drink (if not alcohol, ice water or something fruity) and your mind will naturally start working, although it may not work perfectly, you'll be relatively calmer, you may not sleep right away though. I would disadvise against studying or exercise, both can prolong the insomnia. Try washing your feet with cold water, before and after.

 

[Evo]

sit on a couch, in a peaceful room with all of the lights turned off and have a drink (if not alcohol, ice water or something fruity) and your mind will naturally start working, although it may not work perfectly, you'll be relatively calmer, you may not sleep right away though. I would disadvise against studying or exercise, both can prolong the insomnia. Try washing your feet with cold water, before and after.

For me , it's getting my mind to *stop* working. I think constantly. I watched a program once that showed people that enjoyed things that were "exciting", (sports, taking risks, etc...) had brains that almost flatlined without outside stimulus, they were almost incapable of stimulation from within. Then they showed types that appreciated music and literature and didn't care for sports or outwardly stimulating activity and even in the most quiet, calm moments, their brain activity was going wild. I'm the latter. It's hard to go to sleep when your brain won't stop.

 

[GCT]

Interesting. Well, what usually happens with me is that I eventually lose track of what exactly I'm thinking about, and since it's quite dark (as I had described) and very quite, my brain starts with the "sleep waves" (gotta review my bio) and although I don't fall asleep right away, I'm more ready and calmer. It also helps, like I said, to drink tea, or for me to sip on a glass of cold water.

 

[Moonbear]

The ice water might help some, but it would probably just make me cold. The body naturally decreases temperature very slightly when we sleep, so something that "tricks" the body into feeling cooler can help. One thing that works, but requires thinking ahead, is to take a warm shower about a half hour before you want to go to sleep (or have that hot drink then). That way, your body is cooling after the warmth as you're getting ready for bed.

I've also noticed that I sleep extremely well in hotel rooms, which is completely bizarre sounding to most people who don't sleep well unless they're in their own bed. So, I started thinking through what is different when I'm in a hotel than at home. One thing is I don't have all those annoying LED lights on everything making the room glow at night. Now I take the phone in the bedroom out of the charger at night so the light goes out, and literally cover anything else with an LED on it or remove it from the room. The alarm clock seems to be okay. Another thing is that when I'm traveling, I'm also VERY active all day, so exercise during the day helps (as has been suggested multiple times in this thread). One thing I can't change is that in hotel rooms, I often am woken up by the sunlight rather than an alarm clock, but my bedroom at home doesn't get any of the morning sun except a few weeks a year when it reflects off the window of the house next door at just the right angle to shine into my window and blind me in the morning. But natural sunlight in the morning does wonders for me and just helping to shift me to a morning person. Then there's also the limited things to do when sitting in a hotel room. I'm not connected to the internet half the night, don't have quite as bright of lights on at night, usually I spend my evenings just relaxing and sitting with a book until I drift off to sleep.

 

[JamesU]

I got some exercise today. had a hot shower. and had some hot chamolmile tea (yum )

 

[Mk]

before the trip I took, I had a hard time getting to sleep. it lasted 5 days. now, I've been having the same problems for over a week! I'll see a doctor next week. anyway, anyone have some advice? I want something tjat may help me relax and get to sleep.

Yomamma, read Insomnia by Stephen King. It will freak you out.

Has anyone suggested paying someone to just knock you unconscious? You'll get some good sleep like that. And the harder he hits, the longer you sleep!

 

[JamesU]

this isn't what I need to hear before going to sleep :|

 

[arildno]

this isn't what I need to hear before going to sleep :|

You should make that call to your great aunt..

 

[JamesU]

ummm ...what?

 

[arildno]

My post 26 suggestion..

 

[JamesU]

ah...

 

[arildno]

She is very lonely, you know..

 

[Moonbear]

If you don't have a great aunt to call, I have an 82-year old next door neighbor who is very lonely and will gladly talk to you for hours. Just prop the phone next to your ear and let her talk and you'll be drifting off in no time.

 

[JamesU]

maybe...

 

[Math Is Hard]

Did you get some sleep last night, yo?

 

[JamesU]

yep...much better