My brain won't shut up when I am trying to sleep.

[Igottago]

Try some meditation techniques to calm your thinking..should be a lot of simple ones online. Sometimes its as simple as counting to 3 while deep breathing and making sure you focus on the counting and breathing, and let the rest of the thoughts in your mind just drift by. Stuff like this has helped me with similar sleep problems.

[peter12]

I suffer from this problem too. From about 3:00 am onward, I wake up constantly sweaty and disturbed. It can be pretty annoying.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by J pold

Part of this is diet (I try not to eat past 7)...

For me its the opposite I have a Protein Shake just before bed, and I find it helps me sleep longer and better. I also find I don't wake up hungry anymore as my body has something to feed itself instead of shutting down the metabolism and fasting.

I also have noticed gain in strength and muscle mass since doing this, so it would depend on your goals. I just don't see how it is healthy for the body to go foodless for 12+ hours, regardless what the activity is.

[COGENT]

I've had this problem my whole life but I have found the answer. After tossing and turning for awhile and realizing it's going to be one of those nights I will go and stretch for about 10 minutes. guaranteed I am sleeping within 10 minutes after going back to bed. Hasn't failed me yet. I actually got the the idea from mens health magazine.

good luck.

[GirlySports]

How about warm milk before bed?

Isn't that the common remedy that all parents tell their children?

[zukes]

If your wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend/cat is willing, sex usually helps one relax. I know I can be out like a light afterwards.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by zukes

If your cat is willing, sex usually helps one relax.

That's just not right. Palmela Handerson is insulted.

[Ford Prefect]

I always have a busy brain when I go to bed, but it usually doesn't stop me from drifting off to sleep. If it does, I find that 3 ounces of tequila straight up works wonders. Not the rot gut tequila they sell in Canadian liquor stores though ... the good stuff from Mexico. The crap they sell here will just jar you awake more.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by OilKiller

Vivitas Melatonin

The link is to the regular strength, I buy the extra strength now. Works great. You can pick it up at Shoppers, Zellers, Walmart...any of those places.

Completely agree, this is what I was about to suggest as well. I've been taking them for years. They were illegal in Canada a few years ago, so my aunt from Houston would always bring them up when she visited, but I see you can get them here now. Much more natural-feeling than sleeping pills. They don't "knock you out" and make it impossible to wake up the next day, you just take one and 30mins-1hr later you feel really(naturally, not drug induced) tired. My aunt was telling me lots of sports teams down in Texas use them, I highly recommend these.

The only problem I have with them(and this may just be me, my sleeping patterns beyond suck) is I become immune to them veeery quickly. If I have one two days in a row, the second day it will actually do the opposite and give me insomnia. If I'm in a stretch when I'm having alot of troubles sleeping, I'll take one every 2-3 days.

[zukes]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

I always have a busy brain when I go to bed, but it usually doesn't stop me from drifting off to sleep. If it does, I find that 3 ounces of tequila straight up works wonders. Not the rot gut tequila they sell in Canadian liquor stores though ... the good stuff from Mexico. The crap they sell here will just jar you awake more.

Yeah, booze helps, when I can't sleep it's always on a night where I haven't had anything to drink.

[vernon30]

Suprised no one mentioned the impact of a bender on trying to sleep for the next few nights after stopping.

After a golf trip with the boys I find it hard to sleep for a few nights, which makes me even more tired and compounds how bad my body feels. It sucks as you seem to need two + days off after getting back from a fun trip just to get back into the groove.

[OilKiller]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

The only problem I have with them(and this may just be me, my sleeping patterns beyond suck) is I become immune to them veeery quickly. If I have one two days in a row, the second day it will actually do the opposite and give me insomnia. If I'm in a stretch when I'm having alot of troubles sleeping, I'll take one every 2-3 days.

Haven't had that problem, although I try not to take them everyday. I only take one when I know I have to get to sleep because I've got a big day ahead of me and I'm not tired at all when it's time to get to bed.

Have you tried the Extra Strength ones? I buy them at Zellers. They just came out with the Extra Stength ones not too long ago.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by HOOT

I just don't see how it is healthy for the body to go foodless for 12+ hours, regardless what the activity is.

Somebody gets 12+ hours of sleep! You lucky %*$#*%#^!!!!!!!!

[zukes]

Yeah the hangover day, you eventually feel better and feel like you should be asleep and then you can't. Get that all the time. Then when you do get to sleep, your 14 month old wakes up twice because they are getting molars, opr at least that was my Sunday to Monday sleep this week.

[zukes]

Originally Posted by fotze

or the night after you've had too much to drink.

Nope I can always sleep, or pass out anyway. It's never a good sleep after heavy drinking, unless you get 14 hours or so.

[Itse]

I suffered from the exact same thing, "brain refusing to shut up". I tried pretty much everything suggested here, including the sleeping pills, but no luck. (Unless I took a dose of sleeping pills that made me feel tired and brainless the next day, which wasn't really helping.)

Then one day when I walked into a doctor who calmly wanted to hear my whole story, and long story short, I can't start to describe how much better my life is now.

Turns out I had something he called "slight two-way mood disorder" (I hope that translated into something sensible). Basicly I'm manic-depressive or bipolar or what ever you'd call it. (I tend to agree with the doctor that exact labels don't help much.) Not so much that it would've been a huge problem in itself, but enough to 'cause a severe sleeping disorder. I now take one drug a day, which doesn't feel like much anything, and not only I sleep okay, life is generally just so much better. The drug in combination with the lack of sleep deprivation just makes me feel much more like myself, if that makes any sense.

Constant sleep deprivation is among the most annoying and potentially dangerous problems to have. It can wreck your whole life without you even realizing it. (It did play a big part in many problems in my life.)

I hope you find your answer, like I found mine.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Somebody gets 12+ hours of sleep! You lucky %*$#*%#^!!!!!!!!

I honestly don't know where I got 12 hours from, I am sure I meant 8 but probably wished I could sleep 12!

Either way going 6-8hrs without any food would kill me! I sometimes will wake up, eat and then go back to bed. But we are talking like protein shakes or chicken....Hmmmmmm food.

[Nufy]

Replays of the Oilers 06/07 or 07/08 season work for me.

[the-rasta-masta]

Smoke a Joint. Problem solved.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Anyone else have problems sleeping at night because your brain refuses to shut up and keeps thinking about stupid stuff? It is 4:00am and I went to bed hours ago and my brain won't stop thinking about stuff. Nothing in particular either, just random stupid crap! I suppose I could take a sleeping pill but I hate those things.

I have the same issue.

The only solution is music. I go to bed with my iPod on, I don't even waste time creating a 'sleepy time' playlist. I find that pretty soon my brain is concentrating on the music and it relaxes and falls asleep. Invariably I wake up a few hours later (usually when one of my very favorite songs comes on) and I then shut the iPod down and am able to fall right back asleep.