I am a bogged down high school sophomore. I have to balance football practice, working out, homework and listening to teachers with sub-community college degrees drone on about boring shit all day with getting a good night’s sleep, which proves to be all the more difficult when your damn 1st period starts at 7:20 AM. Anyways, I’m looking to squeeze in about 9 hrs of sleep from about 9:30-6:30. The only problem is, like most other people, I have trouble getting to sleep this early. So I’m looking for a sleep aid, but since I’m only 15 and I live under my dad’s roof, anything that involves a drug that I’d have to go out and buy would be out of the question. Any suggestions?
Starting about 8:30 or 9:00, try to relax by doing some reading, listening to music, etc… Don’t try and go from full throttle right into sleep mode. This seems like common sense, but even just the other day I heard an interview where strength coach Paul Gagne was recommending the same thing.
This is my experience with sleep, when I go and lie down on my back I can lie there for a few hours and not doze off, but if I go into fetal possition I fall asleap within 10 or 20 minutes (I don’t wear a watch to bed, actually I don’t wear a watch at all heh). I don’t know why, but this works for me… its weird because right now I am sleepy, but if I were to go into my bed and lie down on my back I’d be there till the monkeys come home from monkey school. Then another weird thing… when I nap mid day I do so on my back and then wake up feeling refreshed (although I rarely dream during those naps). Freaky…
Foot Soldier, okay both steve and freebie had good suggestions but here is what I do. I balance football and work (athletic training) and a live in Girl Friend. Valerian Root and Epsom Salt. You of course know about ZMA. Valerian Root actually naturally relaxes smooth muscle tissue, such as your stomach (where a lot of anxiety and angst can be held) which will lead to you being able to really relax into a bath of epsom salt, which changes the mineral balance in the water and promotes recovery and relaxation. Stretch like a mofo when your done and you will sleep like a baby. This can take the place of any current stretching program you may be on if you stick to it. Careful not to fall asleep and drown in the tub. The valerian is really a good thing to keep in your supplement cupboard. Kava Kava would also be helpful and maybe melatonin but I never really liked the idea of too much melatonin.
Here’s the NLP remedy: Interviews have shown that people that have trouble falling to sleep generally have loud internal dialogue, and/or rousing/upsetting visual imagery while they lie in bed. To help yourself fall asleep, turn down the loud internal dialogue; turn it into a slow, deep whisper. Make sure any imagery you see is serene and peaceful, or at least nothing emotionally charging for you. Hope that helps!
Try learning how to mediate. This will quite you internal thoughs and it has also has been shown to provide almost the same level rest as sleeping. You might also try adding a couple of “Ranger Naps” to you day. These are short period of sleep 15 to 30 minutes, about every four hours. Learning this technique will provide extra time to you day. Thomas Edison and others have used. Best of Luck.
Drink some milk, there is some research saying that it will help you fall asleep. Make sure to go to bed at the SAME time each night and blanket your windows if you need more darkness. 'Course you could do what I usually do: choke the chicken and then take a long hot bath-works wonders!
A few suggestions:
- No stimulants (caffeine) after about 3:00.
- Lay down and chill about 1 hour before actually going to sleep, or trying that is.
- Go to bed at the same time EVERY night. Make an attempt to get up at the same also.
- Don’t oversleep. Just go to be all the earlier that day.
- Try one of these: valerin, kava kava, or melatonin.
- Lastly, don’t worry about everything. Clear your mind watching tv in that last hour. This is my personal problem as well. If your like me, make “to-do lists” and plan your weeks during the day so you don’t have to do it mentally while tossing and turning.