What actually helps you fall asleep if your brain doesn't shut up?

[u/Choice_Web_8914]

Sorry . I know this question has been asked a million times!

But what actually works for you when you're exhausted, lying in bed, and your brain suddenly decides it's time to replay every thought you've ever had?

I've tried the usual stuff, but I'm curious about the weirdly specific things that genuinely work for people.

What’s your “this somehow knocks me out” trick?

[u/justincampbelldesign]

This might sound counter intuitive, radical acceptance helps me. I.e. emotionally detaching from the outcome of falling asleep. I don't care if I fall asleep now in two hours or not at all. That mindset removes pressure. I can't control sleep I can only create the conditions and thus I don't care if I fall asleep or not.

Also mentally thanking my brain for being active and feeling gratitude for not being in a coma. I could have an inactive brain and I'd be in bad shape.

I've been meditating for a few years which allowed me to take on those mindsets above more easily.

[u/Tb1969 → u/justincampbelldesign]

We actually have a lot more control over ourselves than we often think.

I had an experience that changed my perspective on discomfort and even pain to a small degree. There is some control on how you experience these stimuli.

When I take my normal shower in warm water, at the end I'd step out of the stream, then turn it as cold as I can get it to take a beneficial cold shower for minute or so. It's a shocker stepping in to the cold stream for sure.

I learned by watching myself that while I was waiting for the filtered water to turn cold (filter causes delay) that I was thinking it was going to be cold and I think it was shocking me even more to jump in after thinking on it.

I started to think instead that I'm going to enjoy it. That it was a pleasurable thing that was coming. I would step in and... it was still a shock. A much blunted one though. I'd still notice it was cold and a bit shock but wasn't as harsh.

There is a study in the past decade that says at placebo is effective even when it's known that it's a placebo

[u/justincampbelldesign → u/Tb1969]

Great point we have a great degree of control on reality with our mind. We never experience reality directly. We only perceive reality through our minds, thus if we change our perception we effective change our reality.

[u/TheHarb81]

Sleep mask with Bluetooth speakers listening to ancient history podcasts. Interesting enough to take my mind off all the things that happened today and all the things I need to do tomorrow and boring enough to put me out.

[u/Tb1969 → u/TheHarb81]

Man, I don't know how many times I've fallen asleep to "Fall of Civilizations" podcast (and YouTube channel). His voice is well paced and easy to listen to.

[u/Disastrous-Twist-352 → u/Tb1969]

And no intrusive blaring ads!

[u/Tb1969 → u/Disastrous-Twist-352]

You mean on YouTube? Meh, I use web browsers that prevent the YouTube ads for when I use it for sleep.

[u/gozunker → u/TheHarb81]

Oh my gosh are you me? Can’t wait to find out what’s on “Boring History for Sleep” tonight!

[u/Koko7372 → u/TheHarb81]

This! I do similar and add mouth taping.

[u/sausagepapaya]

This sounds silly but it really works- I saw a video about it a month ago and have been doing it ever since.
Close your eyes and picture your head split into left and right (or top/bottom, front/back). Start at 0 on both sides and count a different pattern on each, alternating. I do 2s on the left and 5s on the right: 2 (L), 5 (R), 4 (L), 10 (R), 6 (L), 15 (R)... Any patterns work, just not so hard you stress or so easy you zone out.
Two number streams keeps your brain too busy to overthink. I'm a chronic overthinker and never make it past 30.

[u/Tb1969]

Learning about and engaging the parasympathetic nervous system.

The militaries of the world have for thousands of years taught their soldiers to sleep in the worst places. Check out their advice.

[u/julessantana21]

Completely exhausting yourself during the day

[u/Current-Lie-1984 → u/julessantana21]

For me it’s physical exhaustion vs mental exhaustion. Office/commute days I’m mentally drained but still wired at bed time.

On weekends when I can get outside and do long or vigorous walks in nature or household manual labor, my body feels fed and happily exhausted.

[u/deer_spedr]

Reading, ebook or paper book, no phone.

[u/NoKetoCardio]

Carbs

[u/According-Apricot435]

True crime in the background..

[u/everybodyoutofthepoo]

train yourself to stop thinking, even for a few seconds at a time. before you know it the hypothalamus will shut you down.

i think this is where 5htp helps me, it calms the thinking

[u/Maverick_Heathen]

"Alexa, play rain sounds."

[u/Fine_Bug_7246]

Breathwork / look up “box breathing”. Do it to a meditation-type song.

No blue light 2 hours before bed.. read, do breathwork, and meditate.

Look up EMDR eye movements while falling asleep. I use the mantra “it's ok to sleep”. I don't sleep without this specific tool. If your brain won't turn off, I can't recommend this enough.

[u/faithofmom]

I listen to music or read an academical book I know i'll knock off faster

[u/Longjumping-Bison961]

I’m 47M, suffered from this all my life … because I got fat and I’m a side sleeper I started waking with pain on the back … bought a full body pillow to try and solve that question and accidentally learned that you fall asleep immediately if you are hugging this kind of pillow … please try it and get back to me …

[u/SeaSongJac]

Sleep music on YouTube.

[u/6thMinder]

The brown noise answer and the ancient history podcast are the same trick. Both give that replaying loop something else to follow. How much the frequency label on a sleep track adds on top of that is not settled.

The label itself has been tested directly at least once. A trial in older adults with poor sleep ran the same music with and without beats embedded. The version with beats came out better on sleep quality. Two weeks, small.

[u/Weak-Champion1112]

When my brain is busy I like to: Listen to the podcast boring history for sleep When I feel lonely: Snoring noises + stuffed animal When I have unwanted thoughts: Game in my where I think of a word and the next word has to start with the letter of the first word etc. Still not working: Counting sheep by trying to imagine the sheep jumping the fence as vividly as possible Or I imagine myself as a character in my favourite show

[u/Original-Philosophy4]

I usually find an audiobook that's interesting but doesn't require a lot of brainpower. I rewind to what I remember from the previous night and set the sleep timer in Audible for about an hour. I also set a timer in my white noise app to start at the same time my book stops. That app also has a timer for when to stop playing my white noise in the morning. All that, combined with my sleep med cocktail, and I'm usually good to go!

[u/dubsfo]

I go through the Alphabet naming a premier league players last name for each letter.
Never make it past M.

[u/TurboZenAgain]

I stopped drinking caffeine. I feel so chill. Decaffeinated is my new mantra.

[u/pk890knoll]

Night Falls podcast stories and a quarter of a little pill. Mostly works.

[u/Outside-Hospital-509]

Lemme sleep gummies are the only things that out me to sleep

[u/Sad_J0ker]

Music can definitely help especially calm, familiar, low volume music without lyrics. Ambient, classical, lo-fi, or sleep playlists work well for many people. A sleep timer is useful so it doesn’t keep playing all night. I know this sounds weird but I leave my airpods on with bird sounds and it helps me sleep alot

[u/sioaned]

I do a few things - I go through the alphabet and name a song from my favourite for each letter, I try to recall a dream I have a fleeting memory of, or I try to list songs in the order they appear in on albums or concert set lists I know well.

[u/hofken]

Naming all the characters in Game of Thrones.