What's your night-time sleep routine, if any? What do you do to help Sandman do his work, or does he need no help at all from you?

Generally, I can't get to sleep without a little assistance. Of late, my sleep routine has consisted of popping a melatonin, taking a shot of Nyquil, wrapping up in bed with a DVD that is usually but not limited to one of the following: Will & Grace, Community, Cougar Town, Scrubs, Parks & Recreation or 30 Rock (I like to get drowsy while something humorous is going on, and those shows are usually full of fun antics).

Will & Grace is definitely the most-played bedtime DVD because the setting is usually lower-light, though the brightly-lit Florida setting of Cougar Town is fine too after the Nyquil kicks in!

And once it does kick in, and I feel my eyes closing for the first or second time, I know it is time to turn off the TV & DVD player, and roll over for pleasant dreams!

I usually go to sleep with the TV on. It's kind of my... thang. I've been doing it all my life.

Sometimes I shut it off.

I need background noise, like a fan or heater or radio turned to static, before I can get to sleep. If I hear old creaky house noises, or the dog walking around, it keeps me up.

I can't sleep at all with the TV on, and while I used to sleep with the radio on, I can't do that anymore either (a music CD or whatever, sure, as long as I know and like the music, anything new makes my brain wake up and pay attention).

I have ridiculous insomnia, in any event, and can take hours to go to sleep if I'm expecting something (getting ready to go on a big trip, starting a new job, etc.) which generally means I'm miserable for the first day of vacations, etc. as I've gotten no sleep the night before.

My roommate can fall asleep in the middle of a sentence (or while driving!). It's appalling!

I generally can sleep well in most conditions: background noise or total silence, full stomach or hungry, etc. I never need any medicinal help. My job has me traveling and sleeping in hotels all year round so I've also trained myself to sleep easily in random hotels and strange places well.

Preferably I like total darkness when I sleep.

I also am a heavy sleeper and it takes a lot to wake me. I can sleep through noise outside, my wife getting up to go to the bathroom, the dog barking and the baby crying.

I never nap though. Even when I'm tired or sick I can never take a midday snooze.

I have a thunderstorm machine that continues all night. Good background noise for me. Although I can fall asleep under just about any situation if I am tired enough.

When I get into bed, I put on my clock/radio (on the timer). Then I usually do a puzzle or two (or three or four) and/or I do some adult reading. I then shut off th eradio usually and turn off the light. I'm usually asleep within a few minutes.

I do fall asleep watching TV in the afternoon. On the occassions when my roommate gets up before me, he turns on the TV, turns on the subtitles, and puts the sound almost to off. I have told him that he doesn't need to do that and have pointed out the times when I have fallen asleep right in front of the TV, let alone in another room with the door closed. But he still does it.


I can grab quick cat naps here and there.

Tonight not even Nyquil and Community could get me to sleep. I blame sleeping all day.

Whenever I have trouble getting to sleep, I use something that my high school gym teacher taught me (it was a super small school, so he doubled as the Health teacher).

In any case, it's sort of a combination of meditation and self-hypnosis, I guess. Basically, as I lie there, working my way up, I dissociate my body from my mind by imagining that each subsequent part is super-heavy. I don't know why (maybe the Italian in me ) but for some reason I envision that as each part slowly being surrounded by concrete, like I'm sinking in.

So one by one, it's as though my mind is putting to sleep my feet, then my legs, pelvis, trunk, arms, neck, and head. By time I get to the top, I'm so relaxed that sleep just gradually overcomes me. I know it sounds goofy, but I've been doing that for 20 some years and it works like a charm.

These days I'm usually listening to either audiobooks or old radio detective shows as I'm going to sleep. I strongly prefer total darkness. I'm also finding lately that leaving anything undone that I'm going to need to do first thing in the morning drives me crazy at night, so I need to make sure I'm completely ready for the next day before going to bed.

Naps are dangerous. Sometimes I I just can't function in late afternoon/evening without taking a nap, but if I wait until too late, it really messes with my sleep at night.

I'm right there with ya on that first thing in the morning stuff... stuff like that will keep me up all night if I let it!

Ex, very interesting. I may attempt to try that. I once tried to count sheep, but after getting up to several thousand, I gave up!

I *love* total darkness but can get by without it, especially if I have the proper assistance.

I used to sleepwalk. I'd end up in the garage, the kitchen or the attic.

I usually keep a night light on just in case I need to get up in the middle of the night. Music helps, but I can fall asleep in total silence, too.

I get to sleep... nekkid.

...and now, I may never sleep again.

>glares at Rickshaw sleeping nude< Oh, wrong thread.

I have no trouble getting to sleep. I think it's called exhaustion...

I almost always have difficulty getting to sleep.
Sometimes reading helps, but I often lie in bed for an hour or more before I drop off.

I use Propofol.

....what, STILL too soon...?

wuzzat? ruffies?

Stuff that killed Michael Jackson. DO try to keep up.

I just knock myself unconscious with a lamp or spare candlestick.

News travels slow down where he is...

I find going through the Legionnaires, one by one, thinking their real names and home planets in my head, helps me fall asleep pretty fast actually.
I don't know why but it works for me.

Lately I have been just staying up as long as I can...then I fall asleep really fast. Not the best strategy...as I only get about 5 hours of sleep a night...but they are solid hours.

I build planets.

Nyquil...religiously.

I know, I know, but I have cut back to three nights per week and am trying to wean myself off it completely.

Is taking Nyquil bad or something? I hope not, it sure help me out... I love when that sleepy Nyquil feeling overtakes me...

I count posts made by Future King. I can just imagine them jumping over firewalls...

I have NO problems getting to sleep, ever, but I still have a pretty regular routine.

Bedside fan on, feet uncovered, and either a Harry Potter movie or The Sorcerer's Apprentice on the PVR.

I resort to this tactic every now and then as well. Works like a charm.

How do I get to sleep?
Two words: Remy Martin

I bought some generic version of Nyquil because it was so cheap... and I was only awake for like 6 total hours (split during 2 separate occasions) yesterday, and this morning I am *STILL* yawning.

A nightcap of chocolate milk, Bailey's Irish Cream, Kahlua liqueur, and a dash of cinnamon.

Some of those generics are awesomesauce for sleeping.

Ever since I moved to Houston 13 years ago, I fell asleep with our local public radio station playing. I would go to sleep to classical music and wake to the morning news. Imagine my dismay last spring when the divided the station in two, with the music on one frequency and the news on another! Worse yet, the music station has very poor reception in my neighborhood. What I do now is I stream the music channel over my PC overnight and turn on the radio for news as I'm waking up.

Sorry I'm late to the thread. I overslept

I don't have any problems nodding off really. It's mainly pretty quiet so I probably prefer that. I've never had the radio or TV on when trying to get to sleep.

If I'm lucky, I'll read for half an hour.

But the reason for the post is to echo future king. If I don't drift off really quickly I find thinking of the members of the Legion does the trick nicely.