A really good pillow. I got a new one that helps me fall asleep in seconds. Now when I go to new places it’s takes a bit to fall asleep since the pillows are all wrong.
Though, I can’t recommend a single pillow since everyone is different. But I suggest trying to find one you like.
Getting surgery on my nasal turbinates. I recently found out how important proper breathing is. I didn’t know it could even change the shape of your face. After the surgery, my sleep quality improved a lot
Losing my charger.
I lost it for 2 days and I didnt have my phone at the time.
Had the best sleep of my life, probably because I didnt look at a screen for 2 days days as I didnt open my laptop nor the TV.
No lights in the bedroom besides a red digital alarm clock. No tv, no video games and no phone scrolling in bed. Bed is for sleep ( and that other thing ) and bedroom is for sleeping. Also consistent bed time and wake up time.
Sleep apnea diagnosis + CPAP changed my life for the better
A good, comfortable mattress
Enough physical exercise in a day to feel physically tired (but not too exhausted) when you go to bed. (Think about this if you do a lot of office and/or brain work.)
No screen time/brightness extremely low a while before going to bed
Sometimes I used relaxing music to help me get my mind out of spaces to let me get to sleep. It made me take a 4 hour nap in an afternoon unintentionally.
limiting carbs to whole foods like sweet potatoes, nothing processed like breads, pastas, sweets. eating them in significant amounts for only 1 meal mid day.
Cpap machine, never realized that I wasn’t sleeping good until I slept good. Have a dark room, no distractions maybe a fan or white noise machine. Then a good mattress and sheets. And a clean conscious, you won’t sleep good if you where a shitty person and regret your actions
Sleeping less, it sounds ironic, but I used to sleep like 10 hours and still felt tired. Now that I sleep 7 hours, I actually feel more tired by the end of the day and end up sleeping better. I’m not sure why that happens
Magnesium, L-theanine, and pharmaGABA. Improved my quality of life significantly (problem isn’t falling asleep, it’s staying asleep because of chronic nightmares)
Honestly, it snuck up on me, but in hindset from 2017-2020, I don’t know if I was ever getting a good night’s rest.
But how are you supposed to tell you’re snoring, when you’re asleep. Then in 2021, I started dating someone, and they said my snoring was terrible, but I knew for a fact in undergrad, I didn’t snore at all.
Went to the doctor, and it all fell in place. Thank God.
Cannabis edibles. As a shift worker who switches 12 -hour shifts (days ->nights -> days) during every two week block, so roughly every five days for the last 20+ years I turn my whole circadian rhythm around. The edibles help me to manage my sleep enough where I can keep working this schedule until I retire in seven years.
Focusing on relaxing my neck muscles first while in bed trying to go to sleep gets me to sleep super fast. Neck muscles are always the last to relax before we fall asleep so might as well focus my attention on that first to hurry up the process.
Diagnosed with sleep apnea and getting a CPAP machine. 18 years now and compliant wearing it 99.9% of the time. If someone tells you that you stop breathing and gasp in your sleep or even if you can’t stay awake through a movie at home (or while driving), get a sleep study!
Regular exercise. It doesn’t even have to be strenuous or intense. Just walking for 30 mins to an hour a day. It helps calm your mind and tire your body.
I used to manage an insurance office, and all I did was sit at a desk all day, then get drunk at night. I got pretty chubby and slept like shit. I felt awful 24/7
Then I quit and got a job where I had minimal responsibility and could leave in the early afternoon, so even in winter, it was still light out when I was off work. I kept drinking, but toned it back. But the biggest change was taking my dogs for walks every single day. It started out as 15-20 minutes, but within 6 months I was going for hour+ walks in the woods every day. I immediately lost a bunch of weight, started sleeping very well and falling asleep instantly. I felt good.
Then I quit drinking for a year. I lost a ton more weight, kept walking daily so I was getting pretty well conditioned. Even when I started drinking again, I didn’t go back to it like I had. From 12-18 beers a night to 2-6 beers per week. Now I switched jobs again and I’m a carpenter. I work pretty hard at work all day, then I still walk my dogs every day for at least 30 mins, usually more like an hour. The last few years I’ve also been farming and I just built a house an started a larger farm this year. I sleep super well all the time now. It’s so rare for me not to have a full nights rest. And I fall asleep within a minute of going to bed usually. It’s 100% from staying active all day, mentally and physically.
Up early, bed early, cold room, magnesium supplement everyday, off devices most of the day or at least an hour before I want to sleep, working out and yoga everyday. Just taking care of myself to sleep better and feel better in general.
I use those headbands with built in headphones and listen to relaxing sleep music every night, I have an app on my phone that locks it out so I can’t doom scroll for hours.
Almost completely cut out caffeine (thanks gastritis) and try to avoid too much sugar before bed (I get bad restless legs)
Getting a sleep study and finding out I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It took a few nights to get used to the CPAP mask itself and the constant airflow, but it was so worth it.
I set a time to be in bed 45 minutes prior to sleep and stretch 15 minutes before that. I usually read in low warm light and then lay my head down as my eyes get heavy and try to not fight it. The hardest part from that point was changing my thought habits. Getting rid of daydreaming and speculating on past, present, and future events is hard but does wonders. Simply focusing on breathing, my bed, my dog, and some nice piano music (shout out hollow knight piano collections as my current go to) has been what works for me.
The stretching is nice as I always feel it reduces the tension in my body, and I try to read books for personal growth (starting eight dates tonight) to help me center and wind down. I’m also a big fan of a nice woodwick candle for the ambient noise and smell.
It surprised me, but anti anxiety meds. The side effects make me sleepy and I go to bed at a decent time. No more nightly nightmares, lower BPM and hitting all my sleep cycle goals. Didn’t expect it and not complaining!
Eye mask. I have a lot of trouble falling asleep. I’ve done magnesium, melatonin, gummies, sound machine, you name it. I think wearing an eye mask really turns everything off for me.
Forcing my husband to get a sleep study done. I told him I was literally waking up to him not breathing multiple times a night. He did and found out he was having massive oxygen problems.
CPAP machine changed everything. I no longer get woken up by his snoring or stopping breathing and he sleeps wonderfully now. Machine is almost silent and very small. It was a life saver.
Kicking all the pets out at night. I didn’t realize how many times I was waking up throughout the night until we started making them sleep in the living room.
Moving away from the city, quitting barending, drinking more water &, exercising. Also, buying comfortable sleep sets. Sticking to satin or silk because I run hot, and cooking pillows/sheets made a world of difference. Finally, reading before bed instead of screens.
I stop using my phone at 8pm, and give myself half an hour after waking up before looking at it.
I still wake up during the night but I can usually fall back asleep right away.
On nights I use my phone after 8, I find myself waking up in the middle of the night for 1-2 hours before being able to fall back asleep.
I started turning on a white noise program on my phone right as I turned off the light to go to sleep. I always play the same rain storm blend every time. I think it has helped me train my brain to associate that sound with “time to sleep.”
Comments
A really good pillow. I got a new one that helps me fall asleep in seconds. Now when I go to new places it’s takes a bit to fall asleep since the pillows are all wrong.
Though, I can’t recommend a single pillow since everyone is different. But I suggest trying to find one you like.
Working out consistently
Magnesium supplements helped me. I read that people with chronic stress (me) deplete magnesium fast.
Cold room, not napping in the day and getting off devices prior to bedtime.
Getting surgery on my nasal turbinates. I recently found out how important proper breathing is. I didn’t know it could even change the shape of your face. After the surgery, my sleep quality improved a lot
Losing my charger.
I lost it for 2 days and I didnt have my phone at the time.
Had the best sleep of my life, probably because I didnt look at a screen for 2 days days as I didnt open my laptop nor the TV.
Earplugs and a night guard.
Blackout curtains. I’ve never had trouble sleeping but as soon as the sun comes up it wakes me up, and I don’t like that.
Weight loss.
Cutting out caffeine
Getting a CPAP. Best money I have ever spent
No lights in the bedroom besides a red digital alarm clock. No tv, no video games and no phone scrolling in bed. Bed is for sleep ( and that other thing ) and bedroom is for sleeping. Also consistent bed time and wake up time.
Making my sleep schedule consistent. Best thing I’ve ever done for myself.
No caffeine after 2pm and no more than 2 alcoholic drinks
Instead of thinking “shit I have to go to sleep” I started thinking “hell yeah, I get to go to sleep”
Alan Watts lectures and a 30 minute timer on YouTube. I am usually asleep in 30 seconds though.
Moving my husband to his own bedroom. We both sleep much better.
Mouth tape
Turning on a sleep timer on tv
Getting divorced
Sometimes I used relaxing music to help me get my mind out of spaces to let me get to sleep. It made me take a 4 hour nap in an afternoon unintentionally.
Cpap machine, never realized that I wasn’t sleeping good until I slept good. Have a dark room, no distractions maybe a fan or white noise machine. Then a good mattress and sheets. And a clean conscious, you won’t sleep good if you where a shitty person and regret your actions
Selling my children.
Limit blue after sunset. It helps because one it’s so boring and you feel sleepy. But boy I sleep like a baby when I do that.
Memory foam mattress
Consistent exercise from biking to work. And a white noise app on my phone.
My baby started sleeping through the night. Now I only wake up due to stress dreams
Go to bed when tired and ready to sleep. No phone, no tv, just sleep.
Sleeping less, it sounds ironic, but I used to sleep like 10 hours and still felt tired. Now that I sleep 7 hours, I actually feel more tired by the end of the day and end up sleeping better. I’m not sure why that happens
I got a job
Literally going bed earlier 😂 . Not being smart .
Tempur mattras and pillow.
Expensive, but the feel of comfort and sleeping better is so worth it.
Getting rid of the alarm clock.
Going to the gym after work really improves my
sleep. Good temperature control in the room is important too.
Zero alcohol
Having a bedtime
Working out, cutting back alcohol, and Ashwagandha.
Retirement.
If I wake up at 2:00 am now, no big deal. I just stay up for a bit then go back to sleep when I get tired and sleep in.
Magnesium, L-theanine, and pharmaGABA. Improved my quality of life significantly (problem isn’t falling asleep, it’s staying asleep because of chronic nightmares)
Magnesium supplements and earplugs
CPAP machine, as much as I hate using it.
CPAP Machine.
Honestly, it snuck up on me, but in hindset from 2017-2020, I don’t know if I was ever getting a good night’s rest.
But how are you supposed to tell you’re snoring, when you’re asleep. Then in 2021, I started dating someone, and they said my snoring was terrible, but I knew for a fact in undergrad, I didn’t snore at all.
Went to the doctor, and it all fell in place. Thank God.
Melatonin
Using a CPAP machine.
Getting off overnights and back to normal people hours lmao
Reading a book in bed for 30 to 60 minutes.
Working out!
Stop drinking alcohol
Edibles.
Cannabis edibles. As a shift worker who switches 12 -hour shifts (days ->nights -> days) during every two week block, so roughly every five days for the last 20+ years I turn my whole circadian rhythm around. The edibles help me to manage my sleep enough where I can keep working this schedule until I retire in seven years.
As a middle aged woman, HRT (hormone replacement therapy) eliminated my 3:00 a.m. existential dread.
Focusing on relaxing my neck muscles first while in bed trying to go to sleep gets me to sleep super fast. Neck muscles are always the last to relax before we fall asleep so might as well focus my attention on that first to hurry up the process.
Investing in a good set of black-out curtains
Tried mouth taping.
Never slept better
One of the first things my new husband helped me do was set a regular, reasonable bedtime and stick to it, even on weekends.
It’s been just over two years now and the benefits are real.
Mirtazapine. Even the bad dreams have ceased.
Blackout curtains, no joke they turned my room into a sleep cave🙂
Making our 75 lb dog sleep in another room.
Dark room without a visible clock
Guided sleep meditations on YouTube or Spotify
Wedge pillow to sleep on my side
Giving up alcohol and caffeine!
CPAP machine.
Stop drinking alcohol
Gave up all alcohol. I sleep so much better now.
A TV in my bedroom. I sleep much better with TV running in the background.
Managing sleep apnea. It’s lovely not feeling like a zombie everyday.
Leaving my phone downstairs when I go to bed.
Being away from cruel people mostly
Mouth tape. My snoring no longer wakes me up.
Memory foam pillows
Wearing a mask to cover my eyes.
Read an actual book in bed every night without fail until I become sleepy.
Seeing this thread while in bed unable to sleep with work tomorrow, guys please help haha
Finishing my degree.
Quetiapine
Magnesium as top poster said and vitamin D3 (a buttload) usually 2000-4000 I.E. per day for someone who sits infront of a screen for a living
A grounding mat! Life changing
Cpap
Moving to the countryside. Dark af at night and quiet.
A stand alone AC just for the bedroom.
Edibles and magnesium glycinate, moving away from my roommates will definitely help as well once I can
Diagnosed with sleep apnea and getting a CPAP machine. 18 years now and compliant wearing it 99.9% of the time. If someone tells you that you stop breathing and gasp in your sleep or even if you can’t stay awake through a movie at home (or while driving), get a sleep study!
ADHD diagnosis. Thought I had a sleep phase disorder, nope, my brain just doesn’t make dopamine naturally
weighted blanket.
Regular exercise. It doesn’t even have to be strenuous or intense. Just walking for 30 mins to an hour a day. It helps calm your mind and tire your body.
I used to manage an insurance office, and all I did was sit at a desk all day, then get drunk at night. I got pretty chubby and slept like shit. I felt awful 24/7
Then I quit and got a job where I had minimal responsibility and could leave in the early afternoon, so even in winter, it was still light out when I was off work. I kept drinking, but toned it back. But the biggest change was taking my dogs for walks every single day. It started out as 15-20 minutes, but within 6 months I was going for hour+ walks in the woods every day. I immediately lost a bunch of weight, started sleeping very well and falling asleep instantly. I felt good.
Then I quit drinking for a year. I lost a ton more weight, kept walking daily so I was getting pretty well conditioned. Even when I started drinking again, I didn’t go back to it like I had. From 12-18 beers a night to 2-6 beers per week. Now I switched jobs again and I’m a carpenter. I work pretty hard at work all day, then I still walk my dogs every day for at least 30 mins, usually more like an hour. The last few years I’ve also been farming and I just built a house an started a larger farm this year. I sleep super well all the time now. It’s so rare for me not to have a full nights rest. And I fall asleep within a minute of going to bed usually. It’s 100% from staying active all day, mentally and physically.
Exercise… running can be just effective as taking a big dose of a benzo
My husband and I using different duvets! It’s a life changer. No more waking up cold due to somebody stealing the blanket.
Up early, bed early, cold room, magnesium supplement everyday, off devices most of the day or at least an hour before I want to sleep, working out and yoga everyday. Just taking care of myself to sleep better and feel better in general.
Seroquel
Cardio.
In order of effectiveness:
Not drinking alcohol
Exercise.
Moving 3k miles away from my abusive ex husband would have to be at the top of my list.
An eye mask. As someone who has always struggled with sleep, it changed my sleep life.
Not having alarm clocks anymore
Asmr, it always took at least two hours for me to fall asleep, with asmr I’m sleeping in 10 minutes
Exercising more. You fall sleep quick when your body is exhausted.
Magnesium, melatonin, promethazine/ phenergan.
I use those headbands with built in headphones and listen to relaxing sleep music every night, I have an app on my phone that locks it out so I can’t doom scroll for hours.
Almost completely cut out caffeine (thanks gastritis) and try to avoid too much sugar before bed (I get bad restless legs)
I took up running.
I used to find it so hard to get to sleep, and my sleep was always really broken.
I took up running about 2.5 years ago, and now run 40+ km/week most weeks (70-80 at the moment), and my god I can sleep!
High thread count Egyptian Cotton sheets, makes a huge difference
Getting a sleep study and finding out I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It took a few nights to get used to the CPAP mask itself and the constant airflow, but it was so worth it.
Exercise. Once I started walking a lot, my insomnia basically disappeared.
An adjustable bed with memory foam matress. I will never buy a non-adjustable bed again.
Stretching/yoga before bed
Divorce.
Only getting in my bed to sleep.
My smart watch actually helped me to sort of qualify what helps me sleep.
I set a time to be in bed 45 minutes prior to sleep and stretch 15 minutes before that. I usually read in low warm light and then lay my head down as my eyes get heavy and try to not fight it. The hardest part from that point was changing my thought habits. Getting rid of daydreaming and speculating on past, present, and future events is hard but does wonders. Simply focusing on breathing, my bed, my dog, and some nice piano music (shout out hollow knight piano collections as my current go to) has been what works for me.
The stretching is nice as I always feel it reduces the tension in my body, and I try to read books for personal growth (starting eight dates tonight) to help me center and wind down. I’m also a big fan of a nice woodwick candle for the ambient noise and smell.
My 1.5 year old and giving up social media scrolling. She sleeps, we sleep. 9 to 6! Great sleep!
Seems obvious but switching to decaf coffee
For all the people that said CPAP – since my husband got his we both sleep better. It is a miracle after being married nearly 40 years!
It surprised me, but anti anxiety meds. The side effects make me sleepy and I go to bed at a decent time. No more nightly nightmares, lower BPM and hitting all my sleep cycle goals. Didn’t expect it and not complaining!
Eye mask. I have a lot of trouble falling asleep. I’ve done magnesium, melatonin, gummies, sound machine, you name it. I think wearing an eye mask really turns everything off for me.
Medication
No caffeine at all.
Foam mattress
Forcing my husband to get a sleep study done. I told him I was literally waking up to him not breathing multiple times a night. He did and found out he was having massive oxygen problems.
CPAP machine changed everything. I no longer get woken up by his snoring or stopping breathing and he sleeps wonderfully now. Machine is almost silent and very small. It was a life saver.
CPAP machine
Exercising more
Getting diagnosed and treated for narcolepsy
Dark curtains, a cold room and a comfy comforter to snuggle up in.
Kicking all the pets out at night. I didn’t realize how many times I was waking up throughout the night until we started making them sleep in the living room.
Getting a sleep study, then getting a CPAP
I literally wake up every day feel like a fucking Disney princess
Absolutely changed my life for the better
I had such bad sleep apnea
Being unemployed
CPAP machine. Changed my life.
CPAP
Hard physical activity every single day.
Consistent exercise, especially if I do decent cardio and a bit of weights too.
Every time I have had poor sleep were always times I wasn’t exercising. My diet is usually better when I exercise too.
Seroquel
I learned how to meditate. It cured my insomnia overnight. Being able to switch off your mind is important.
A body pillow
Consistent schedule, exercising, keeping busy during the day.
Stopped drinking! Lol!
Cool temp
Anytime I wear ear plugs/eye mask I sleep pretty great
Moving away from the city, quitting barending, drinking more water &, exercising. Also, buying comfortable sleep sets. Sticking to satin or silk because I run hot, and cooking pillows/sheets made a world of difference. Finally, reading before bed instead of screens.
Drugs.
White noise
I stop using my phone at 8pm, and give myself half an hour after waking up before looking at it.
I still wake up during the night but I can usually fall back asleep right away.
On nights I use my phone after 8, I find myself waking up in the middle of the night for 1-2 hours before being able to fall back asleep.
Zolpidem and melatonin
Stopped being an alcoholic. I could only sleep with booze in my system.
Sleep mask for sure.
Sleep study and a CPAP machine. Also improved my husbands quality of sleep 🤣
I started turning on a white noise program on my phone right as I turned off the light to go to sleep. I always play the same rain storm blend every time. I think it has helped me train my brain to associate that sound with “time to sleep.”
Trazodone