The Pzizz sleep app.

My monkey mind always gives me trouble sleeping. The best technique I've come across is from a book I recently read, where a character makes herself fall asleep by pretending to be asleep! It sounds crazy, but it really works!

Sleepytime tea :)

Dark and quiet. I am a very light sleeper.

must have white noise playing and my hubby by my side to sleep

This fan (the second photo, GE model in green), which I picked up at my grandmother's yard sale, has NO rattle, a perfect even humming tone and it's my savior for sleep: http://junkandhowe.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-piece-fans.html

Copious amounts of alcohol. ;)

Seriously - from what tour is that bedroom pictured? I want to see the whole house- that photo is so lovely!

I need it to be absolutely dark in order to fall asleep. I don't know what it is, but even if the alarm clock's LED lights are too bright I need to turn it away from my eyes or cover it up. Being warm is a close second necessity. Whether I'm in bed or in a tent, I have to be warm. Down comforters are the best!

evening yoga

Duh...never mind. I went up and found where the image is from.

Perhaps I should cut back on the drinking? ;)

my own bed, complete with husand and cat.

I also cover up all the lights in the room, i put a sweatshirt over my clock and a blanket over the cable box.

Light doesn't bother me too much but it is nicer since the dusk to dawn light hasn't been working on the barn across the street for a while. I do prefer cave darkness.

Cold room(heat vent closed always w/window cracked), fan on for noise, and the comforter almost completely over my head. And I can't sleep if the sheets and comforter aren't tucked in tight. If they get pulled out at the bottom I will have to get up and tuck them back in.

Two Zyrtec help, too! Chronic hives has had me taking those at bed since they were invented.

An important deadline.

We recently instituted a "no cell phones in bed", which has helped immensely. When it's time for bed, the phones go on airplane mode across the room, and we break out books to read ourselves to sleep.

I need to make sure all my 'to-do's' are done for the day otherwise I stay awake thinking about them. A hot shower helps too.
II don't need complete darkness to fall asleep; as long as I'm comfortable in my surroundings, I can fall asleep without issue..as long as my to do list is done. :o)

I also have to have it absolutely dark and with some white noise--air purifier, fan, humidifier, etc. I like my bedroom cool with warm blankets. If I could order a rainstorm every night that would be ideal. I guess I'm fairly fortunate and I don't have a lot of problems falling asleep as long as all the things above are in place. But if I anticipate a sleepless night, I'll just take an Ambien and be done with it.

My husband has more insomnia problems and swears by his 10-minute breathing/progressive relaxation track on the ipod. He's usually snoring by minute 3. Our 7 yr old son also falls asleep great to it.

I have two children two and under, work full time, and run about 20-25 miles a week. I am out as soon as my head hits the pillow.

window open, at least a crack. I don't sleep well when the windows are closed. last night I couldn't fall asleep because my neighbor was listening to music (not loud but loud enough to hear it) so an audiobook did the trick.

@ec05 - are you me? haha

Cool room, ear plugs ... but what really truly quiets my monkey mind once I read, and mellowed out, and turned the lights out is a numbers game I recently invented for myself and (knock on wood) it's been a magic sleep aid for the last year.

I count backward and forward from 200 and 0 at the same time, usually in time to my breath, for example ..."(inhale) 200 ... (exhale) 0 ... (inhale) 199 ... (exhale) 1 ... (inhale) 198 ... (exhale) 2 ... (inhale) 197 ... (exhale) 3 ... (inhale) 196 ... (exhale) 4 ... (inhale) 195 ... (exhale) 5 etc".

I have a few rules, if I mess up, like I forget what number I'm on, or accidently start counting the wrong direction (usually for the high numbers) I have to start all over. And I'm not allowed to think about anything else, just count.

It's boring, and sometimes I don't want to do it, but it always works, the closest I've ever gotten was up to the 20s and down to the 179s ... I figure if I ever meet in the middle, that in itself will be cool.

Back in high school it was physics class.

Now? Stress. ;)

shower, well-made bed with clean sheets, fan going, noise machine going, blackout curtains, closet door closed (so no monsters can come out of it). even with all this, i am guaranteed to wake up at least twice during the night

funny story! i have pollen allergies, and one time i fell asleep with the window open...when i woke up, my face was so swollen that my eyes barely opened. i don't sleep with the window open anymore.

Quiet - no radio or TV (that would drive me nuts). Also I need to be warm (I can't even nap if I don't have a blanket or something). Sometimes I tell myself stories in my head (from a mythical land of queens and warriors and dragons that I made up when I was a teen, lol), if I can't shut my brain off from "real world" stuff.

maybe I'm the catfish'd you toastercat!

@ sarapants http://www.rainymood.com/

A big gulp of hot water, cold sheets, and my box fan.
Pure bliss!

Total darkness and total silence is ideal but seeing as I live in an apartment total silence is most of the times impossible so lately I use the Brainwave Altered States iPad app set to Pink Noise and Dreamy Sleep modes with Ambience volume set to 100% and Brainwave set to around 25% and AirPlayed from my iPad to two small Bose Companion II speakers near my head. The amount of dreaming I do with that app and the quality if sleep is amazing.

No red or green lights from electronics and no ticking clocks (I'm apparently Captain Hook at bedtime) are my only normal requirements.

However, I'm currently severely pregnant which means I have to construct an elaborate pillow fort every night to sleep comfortably (husband has decamped to the guest room - I also apparently breathe really loud now). Problem is that I have to struggle out of the pillow fort multiple times a night to go to the bathroom (it's a mighty struggle, another reason for husband in the other room).

I have a bunch of recordings from Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts, Jack Kornfield, and Pema Chodron. Listening to any of them puts me to sleep - in a good way! Not because it's boring, but because it's peaceful.

My #1 get to sleep and stay asleep tool is "Sleep Soundly" for the iphone, not sure about android. Its about 30 mins long and usually gets me to sleep every time. And I have crazy insomnia somettimes.

Having another body/cat/fluffy in the bed to cuddle is also a plus. White Noise is also really helpful. I just had my fan die the other week and have been going nutso at night trying to create a similar noise atmosphere. White noise app's are great, but not the same. I have a de-humidifier in the room right now but its a bit too loud and de-humidifying. The only other fan I have is industrial and the metal on metal rattles like crazy.

Time for a new fan it seems!

I just think about the tree swing at my grandparents farm or snorkeling in shallow water. It makes me feel at peace and helps block out all the other thoughts.

My neoprene sleep mask from Bucky. Cannot sleep without it.

benadryl

Uhh, true. An important deadline is the best sedative-hypnotic.

And having my bed warm and the room cool.

Clean sheets and a book

how do I fall asleep each night?
I spend the day with a 4 year old, work with demanding and needy clients, clean and cook, drink some wine, and snuggle into egyptian cotton sheets. OUT COLD! works every time. :)

@katinni, this site is great!
A nie thunderstorm is great for sleeping, too.

It takes a lot. <sigh> Let's see: blackout curtains, earplugs, CPAP machine, the just-right pillow position, a cool-to-cold room, and maybe a couple of episodes of whatever show I've been watching on Netflix on my iPad. But I love all my little rituals and they work well. I've been sleeping better than ever lately.

an interesting biography and songza's indie sleep playlists.

I love a well made bed. Layered lightweight bedding. Linen sheets from Frette or Restoration Hardware, a baffled weave coverlet and one of those plushie blankets. Plumped pillows that are a mixture of down and (believe it or not) $10 dollar Walmart side sleeper pillows. Use them for a year and toss them when they get too flat. A dark bedroom. TCM on the television turned down low. The ceiling fan on low and my feet sticking out. Because I like my tootsie to be cooler than the rest of me and if I am lucky the hubby won't come in a screw my serenity up by changing the channel to SportsCenter and turning the volume up. The darn SC intro music is like a dentist's drill to my senses.

Reading does it almost every time (unless the book is super exciting) for me.

Another trick I use: turn on a TV show that you can understand by just listening (crime shows are a good example because they just show the same pictures over & over again along with reenactments). Just try to listen to what is going on and visualize what is going on in your head. Before I know it, my alarm is going off in the morning and I can only remember the first five minutes of what I was "watching".

Nothing gives me a better night's sleep than a cup of chamomile or valerian root tea. Yogi Tea has some good varieties. With just a small cup, maybe a half hour or so before bed, I sleep like a baby--without any wooziness in the morning. I wish I had discovered these herbs years ago when I first married my husband (loud snorer). They have been a Godsend!

Prescription antihistamines (not advocating prescription drug use just for the sake of it, but I've always had trouble falling asleep and it's just a nice coincidence that my doctor-prescribed antihistamine is also known to help induce sleep and treat mild anxiety.)

And Phillips Wake-Up Light: sleep mode. The gradual fade from light to dark.

My pillow, a cool room, and light bedding usually does the trick. When the mind cannot be stilled, I add chamomile tea and a projected light show onto the ceiling and walls. For really difficult nights of sleep, I'll listen to peaceful sounds like loons on a lake, or the echoes of sounds in a factory.

White noise ("ocean waves" is my favorite) and a humidifier to keep bone dry air from irritating my nose and throat. A dog cuddling by my side doesn't hurt either.

Oh yeah, close that closet door! That bit of feng shui really works!

I rock myself to sleep.

I usually have a book around that is just interesting enough to make me want to read it, but not so interesting it keeps me awake. Psychology and science books tend to work well for me, but the occasional old children's novel works also. The Wizard of Oz was a recent one, as was Quiet.

It seems I sleep best when I know I need to get up! But otherwise, I sleep best when:
- I'm exhausted
- I have my super cushy perforated pillows
- I have fresh bedding
- I spray a relaxing scent like lavendar or Bob's Flower shop from Trapp Home, it smells like greenness and fresh springy flowers. I love it soo much, they better never discontinue.
- If my mind is racing, I write down all the things I'm thinking about on paper to help ease the anxiety.
- I can't stand to sleep with socks on and I can't stand to have cold feet, so they have to be covered, and stay that way.

I need to look into that slow wake up light gadget. I think that might help my mornings.

Zzzquil and a cup of warm milk.

Being warm enough is the only must have. Getting the Princess to sleep on something other than my bladder helps too. On those nights when my brain won't shut off I turn on the Gregorian chant playlist and the monks from Santo Domingo don't make it past the second song.

Red Wine.

Also have to have closet doors closed. Also can't stand ticking clocks. EVER.

my little poodle in his bed next to mine

My head hitting the pillow. Done. Out. REM all night. Lucid dreams and I wake early and refreshed. I love the way I sleep.

working night shift makes this a perpetual problem, but one of the odd things that sometimes works is pretending it's 3 AM and I'm at work and wishing I could sleep. If I visualize it right, I'm asleep in no time out of gratitude that I'm allowed to sleep!

Lucky me I don't have a problem fall asleep but when my Mom wakes up and can't get back to sleep she wakes up my Dad and he tells her to go back to sleep and she does!

Made it a rule to keep the dog and toddler out of the bed. At times I loved sharing with both but it became a necessity and well worth the training.

First, an episode or 2 of some "classic" TV show on DVD. Then...sleep mask (I work nights), carpal tunnel brace, Marpac white noise machine, ceiling fan on, snuggle under down comforter with at least 2 dogs & 1 cat.
The carefully constructed strategies of a lifelong insommniac.

Here's my must haves:

- Lightning Bug using the cityscape sounds
- IKEA Merete Curtains to keep the light away, which I dyed pearl gray
- soft but thick sheets, got a deal on some 600ct Egyptian cotton
- a cold room, I'd say around 70-72
- warm comforter, as long as my feet stick out of the bottom

Melatonin and Breathe Right strips.

Wine.
Also, a dark room is a must. I bought a fancy ipod docking clock that I can completely turn off the back lighting. Love it. That and my dark dark curtains.

I also use the same clock to play some "delta wave sleeping" music when I am having trouble falling asleep.

The bed in winter is warmed up by my heated mattress pad that gets turned off when I turn down the sheets. I keep my room otherwise cool and my window cracked except in the coldest of nights. My down comforter and snuggly kitty are also helpful.

listening to audio books.

Wow, reading is not a highly used technique in these comments. But that's what helps me. Usually children's chapter books. I read a few pages, then when the words start blurring or I no longer understand what I'm reading I put it down, turn out the light and go to sleep almost instantly.

Freezing room, warm bed, soft side-sleeper pillow, very fluffy duvet, ear plugs, night guard, silence, filtered street light.

Oddly, I sleep fairly poorly, but nap like a CHAMP. I can nap freaking anywhere. The less comfortable the better - my best naps are in airplane aisle seats with no neck pillow. Out like a LIGHT.

Eau Roma Water from Lush (lush.com)

I bought the small size (TSA allowed size) of this rose-lavender-water spritzer to take on a very long international flight with the thought that it would be refreshing for dry, tired airplane skin. Turned out to be so much more! The smell is not overwhelmingly rose or lavender but just this wonderful incredibly soothing and relaxing scent. I really can't stand being on an airplane (not the height that bothers me but the close quarters triggers claustrophobia) and this helped so much with that. Now, back home, we spritz a little on our faces just before bed and drift right off. It is wonderful stuff.

Reading and red wine always help. I also gave up caffeine about two years ago (gasp) to help with insomnia. I am usually out like a light as soon as my head hits the pillow, and if I wake up I can fall back to sleep quickly.

Sleeping pills rinsed down with a few glasses of red wine.

pitch-black room, as quiet as can be (earplugs for noisy nights), breathe-right strip, cat purring against my leg.

I listen to a classic movie (current movies have too many visual flashes) and am usually asleep within fifteen minutes. Wool blankets work better for me than cotton sheets (too hot!!).

After kids, I can sleep through anything, anywhere. I prefer to be laying down though.

Cold room, cozy blankets, cotton pillowcases so my head feels cool, dog cuddled up next to me, and a good book. I find that a good book that I'm looking forward to reading is a great stress reliever. If those tricks don't work, I try to see dream images behind my eyelids (I don't know how else to say that). That always works.

the faint sound of ocean waves from my daughters room coming through on the baby monitor.

This time of year - a comfy down comforter. And I love to have the window cracked open too, but usually am not allowed to indulge by my husband. I've been sick lately and quarantined to the guest room, so enjoying my own chill breeze.

Not regarding what helps me sleep, but what is the source of those pictures over the bed? I want something exactly like that.

Good sex.

(Yes, I'm a guy.)

No TV/media a half hour before turning in. Sitting by the wood stove (yeah, we're lucky). Doing the shoulder-stand asana. No coffee in the afternoon. No beer past dinner (hello bladder). Remembering favorite locales/events from traveling, or early childhood.

saying the rosary

Darkness and silence, as much as possible (of both). Any sound will drive me nuts.
Also, my bedroom has be cold. I open the window before going to bed no matter how cold it is outside (around -15 C right now) to air the room and I close the heat vent.

My problem is not falling asleep but staying asleep - my witching hour is around 3 a.m. Fortunately, my doctor prescribed a generic form of Reactine and take half a pill each night. It may not do anything for my nose but it helps me stay asleep.

Low-level white noise -- the hum of the heating unit is usually enough. A cool bedroom. A satin face mask - well, I guess it doesn't matter that it's satin, but something that blocks light completely. Tylenol PM. A firm mattress. Covers, but not too heavy.

A couple glasses of wine, pre-bedtime yoga done in bed, a good book, heavy comforter during the winter, and my cat purring herself to sleep on my feet. Also a bubble bath complete with candles and relaxing music, if I feel like being really luxurious. :)

i need to have the tv on. i tried for 5 years to muscle through not having a tv in the bedroom, and i never adjusted to it and slept terribly the whole time. now that i have a tv again, i turn on some old reruns of roseanne or the golden girls with a sleep timer and i'm out. my father is the same way. we both also have the same heart condition, and if it's too quiet, i can hear my heart beat and it's super irritating. an old light comedy distracts me from the noise, but isn't involving to keep me awake. i always leave the timer on for an our, but i never make it to the second episode.

i also prefer a cool room with an extra blanket or duvet. and my frenchie, bea, cuddled up next to me, snoring away, always helps, too.

An episode of my favorite podcast "My brother, my brother and me" playing in the back ground helps me drift off..

A pillow over your ear. Either when sleeping on your side, or when on your back, with your head a little turned, ear a little smushed into the pillow, then another pillow over the other ear. Try it! It creates a nice muffled sound that puts me to sleep and is much more comfy than ear plugs. I did it last night!

I think trying to keep a set sleep schedule helps. I usually head to bed at least an hour before I actually plan to turn out the lights. I get settled in and read or play solitaire on my iPad until I can barely keep my eyes open & then reach over to turn out the light. I also enjoy a glass or two of red wine in the evening as well.

Kathryn1123- I call it watching movies on the back of my eyelids! MAXB, yeah, that too, but too much alcohol means waking up in the middle of the night. Cool dark room, cotton quilts, down comforters, good pillows, smooth heavy sheets. cats. Guided imagery, especially Belleruth Naparstak (sp?). Currently using Songza on my phone with speaker, Muted Jazz or Mellow Jazz stations. Hot bath with Aura Cacia bath salts. Stretching before getting under the covers.

No artificial lighting and heavy covers help, but the ultimate is long division... I usually use the percent of pages read in my book, sometimes down many decimal points. @iriedesign we must be similar!

White noise from my air purifier, a very puffy comforter, a dumb stuffed bulldog from Ikea (it's really soft), and celtic music. If I'm having a really difficult night, I might need to give myself a Reiki treatment, and use my lavender pillow (although I'll wake up with a stuffed-up nose). Focused breathing helps, too. If you are able, regular daytime exercise works like a charm.

A nice fluffy comforter and pillows, a fan or just the air on (although not necessary), and darkness. The most important thing however is my partner, Chris. Nothing relaxes me more than falling asleep in his arms or at the very least touching him with some part of my body, even just a toe. He's a great furnace and it warms me through and through. But often we are apart because of work and on those nights I find it hard to fall asleep. On those nights I turn to my other romance; Bob Ross. I love art and creativity and since I was a girl Bob Ross has inspired me and made me feel safe and inspired. So when ever I want to be calmed and/or inspired to create I turn on some of his painting shows. For inspiration I could watch him all day, but for falling asleep I can't even get through one half hour episode. His voice is so soothing and his positivity is so comforting, that I fall almost instantly to sleep. Another trick is reading... I used to read constantly as a teenager into the wee hours of the morning, I was addicted. But as an adult if i try to pick up and book and read in bed, I fall instantly asleep. Im also guaranteed to nod off on almost every car ride. Those two activities bring out my inner narcoleptic.

Benadryl.

Regular exercise and a podcast/audiobook. Total darkness is a plus too, France has converted me to her black-out shuttered sleep style.

TV. I know there's all sorts of advice to unplug before bed, but nothing puts me to sleep quite like a movie or television show (even ones I like).

@tarainsevenvalleys:

Yes to Zyrtec. I discovered this for myself by accident. Zyrtec is not supposed to cause drowsiness. My 10 yr old takes it during the day and is good to go. But for me, it lulls me into a wonderful night's sleep with dreams and all. AND I wake up feeling clear and congestion free! A good night's sleep IS habit forming...

Sex and Bourbon!

Star Trek

Usually cracking open a book and reading a few pages makes me sleepy, will take melatonin, on rare occasions, when I cannot fall asleep.

@ 1greatkid - I also love having the tv set to TCM turned low. That puts me to sleep like a charm! Thought I was the only one, lol.

White noise, clean sheets, good lock on door.

I second audiobooks. It should be a book I know, not something new that will keep me awake trying to follow the storyline too closely. I liken it to having someone read you a well-loved bedtime story. By contrast, I can't stand having the radio on - the sound of chatter isn't relaxing. The dialogue from a TV sitcom or drama is better. I guess there is something rhythmic in dialogue that's missing from radio talk.

I also need a cool room and prefer the window cracked open, but I can sleep as long as it's not too warm.

A fan.
A heavy blanket.
A chapter or two of a book.
And the piece de resistance: streamed (commercial free) episodes of Arrested Development or Scrubs. I'm usually out before the first act break.

Reading a book always makes my eyes tired if all else fails Advil pm

Also temp is important & comfy bedding & pjs