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10 Easy Ways to Catch More ZZZs

rd.com — Desperate for a good night's sleep? Check out these tips & you could be sleeping better by tonight!

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  • NewsFeed, on 06/30/2008, -1/+48Don't toss and turn. If 30 minutes go by and you haven't fallen asleep, don't lie in bed feeling frustrated. Get up and do something relaxing, like listening to soothing music or flipping through a magazine. Or make yourself a cup of warm milk.

    That is soooo true. I used to toss and turn all night. Then i started getting up and playing guitar hero for a bit. After about 30 mins or so i could sleep the night away.. not sure guitar hero is relaxing for everyone though.. :)
    • Hellothere123, on 07/01/2008, -2/+19I'd rather get up and check digg.
      • Alphaaaaaa, on 07/01/2008, -1/+13Yea that'll put anyone to sleep!


        /ducks
      • IllBeBack, on 07/01/2008, -0/+13Not me. I get "stuck" on the computer and before you know it, three hours have passed.
    • mijelh, on 07/01/2008, -1/+5It doesent works for me. When I don't fall asleep, I always get up and do something, because, as the article points out, tossing and turning in bed doesen't works.
      If I want to concentrate in something playing guitar, reading, studying or as a last chance, checking digg, there's a point when my head just doesen't works anymore, but my body fails to get asleep. In fact, in this precise instant it's 5:55 (central european time) and I have been awake all night long, and tomorrow I have an exam... Hope I read that article yesterday
    • masterm1nd, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Well, video games are actually not recommended before you go to sleep because they get your system worked up for lack of better terminology, but if it works it works.
    • Haoie, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Reading a good book is a better suggestion than video games, which tend to excite the senses more.
    • KingGorilla, on 07/01/2008, -0/+21what about masturbation! Diggs personal favorite
      • tdogg241, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2What has 2 thumbs and loves rubbing one out before going to sleep?

    • quomen, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1Try look up something called calmes forte. It's a homeopathic sleeping pill, it's great. It also gives you awesome dreams.
    • mordeci, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1"If 30 minutes go by and you haven't fallen asleep"
      Good in theory, but it always takes me at least 1 hour, usually 2+. If I got out of bed after 30 minutes, I would sleep 2 to 3 days a year (which is really not enough).
    • jeffreym, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Reading this article put me right to sleep......


  • arro23, on 07/01/2008, -0/+19Great list.

    One that helps me out, but might seem counter-intuitive:

    If you aren't falling asleep immediately, don't force your eyes shut. In fact, try to keep them open. I've found that the process of trying to keep my eyes open while in bed tires my eyes out and tires my mind, then VOILA ... I wake up the next morning, not even remembering shutting my eyes the night before
    • passedoutghost, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Doesn't anyone take a bat anymore?
      • Alphaaaaaa, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3What do you mean by bat?
      • SuperCujo, on 07/01/2008, -0/+4I'm guessing he means masturbate.

        A good bat will always help you go to sleep quicker.
    • BertEatsDirt, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Maybe you don't remember shutting your eyes because you've been sleeping with your eyes open :-D
  • kuz2r, on 07/01/2008, -0/+6I started listening to audiobooks while in bed, great way to fall asleep.
    • SuperCujo, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3Or just download Adam Curry's podcast and you will be asleep in no time...
    • KingGorilla, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3yeah but then you miss out on an audiobook!
    • Tanath, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Just about any white noise will do.
  • Oasisma, on 07/01/2008, -2/+4I just take some sedatives. lloll.
  • Morshade, on 07/01/2008, -7/+110 easy way... oh
  • k0rt, on 07/01/2008, -0/+96#11

    Turn off computer.
    • arsoneffect, on 07/01/2008, -13/+5#12 Turn off iPhone (closing Digg.com from Mobile Safari)
    • notoneofus, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2That's such a difficult thing to do, though. I should try turning off the wifi router before I sleep.
    • kevinwiz, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2there is actually truth to that. the lighting of your computer screen makes it harder to fall asleep. i read that somewhere.
  • ultraJesus, on 07/01/2008, -1/+62Pose as a cancer victim and attend meetings to gain sympathy. Works great.
  • DeFex, on 07/01/2008, -1/+5im trying to decide on a new bed but they have all this new memory foam crap and i find it too hot.
  • aserer511, on 07/01/2008, -3/+7"3. Reserve your bed just for sleeping and sex. Avoid working, paying bills, reading, or watching television in bed. If you associate your bed only with sleep, you'll be more likely to fall asleep when you get under the covers for the night."

    I am skeptical your body can become SO subconsciously aware of your activities to the point where, if you watch a lot of tv in bed, that'll effect your ability to fall asleep
    • freehunter, on 07/01/2008, -0/+8I first read that in college, and thought I would give it a try, until I realized I had one room, 14x9, and my bed was the same thing as my couch, and my TV was arms length from my pillow.
    • valkyries, on 07/01/2008, -7/+2my bed is reserved for myself and my lady, no one else is allowed near it. i didnt spend a ***** of money for someone else to be comfi, and i just like keeping the bed clean.
      • Alphaaaaaa, on 07/01/2008, -2/+4Dugg for *****. ;D ;D ;D

        May I borrow that word for a while? I promise I'll give it back.
      • valkyries, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1it'll cost you $5 every time you wana use it. :P
    • p341250n, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3So that means laying in bed will make you horny?
    • manova, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3It is basic classical conditioning. If you do things that stimulate your mind like studying or watching tv in your bed, then when you lay down, your mind starts up and you end up laying there thinking about things rather than going to sleep. This really goes along with the getting out of bed after 30 min if you don't fall asleep and the bedtime routine. Basically you are conditioning yourself to fall asleep when you put your head on the pillow just like conditioning a dog to salivate when he hears a bell (classic example).
  • shufan, on 07/01/2008, -0/+5Do something that you don't want to do. Like, read a textbook, or do some work. I often fall asleep during bad novels, as well. Perhaps we should all keep boring novels at hand for those nights we just can't sleep.
    • goldfishey, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Margaret thatchers Autobiography. Garunteed to put anyone to sleep! ;)
  • zzz@tkz, on 07/01/2008, -7/+1Bewbs usually work pretty well to catch me.
  • Chainheart, on 07/01/2008, -1/+811

    Nyquil
    • splorpdotorg, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Capital N, small y BIG ***** Q.
  • zaii7, on 07/01/2008, -8/+3guitar hero = fap fap fap
  • banido, on 07/01/2008, -2/+88Fap fap fap fap fap fap...fap fap...fap.......ZZZzzzZZZzzz...
    • tdogg241, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1...ZZZzzzZZZzzz...fap...fapfap...
      fapfapfapfapfapfapfapFAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPP!!!
      ....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  • thedsack, on 07/01/2008, -3/+15I like to rub one out, then hit the sack... (not thedsack)
  • DannoSpeaks, on 07/01/2008, -1/+4What? No beer before bed? That should be number 11, hell, it should be number 1.
  • ricky125, on 07/01/2008, -2/+3411. Strangle a hobo.
  • BrentDPayne, on 07/01/2008, -1/+3I just moved to Chicago and I've been living without a drop of furniture in my apartment. I bought a futon last night from one of my neighbors and I slept great last night. Why didn't that make the list??!
  • DJTre, on 07/01/2008, -1/+2...don't wake up.
  • jp12380, on 07/01/2008, -4/+3#13

    Don't do Digg!!
  • akohut, on 07/01/2008, -2/+27These are always so stupid. I swear to God, every other day there's a "get more sleep" list. They all have stupid ideas/"tips," too. "Turn out the lights." "Shut your eyes." "Try to relax." "Don't do a line of blow before bed."
    • Alphaaaaaa, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0These same lists usually appear on the "How to bring more hits to your website" top 10's. Where is the Error 404 when you need it?
    • BertEatsDirt, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1"Punch a hooker in the face", "Use a turtle as a skateboard", "Eat a ficus"
  • AugustZephyr, on 07/01/2008, -0/+5I'm sure being on Digg this late at night doesn't help
  • Ender0910, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3having some white noise playing lightly can also help
    http://simplynoise.com/ (this is a free white noise site)
  • davidbeile, on 07/01/2008, -1/+39Deepest sleep you'll ever have:

    Step 1.) Awake for 72 hours on a cocaine binge
    Step 2.) Heavy sedatives (bear tranquilizers are ideal)
    Step 3.) Ecstasy + LSD (best masturbation you'll ever have)
    Step 4.) *OPTIONAL* Find your bed (extremely difficult)

    You'll be out cold for the next few days.
    *Note: Remove all potential fire hazards. Trust me on this one.
    • UNDERSTAR, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3Done this before?
    • quomen, on 07/01/2008, -0/+8I'm also not trying to cause the biggest brain damage i'll ever have.
    • teethandeyes, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0The order here is definitely wrong.
      The Ecstasy and LSD should be taken first.
      It would be pretty idiotic to take the acid and X right before bed.
      • davidbeile, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1Well then you also have drugged up dreams.
  • sayoshinn, on 07/01/2008, -10/+1Buried for reserving your bed for only sleep and sex. More accurate for diggers: reserve your bed for only sleep. sex not applicable to diggers
  • Sware, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1Thanks, this article is very useful for me. Expesially since I'm in the military and I don't get sleep that much.
    • breakaway, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Too busy getting drilled in the ass?
  • woofers07, on 07/01/2008, -2/+12herb
  • boomerang42, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3I'm pretty sure everyone knew this. None of these were a big surprise. Just use common sense.
  • gogoma, on 07/01/2008, -2/+0DE-TECH. Turn off all mobiles. Take the home phone hand-set off the hook. Sex with lady friend. Lights out, close all curtains. Ask lady friend not to wake you in the morning. SLEEP.
    • Icetype, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Lady friend? This is digg. Not an option for most.
  • gryphon50, on 07/01/2008, -2/+2also, put your child up for adoption. This one would have greatly helped my sleep over the last four years.
  • Cryptkeeper, on 07/01/2008, -0/+8#1, don't browse digg before bedtime.
  • BTom14, on 07/01/2008, -2/+23. Reserve your bed just for sleeping and sex.
    giggity, giggity.
  • albinorhino101, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1I'm usually able to catch a few extra ZZZs at work... I just rest my elbow on my desk and my head in my palm and anyone that can actually see me usually thinks i'm just thinking really hard on something... If that fails, I usually go with the George Costanza
  • Landlocked, on 07/01/2008, -2/+0I prefer to take Ambien and unknowingly make a sandwich at 2 am...or have relations with my wife...sometimes at the same time.
  • Aurabolt, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Someone tell me what the picture has to do with the topic
  • Robcn643, on 07/01/2008, -3/+0***** this, a 12 pack works wonders
  • fuze44, on 07/01/2008, -0/+8Melatonin

    • patrflav, on 07/01/2008, -0/+7100% agree, I tripped balls on melatonin, all my dreams were like acid trips. I was half-awake and half-asleep at the time also, and I had full lucid control over them. I also woke up feeling as if I had slept for days.
    • splorpdotorg, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2How much do you take? I've been taking a 5mg tablet before bed and don't always sleep through the night. I'm always cautious about that stuff because I tend to sleep through alarms.
      • patrflav, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1That one in particular was 50mg.
      • fuze44, on 07/05/2008, -0/+0Damn! I usually take a 3mg tablet. Once, I absolutely could not sleep and took about 7 or 8 tablets. I had a lucid dream, too.

        I read about a study where they were having people take more and more too see if there was an upper limit to what was healthy. They stopped at around 60mg with no ill effects.
  • punx, on 07/01/2008, -2/+9One word. Xanax.
    • qbthemc, on 07/01/2008, -7/+4Two words. Your mom.
      • punx, on 07/01/2008, -2/+3Good God, why the hell do morons like you invade digg? You must be the dumbest person on here, and oh so witty, too. Past your bedtime, isn't it?
      • BertEatsDirt, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Well it made me lol xD
  • nascentia, on 07/01/2008, -0/+5I used to have really bad insomnia in high school - 3 to 4 hours before I could fall asleep.

    One thing that really helps me out a lot though is to just lay down, close my eyes, and really think about something in detail. Usually, it's either something I did during the day, or something I have to do tomorrow. I'll get really caught up in thinking and analyzing and not even notice when I just cut out.

    Really, I think that thinking about anything -but- trying to fall asleep will help.
    • MidnightRIder77, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1I'm in high school and have the have same problem. I cut caffeine out of my diet and it did nothing. I'm going to try this tonight to see if it helps.
  • darklights, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1So hands up - who pays their bills in bed?

    And apart from whores, who works in bed? WTF!!

    You know if you spend all day lying down you probably arent tired enough to sleep.
  • Leonheart515, on 07/01/2008, -1/+0Dugg since my initials are in the title...
  • BrandonDiggs, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Load a nice big bowl of that sweet ganja and you'll sleep like a baby every night,
    and wake up refreshed.

    hey, don't dis it until you try it.
    • ThisIsNotPaul, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0Ganja FTW
    • teethandeyes, on 07/01/2008, -1/+0I find that if I smoke pot right before bed, I wake up pretty groggy. Also, I don't remember my dreams. For me, the optimal time to smoke pot is about two hours before bed. That way I get to enjoy the high (working on Music or watching a movie), and then drift off nicely to sleep as the high wears off. Plus I don't wake up with a pot hangover.
  • voodoochild461, on 07/01/2008, -1/+4Bongs are a highly effective sleep aid.
    • teethandeyes, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0I don't know about this. If I smoke pot right before laying down, I always end up getting up to make music or watch a movie.
  • Woosta, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Per the picture at the top of this Digg page, grocery shopping will help you sleep better.
  • MelvinSchlubman, on 07/01/2008, -1/+2Good list.

    I had decades of crummy sleep, and finally tried many of these for about 2 years. They're good suggestions, but the benefit was spotty at best. Then finally, finally I saw my doc (then specialists) about it. Don't underestimate the importance of chemistry: with Lunesta and Mirtazepine I now get enuf of the necessary chemicals attaching themselves to receptors in the brain so that now my sleep is way better than I ever dared hope before.

    Then, for a little while, I abused the boon of pharmaceuticals by staying up as late as possible. I'm past that phase now, and I'm just glad I live in a time when medicine/science understands and can treat such things (and not in a time when I'd be told to eat some leaves and rely on faith healing).

    • Bersy, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Yes, big pharma is the solution to all our problems! /sarcasm

      You'd probably sleep better just by getting more melatonin in your system and keeping a proper consistent schedule. Cherries are a very high natural source of melatonin. I ate a bowlful the other night and crashed so hard I felt like I had been drugged. No side effects either.
      • MelvinSchlubman, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1I'm not a booster of big pharma / pill popping. But, although I'm not a doctor (and don't play one on TV), I can accept that there is real medicine behind it. At the time I started taking them, they were the only change I was making at the time (I purposely held other factors as steady as possible) and after about a week of ramp-up time the benefit was obvious, and has persisted for 7 years.

        I understand what I presume to be your disdain for pill popping and/or the power of the pharma lobby. But, that doesn't mean that all their products are snake-oil.

        > You'd probably sleep better just by getting more melatonin in your system and keeping a proper consistent schedule.

        You overlooked the part where I said I tried nearly all the items on that list. I didn't mention then: using melatonin was one of the things I did.
      • MelvinSchlubman, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1> You'd probably sleep better just by getting more melatonin in your system and keeping a proper consistent schedule.

        You overlooked the part where I said I tried nearly all the items on that list. I didn't mention then: using melatonin was one of the things I did.
      • Bersy, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0Fair enough. But melatonin wasn't on that list, and as you said, you didn't originally mention it.
  • Shipyaad, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1FTFA: Investigate the benefits of chamomile, valerian, kava, passionflower, skullcap, catnip, or hops.

    Hops? Good thing I drink beer every night.
  • noncon, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1I get sleepy and want to go to bed right after remembering I have a ***** load of homework to do.

    Avoidance is a great force if you learn to harness it properly.
    • stanleyford, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1I don't have homework, but being behind on a big project at work is enough to keep me up half the night, not the other way around. Stress kills sleep.
  • UNDERSTAR, on 07/01/2008, -0/+9Who the hell drinks warm milk?
  • MasterTroll, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3Ambien.
    • WillHutch5, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2True, but unbelievably addictive.
  • SamPollock, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1FLYNN!!!!!! THIS WEBSITE IS MADE FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!

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