Hey Frank, do you please have any tips on how to sleep?
Unfortunately, I just woke up after a solid 10 hours of broken sleep – the kind of wakefulness that feels as if someone's standing over your shoulder watching you – so I'm pretty much oblivious to my body's sleep needs :-(
Here are some tips I've picked up from other people:
1. If it's difficult to get out of bed, try going back to bed! It could take a while to get back to sleep, but then you'll wake up rested.
3. Keep a book or something near you when you go to bed.
4. (This is for people who get like me and wake up a lot and can't get back to sleep, or generally if you don't want to stay in bed.) Drink a pot of black or green tea (but do not eat anything with caffeine at least 90 minutes before bedtime). This supposedly induces a "REM-like state" that makes sleeping easier. You can also chew gum, eat something sweet, take a bath, or do other things that normally stimulate chewing, but don't swallow the gum, etc.
5. If none of the above works, it might be that you have some sort of underlying physical health issue that's making sleep difficult – chronic fatigue, low-grade fever – and if none of that helps get to a doctor.
6. If none of the above works and you still can't sleep, ask your doctor for a low-dose benzo. Don't take anything stronger than that, though!
7. I'm not a doctor, so I don't have much advice about specific aspects of "getting to sleep." Do not read anything with strong focus or concentration, if it's difficult for you; either take something that will help you relax, or distract yourself with TV or books. Try reading something in bed, but make it a short, light book. Keep the room warm, if it's difficult to relax and turn the heat up a little, or to wear a warm blanket. If you have trouble going back to sleep, try repeating phrases you heard your parents say when they were repeating things to kids, or other pleasant memories.
Hope that helps a little!
