# how do you sleep at night?



## slightlybatty (Dec 12, 2008)

any advice on getting to bed easier?
is there a certain way your room or bedding has to be before you can fall asleep?
any certain rituals before going to bed?
have you ever had problems trying to go to sleep at night?


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## εmptε (Nov 20, 2008)

*Sleep ... at night? What kind of strange person would do that, did I walk into the twilight zone or something? You know Daytime is for sleep correct? *


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## de l'eau salée (Nov 10, 2008)

I think there's only one position I can fall asleep in, and it's a weird one at that. 

I lay on my belly, with one leg sticking out and then coming back in.
Like this I guess.....:blushed:









Then with my arms I have one arm (my right) underneath the pillow, and then my left arm bent on top of the pillow, which I rest my head on, with the left side facing my pillow. I kinda hug the pillow in a way.

It's hard for me to go to sleep without blankets for some reason. I think they give me a feeling of safety or something.


The reason I know so much about how I sleep is because I have lots of trouble falling asleep.
It usually takes me about an hour or so for me to finally fall asleep. I just sit there in bed listening to music and thinking about everything, moving around, trying to fall asleep in other positions, but I always end up coming to "my" position. I think it's because when I get in my bed I just think about everything, and stuff. It's also because I always want to sing the music I put on too >.>


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## slightlybatty (Dec 12, 2008)

Lykos said:


> *Sleep ... at night? What kind of strange person would do that, did I walk into the twilight zone or something? You know Daytime is for sleep correct? *


lol. whenever you lay your head down for a period of hopefully eight hours of quiet rest.


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## T-Guy (Nov 4, 2008)

slightlybatty said:


> any advice on getting to bed easier?
> is there a certain way your room or bedding has to be before you can fall asleep?
> any certain rituals before going to bed?
> have you ever had problems trying to go to sleep at night?


My advice is don't TRY to fall asleep. Thinking about falling asleep will only make you spend energy and be more conscious which do not help you sleep. I don't care about how my room or bedding must be before I can fall asleep. I pray before going to bed, but that's more of a religious thing. I sometime have trouble falling asleep when I have important thing/s to do the next day. I normally listen to relaxing music and try not to think about what I'll be doing the next day when I can't sleep.


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## Happy (Oct 10, 2008)

I sleep during the day and wake during the night. If you eat before you go to bed, I think it will make you sleepy but may cause nightmares.


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## Jrquinlisk (Jan 17, 2009)

Silhouetree said:


> I think there's only one position I can fall asleep in, and it's a weird one at that.
> 
> I lay on my belly, with one leg sticking out and then coming back in.
> Like this I guess.....:blushed:
> ...


...Okay, who's been cloning me?

Seriously, I can fall asleep in other positions, but I almost always wind up in something like this one by the time I wake up. The only difference is that I don't usually listen to music; it tends to distract me from my ultimate goal of falling asleep.



T-Guy said:


> My advice is don't TRY to fall asleep. Thinking about falling asleep will only make you spend energy and be more conscious which do not help you sleep. I don't care about how my room or bedding must be before I can fall asleep. I pray before going to bed, but that's more of a religious thing. I sometime have trouble falling asleep when I have important thing/s to do the next day. I normally listen to relaxing music and try not to think about what I'll be doing the next day when I can't sleep.


Good advice. Just try to empty your mind and slow your breathing. If you can do that, you're halfway there.

As for more long-term advice, it helps immensely if you can nail down a regular sleep schedule. 11–7 every night, for example. Also, a lot of the sleep stuff I've read advises that you shouldn't use your bed for anything else. No homework, no reading, no anything but sleep. I've never been able to keep to this, though, so I can't really say how well it works.

Most importantly, though, don't try to sleep if you're not at least a little sleepy. If you're not tired, try getting up and doing something; maybe taking care of housework, for example.


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## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

Silhouetree said:


> I think there's only one position I can fall asleep in, and it's a weird one at that.
> 
> I lay on my belly, with one leg sticking out and then coming back in.
> Like this I guess.....:blushed:
> ...



I sleep in the same position as you do, and I also have trouble falling asleep at night. I have to take melatonin tablets. When I do sleep, I tend to have nightmares and sometimes sleep paralysis.


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## εmptε (Nov 20, 2008)

I sleep randomly ... I always have my feet out from under the covers though.


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## de l'eau salée (Nov 10, 2008)

Jrquinlisk said:


> ...Okay, who's been cloning me?
> 
> Seriously, I can fall asleep in other positions, but I almost always wind up in something like this one by the time I wake up. The only difference is that I don't usually listen to music; it tends to distract me from my ultimate goal of falling asleep.





snail said:


> I sleep in the same position as you do, and I also have trouble falling asleep at night.


Wow, that's crazy. Two INFPs that sleep really similar to me. :O 
I thought I was the only one...

Jrq: Yeah, I try not to listen to music either because it makes it harder for me, but I kinda realized that I wouldn't be falling asleep anyways, so I put it on to make my laying in bed more enjoyable, haha 

Snail: That's really scary  I just looked up Melatonin, and one of the side effects of it are...nightmares :'(
http://www.herbal-supplements-guide.com/melatonin-side-effects.html
Perhaps you could take another sort of sleeping pill?


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## Surreal Breakfast (Oct 24, 2008)

I lie sideways on my left side around 95% of the time, most other positions make it dificult for me to sleep, I cannot sleep face down or on my back. I'm sure that I haven't had nightmares in years, it's probably because I a have a large dream-catcher hanging in my room


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## Duke (Jan 20, 2009)

Surreal Breakfast said:


> I lie sideways on my left side around 95% of the time, most other positions make it dificult for me to sleep, I cannot sleep face down or on my back. I'm sure that I haven't had nightmares in years, it's probably because *I a have a large dream-catcher hanging in my room*


Hey, that's pretty cool, although the idea of having one in my room doesn't sit well with me... I'd probably have a nightmare about it crawling down the wall and attempting to crack my head open. >_< Disturbing imagery, I know. :crazy:

Before I sleep, it is mandatory that I, and I quote in my own words, 'put my friends to sleep first'. 'Friends' here refers to my stuffed animals - my dinosaur, turtle and lion. For starters, I don't really like calling them 'stuffed', reason being that I've always thought they understood how I felt especially when I used to talk to them at night when I was little. The fact that they stare back at you with such attention - amazing. There was this period of time when I waited patiently in the night for them to 'come alive'. Of course, I'm all grown up so, yeah. But OMFG, I digress.

And I need my blanket over me, regardless.


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## Trope (Oct 18, 2008)

Lykos said:


> *Sleep ... at night? What kind of strange person would do that, did I walk into the twilight zone or something? You know Daytime is for sleep correct? *


I second this with the addendum that dawn to mid-afternoon is _most correct._


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## Surreal Breakfast (Oct 24, 2008)

Duke said:


> Hey, that's pretty cool, although the idea of having one in my room doesn't sit well with me... I'd probably have a nightmare about it crawling down the wall and attempting to crack my head open. >_< Disturbing imagery, I know. :crazy:


I have a Grim Reaper thingumajig, you should be more scared of that coming to live at night :crazy:

It's in this pic next to my TV:


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## Indigo (Dec 29, 2008)

Silhouetree said:


> I think there's only one position I can fall asleep in, and it's a weird one at that.
> 
> I lay on my belly, with one leg sticking out and then coming back in.
> 
> ...


Well, I sleep in the fetal position, but my INFP sister sleeps in the same position as you. I had to share the bed with her when I was younger. It was a nightmare.


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## Alanna (Dec 15, 2008)

My alarm clock is on my bed side table, and before I go to sleep I have to turn it so it faces away from me, otherwise I will watch the minutes go by which makes me stay awake so much longer. Also, I usually read for about half an hour to an hour before sleeping, but if I'm really tired I just need to at least read for a couple minutes otherwise it is really hard to sleep. Then I curl up in the fetus position, usually on my left side.

When I was younger, I used to get really anxious when I was lying in bed at night, and would get these anxiety attacks where my breathing would get really fast and shallow and I'd get this tight feeling in my chest and it would feel like I couldn't move. When this happened I would usually turn on my light and read until I was literally too tired to keep my eyes open anymore, so I could fall right asleep without freaking out. Lots of times I would wake up to go to school, and my light would still be on, and I'd have a book open on my bed beside me. So I guess that's where the reading ritual comes from.

Fortunately through therapy and switching high schools (lets just say I had some friend issues) I don't really have anxiety problems anymore. On the occasional night I do get anxious, I get up and write a list of all the things that are bothering me which really puts stuff into perspective. Most of the stuff I worry about is quite minor and silly anyways.


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## NephilimAzrael (Oct 26, 2008)

This may seem out of context, but I like the dialogue:

A: Your conscience must be unclear with all the evils you say.
B: Maybe so, but I sleep well at night... On a big pile of money.

This is a paraphrased quote from somewhere, but for the life of me I cannot recall at the moment. Maybe someone will find it for me? Lykos? (its a quest)


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## Duke (Jan 20, 2009)

Surreal Breakfast said:


> I have a Grim Reaper thingumajig, you should be more scared of that coming to live at night :crazy:
> 
> It's in this pic next to my TV:


I am actually intrigued by how comfortable you are with these articles, which usually makes the general population, or me for that matter, reel in unease. Haha, it's special. :happy:

That said, are those wires? Gosh, I couldn't let those get in the way in my room. Always made sure they were behind the entire cabinet, tied in a bundle and out of sight. :tongue:

Thanks for letting me in on a glimpse of an INFP's room! :laughing:


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## mcgooglian (Nov 12, 2008)

I either sleep on my back or on my left side. I also stick my feet out from under the covers. If for whatever reason, I have to share a bed with somebody (in a hotel) I'll lie on the side facing away from the person and still find it comfortable.


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## gOpheR (Jan 19, 2009)

What usually helps me when I cant sleep (wich is often) is reading, writing, drinking, putting in a movie ( I'd suggest something that you're really familiar with so you don't have to really pay attention to it - Disney movies work awesome for me).


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