General Discussion

I like to make myself a mug of warm milk with one spoonful of honey, (honey helps you sleep) and a tiny bit of vanilla extract for taste. It's super warm and relaxing to sip as I'm cleaning up from the day and going to sleep.

I write up little bed time stories in my head, and if my brain is too chaotic to do that I count to 100 in Japanese to keep my language skills sharp

I usually try writing before going to sleep. Sometimes I'll even fall asleep doing so!
Helps kinda sort out thoughts, even if it's purely story related, and keep my mind from wandering into existential crisis zone

Cuddle my animals, browse Instagram and read fanfics.

Since I can't seen to shut down my brain and stop thinking while I'm trying to sleep, I put it to use for me and lie there imagining myself in various TV shows, movies and other fictional universes.

Last week I imagined I was on "Doctor Who" playing a character who was mind-swapped with The Doctor (so The Doctor was in my body while I was in his) and we had to work together to defeat an invasion. It was funny imagining each of us mimicking the mannerisms of the other.

This week I imagined I was an accidental recruit to the Dekaranger S.P.D. Fire Squad, becoming genetically linked to an experimental SP License and instead of going through the process of resetting the device, they instead decided to put me through rigorous training to be worthy of the squad. It isn't going well.

I don't know what it will be next, the idea usually comes to me shortly before bed when I'm tired of or finished with one scenario. But it does help me get to sleep faster than trying to simply not think.

I have an app with a bunch of different calming sounds on it that I put on a timer. Ocean waves work best, but light rain is also nice to fall asleep to.

Turn the tv on, with a sleep timer of course. I need to have people talking in the background for me to fall asleep. Or else I'll start getting anxious in a way that feels like something is out to get me. With the tv on, it feels like there are other people around, and calms me down enough for sleep.

I like having netflix on to fall asleep when I'm alone or have my dog sleep on the bed with me (not as common anymore since the bf moved in).
I also count breathing if my mind is too anxious/ active. You breathe in so many seconds, hold for several seconds and release for several seconds. Repeat. Its kind of like counting sheep.

Usually when I go to bed I fall asleep quickly, but on nights where I can't sleep there's a few things I like to do.

Sometimes I'll take a warm bath and sit in there for a while. After the bath I'll put on some soft, comfy clothes, make my bed, and make myself comfortable. Once in a while I like to make chamomile tea with honey, a splash of milk, some sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon. If I'm feeling anxious, putting on nature sounds really calms me down and helps me feel sleepy.

I used to be an insomniac, and one of my best solutions was eating something with peanut butter. I read somewhere once that peanut butter can help make you feel tired if you can't sleep, and I tried it for benefit of the doubt, and it actually worked. Even if it isn't true and I was experiencing a placebo effect, there's something about eating something warm with some creamy peanut butter on top that's really comforting before going to bed.