Help?

How do you fall asleep when your brain won't stop thinking?  Last night I may or may not have stomped into the computer room and shouted "This is how people accidentally overdose on sleeping pills!" and then burst into tears at three in the morning to a WoWing Will.  I've been taking Advil PM for a couple of nights now--only half the reccommended adult dose--and last night, my one little pill just wasn't working.  Now I know that taking a second pill when the reccommended dose is two pills isn't a huge deal especially when it has been three hours since the first one was swallowed, but by three in the morning I was all the way past rational though and into full on "I can't sleep! Why can't I sleep? I need sleep! Fall asleep brain!" psychosis. 

To give Will some credit, he turned off his game immediately and crawled into bed with me.  No grief, no "I'll be right there."  Just "my poor girl" and "here, move me however you want me and you just get comfortable" and "how can I help?" and "it's okay, you can wipe your nose on my arm." 

We talked a little bit about why I couldn't sleep--a rough "cycle" this month, stress about work and bills and Typepad not being as awesome as I remember it (that is a whole other post) and his family spending the holidays in our apartment and before I knew it, I was finally drifting off. 

He really is a good fiance.

Still though--how do you fall asleep when your brain won't shut off?  Do you have a nightly "get ready for bed" routine?  Do you do the whole warm milk and small snack of something containing tryptophan?  Warm bath? Herbal tea? What?

Really I'll try just about anything right now, including an anvil to the head.

Comments

[Jen]

Well, I'm a big reader before bed -- something about it settles my brain. I find that talking with the other person in the bed after we turn out the lights also helps. And when nothing else works, I usually create a soap opera in my head -- you know, tell yourself a story until you're so bored with it you fall asleep or you come to an awesome conclusion, and you fall asleep righteous.

[eMz]

that's exactly my problem sometimes, so can't give any credible advice. hehe. when i'm switched on, it's just the way it is -- no pill will work for me. tsk tsk.

[Laura]

I have heard that the warm milk works, but I just lie in bed and wait for the sleep fairy to close my eyes. I don't even take any pills. I listen to music, check the time and before I know it two hours have passed and then, oops, it's time to get up. Sorry, no help here, only a fellow sufferer.