It's 11pm, but the tiny hamster that turns your brain-wheel just drank a double red eye. Since he's going for a land speed record, your mind is racing from topic to topic, and you're covering everything from sincere worries ("When can I start researching that massive history project that's due in, like, four days?") to weird brain slugbubbles ("Do sloths mind that their name is a synonym for 'lazy'?").
You can't find the off switch for your cabeza, eh? Never fear, dear Sparkler! We've got the tricks that'll have you counting sheep (or tiny brain hamsters) in no time. Get rid of the electronics: Power down the computer, shut off the TV, silence your phone, kill the lights, and if you sleep with music, turn it down low. A dark, peaceful room will help you relax and fall asleep faster, and there's even research that indicates it'll help keep you stay happier in the long run.
Don't eat mint, caffeine, or apples at night: It's kind of a no-brainer to avoid caffeine-heavy foods like coffee, chocolate, and soda before bedtime, but it's probably a good idea to skip natural stimulants, too. Believe it or not, apples have been proven to give you a better morning jolt than your average latte, and in large quantities, mint can rev up your engine.
Try guided meditation: Yes, it sounds totally floofy and granola-y, but guided meditation really isn't much more than imagining yourself doing relaxing things, or focusing on one body part/function. Because it forces you to slow down your brain and dedicate yourself to thing at a time, it helps release a lot of the stress and tension and crazy thought-cycling. Here are few techniques that might work for you. For both of them, you're going to need to block out as much external light and racket as you can, and lie down in a comfy, dark place.
- Picture your lungs. (I know. Stick with me.) Imagine them inside your chest, and pretend that they're filled up with a gunky, mucky brown/black color. (That's the anxiety/awakeness you're feeling.) Now, take a deep breath in through your nose. Imagine the air you're breathing in is a pale, shimmery blue. When you inhale deeply, the shimmery blue floats happily and calmly through your nose and into your lungs, and kicks out the gunk. Exhale slowly through your mouth, and pretend you're releasing all that mucky color. Inhale, shimmery blue. Exhale, brown gunk. Repeat for as long as you need to until your lungs are filled with the shimmery goodness and the gunk is gone.
- Say goodnight to each part of your body, starting with your feet and finishing with your head. Begin by slowly, quietly saying something like, "Feet, you've had a long day, and you're very, very tired—so tired that I can feel you relax one by one and start to float away. Go to sleep, feet. Good night." Proceed on to your ankles, shins, knees, thighs, hips, belly, hands, wrists, arms, elbows, chest, shoulders, neck and head. [NOTE: this one won't work as well if you share your room, as it may cause siblings to break down into giggle fits and threaten you with very effective blackmail. Do not ask me how I know this.]
Pick a mantra: When your mind's going a mile a minute, it's really easy to get wrapped up in each little thought and to treat it like it's the most important thing to happen ever. Use a mantra—a saying you can repeat to yourself—to combat these insomnideas. For example, for each super-important thought that gongs against your brain, ask yourself, "Is there anything I can honestly do about this right now?" If the answer is yes and you can resolve it quickly, do it. If the answer is no, move on to the next. Oftentimes, you'll realize that the things that seemed so crucial can wait until a better non-sleep time.
Try a natural sleep aid: Now, I'm not an MD or anything, so PLEASE ASK YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE ACTUALLY DOING THIS. (You're welcome, Sparknotes Legal Department. See you at the softball game! I'll be the one breathing deeply and talking to my feet.) Anyway, natural sleep aids like melatonin, calcium/magnesium combos, and niacinamide (which is a fancy name for Vitamin B3) can be super helpful when taken regularly. Since they're effective, have few (if any) side effects, and aren't habit-forming or anything, they're usually pretty safe and helpful in the sleep department. But again, in case you didn't hear me the first time around, ASK YOUR DOCTOR FIRST.
Good night, Sparklers! Sleep tight! And don't worry about the bed bugs, because they used these techniques and they already conked out. In fact, I should probablzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
We're going to try these tricks tonight!
Related post: Sleep in Class (Without Getting Caught)
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