Sleeping aid advice

[coffeebuddha]

So here's the thing. I'm tired. I'm ridiculously, literally fall down when I try to walk, feel like my eyes are about to fall out of my head tired, but I just can't fall asleep. It's 5:45AM and I haven't slept even a moment. I only slept about three hours last night (night before last at this point? idek) before my alarm went off and I had to get up. This has been the norm for me for months now. I've been drinking a single glass of red wine before going to bed, which helped to slow my brain down enough that I could fall asleep, but that doesn't seem to be working anymore. I don't want to go on sleeping pills. I really don't want to go on sleeping pills. I have an addictive personality and a history of alcohol/narcotics abuse in my family. For me, sleeping pills are the absolute last resort, and maybe even not then.

I'm tired and I'm desperate. If anyone has any tricks they use to help themselves fall asleep, I'd be willing to try pretty much anything at this point. Except for sleeping pills--vitamins and supplements would be okay--or meditation--because I've been trying that on and off for years and it's never once helped me. Other things I've tried that don't work include warm milk, tea, and lavender scented lotion. Tried that shit for a week and I hate the smell of lavender. Which is possibly part of the reason it didn't work.

Comments

[roachstar.livejournal.com]

I read for 30 mins before bed if I can't sleep - it shuts my mind off from all the things going on. But reading online doesn't work. Has to be a book.

*hugs*

My problem at the moment is life being too short so I want to cram as much into my days as possible so I end up going to sleep around 1-2am lol I feel soooo tired in the mornings, but I'm in the habit of it no!

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

Reading worked when I was little and the books I'd read were a lot shorter, but now I tend to just not stop reading at all. I can't even count how many times I've read a 300-400 pg novel in a night because I couldn't stop. It's almost like a compulsion. =/

*hugs*

I get really paranoid that I'm going to miss something while I'm asleep and work myself up wondering what that something might be. If that's not bothering me, then I tend to replay everything that bugged me about my day and play out how I would do it differently if given the chance. And if that isn't the problem, I can always think up a million other things to obsess about when I should be sleeping. >.< Basically, my brain just never wants to shut off.

Shutting off my laptop now in the hopes that I'll be able to get an hour or two of sleep before I have to get up.