Reading, but not a new or terrifically involving book. I use beloved old familiar stuff. I’ve had Terry Pratchett’s books on constant rotation for about 20 years now. Occasionally I’ll throw in one of the *No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency *series.
Uhh, yeah buddy, right. That’s not what I meant, but don’t let me stop you.
All of my methods have been mentioned, but here’s the combination that works most of the time for me:
First, no caffeine after mid-afternoon. Second, I take trazadone. As mentioned above it’s a prescription anti-anxiety drug that has the annoying side effect of making most people sleepy. Finally, I tell myself a story. I’ve actually composed a couple of novels mentally, although I have a feeling that if I wrote them down they would be horrible.
TV with sleep timer. I usually set the timer for 30 minutes and never hear it turn off.
On Nyquil and Tylenol PM: Ever taken more than the recommended dose? It says 30ml on the liquid Nyquil. How about 60ml?
Probably nothing will happen, except you’d get more tired. OTC drugs aren’t usually sold with a small margin of safety between therapeutic dose and adverse effects. If the NyQuil has dextromethorphan, you can [del]Robotrip[/del] NyTrip if you take enough (probably more than 60 mL), but the acetaminophen can’t be good for your liver. And some products may put something in to prevent DXM abuse.
I haven’t had many issues with racing brain in recent years, but when I was younger I had a terrible time turning it off. I had a basic story outline involving Indiana Jones and time travel, and I’d spin a detailed story out of that. Worked like a charm.
Skip the Tylenol PM if you don’t need a painkiller and just take 50mg of original Benadryl - diphenhydramine hydrochloride.
I’m coming in to second this. Several posters mentioned also taking Tylenol PM - it’s the antihistamine in there that makes you feel sleepy. There’s no reason to tax your liver unnecessarily by taking a pain killer you don’t need. Just a cheapo store-brand diphenhydramine 25mg tablet or capsule (or two) is all you need. The NyQuil also has even more ingredients that you don’t need. The antihistamine in that stuff goes by a different name (Doxylamine) but makes you sleepy just like the diphenhydramine that you can buy alone, and, much cheaper.
Reading works for me.
Annoyingly having a tv on does aswell, I keep falling asleep with it on and think the hell with it, and go to bed…and lie there wide awake .