What do you do if you can't sleep at night? Do you count sheep, toss and turn, or get up and try to do something productive?

Joanne's FAVORITE answer:
Masterbati..... err... exercise! it always helps me sleep!

Joanne's answer:
I'm afraid I can't take the advice of my favorite answer, because this is most definitely already done before even attempting to go to sleep! This, of course, means that I very rarely have trouble falling asleep...but in the event that I do, I will mostly just toss and turn, keep my eyes closed, and "pretend" to be sleeping in the hopes that I will trick myself into the real thing! If I am really desperate/it is really taking a long time, I'll give up and move to the livingroom (sometimes turn on the TV), at which point I do usually fall asleep. I'd also usually like to call someone, but its usually too late...unless I'm on the east coast, in which case I have 3 hours to call people in CA (which I did quite a bit when I was interviewing and couldn't sleep!).

And the other answers!

If I have trouble falling asleep I pray. I say the prayers I know in my head, over and over and then if all else fails, I talk to God, my mother, my sister, sometimes my Dad and my grandmother.

Actually MOST night I cannot sleep. I have been known to do all the things you mentioned and then some. Like EAT! I mostly read with hopes that it will make me tired and sleepy. But before I leave the bed I count sheep, or count backwards! Maybe what I should have is SEX!

I just tell her to turn over and then she stops snoring.

If I have probs sleeping I toss and turn for awhile, then maybe play online or watch TV. Or reading, too, puts me to sleep.

I would bet that masturbate is a lot of people's honest answer, although whether they'll cop to it in your QOTD I don't know. Does that count as productive?

I, unfortunately, toss and turn. I will not give up the fight, nor let insomnia win. I will stay in bed until I fall asleep. Many hours have been lost on this futile effort. I should have gotten up and done something all those times, but it was the principle of the matter.

I take a couple of Tylenol PM, make a stiff drink, and turn on the TV right after I check my emails.

i know exactly what i do when i cant sleep,seeing as how i havent slept well in the past 4 nights..i toss and turn,or just lie there for about an a half hour then if im still up, i'll get up and watch t.v. or read my book...something quiet (as hard as that is for me to do!!!!!) then if all else fails...masturbation. hahaha..works like a charm.

I freakin HATE it when I can't sleep at night. Usually I'll lay there for at least an hour. Then I'll get up and start watching TV. Then I'll start wondering if there are other people who are up too and wish that I could talk to them. If I don't fall asleep during this time,I'll eat something really heavy (like turkey) and that usually puts meto sleep.

Pull the pud while thinking of you.

Can't sleep at night...? What does THAT mean??

I do have "sleepless" nights often. I do get up and pick up a book I am reading or do a crossword puzzle. It takes about one half hour to get me ready to go back to bed.

I'll start by tossing and turning...with my eye on the clock the whole time saying, "If I fall asleep now, I'll get 4 hours of sleep...if I fall asleep now, I'll get three hours...etc." Obviously, that is never really helpful and it just keeps me up longer. So, I'll usually go lay on the couch and watch TV in the living room. If school worries is what is keeping me up, I'll write down a game plan for myself. That usually calms me a bit.

Mostly I just lay there and try not to toss and turn too much and wake the husband. I almost never leave the bed if I can't sleep. I don't want to be productive, I want to sleep!

If I can't sleep I usually do the least helpful thing - either toss and turn or take the opportunity to think about things that are troubling me (but, usually, only the one's about which I can do absolutely nothing)!