Why do people think this is how you cure insomnia?

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i have terrible insomnia, which means both trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. What happens is, i lay in bed trying to fall asleep even though i'm exhausted (from lack of sleep already). Then realize i'm not getting any closer to sleep, and my heart starts pounding due to the anxiety of trying to fall asleep. This is a continuous cycle that lasts throughout the night

Ok, some sleep experts say that trying to fall asleep is counterproductive, that if you find yourself doing this unsuccessfully, to GET UP and do something calming until you feel tired.

Um, doesn't this miss the point I'M ALREADY TIRED, so what is the point of getting up, only to repeat the cycle? How does trying to fall asleep the 2nd time around help matters any? Have tried this technique and it doesn't work Mind you, these sleep attempts are already after days of sleep deprivation...

i'm open to any suggestions on how to combat insomnia - am i doing something wrong? BTW, thinking of getting melatonin and wondering if anyone has had experience with this?

anyone have insomnia (the kind where you have to be in a cold, dark room with no noise except white noise); if so, how bad is your insomnia; have you had any luck treating it?

thanks in advance, sorry for the sour tone of this sleep-deprived post

It may be weird but I find that if I can't sleep, a good orgasm always helps. That has the opposite effect on my Hubby and will wake him right up.

Also I have to have a fan on. If the house is too quiet there's no way I can sleep. If my head is too cluttered with thoughts I'll get up and take a bath or shower or play spider solitaire for an hour or so and then try to sleep again.

This might not be a solution, but when I'm suffering from insomnia I would just lie in my bed with my eyes open and just think think think till my brain gets tired and if it's morning I just get up and try to live my day as easy as possible.

Instead of trying to sleep, why don't you just try to rest and think about fun stuff?

Sleeping is not a battle, fighting your way towards sleep is not the way you should handle it.

Sleep comes naturally.

Sorry this post of mine could not be useful at all but this is how I see it personally in my case.

Anti-psychotics for example did help my brain to calm down at night and stop it from having racing thoughts and I think this is the thing that cured my insomnia although it's not a healthy way for sure.

My main difficulties are due to not being able to shut my mind down. I just can't stop thinking. However I have developed a technique that will usually get me to sleep within an hour. Maybe it will help you.

For the first half hour listen to music and use relaxation exercises similar to these. When your mind starts drifting away from the exercises, try to drop the thought and return to the exercise. It helps if the music includes lyrics because hearing a voice in the background is slightly distracting so you are more likely to notice when your mind drifts. Ideally the music should be on a timer so it shuts off by itself. Next spend another 10 minutes or so on the relaxation exercises. After that turn over and try to keep your mind blank. I find it helps to remember the music I have just been listening to. After some time the act of turning over after the exercises becomes a symbolic trigger that it is time to sleep.

Note that this takes practice and in the beginning it may not work very well. You also need to experiment. A ticking clock or other regular noise may work better for you. I found two ticking clocks worked quite well. The ticks were very slightly out of sync and the slowly varying rhythm was quite relaxing.

This isn't 100% successful but it has helped me a lot.

some ideas:

-exercise (not right before bed, but during the day)
-meditation
-use the bed for sleep and adult-oriented activities if applicable and nothing else not even reading (unless it puts you to sleep)
-write down anything that is nagging at you so that you can put it out of your mind
-turn on something to give you some white noise, like a fan or a recording in an iPod, then focus on the sound
-accept that you won't sleep too much and live with that
-keep a strict sleep schedule, and don't sleep in on the weekend
-avoid alcohol, coffee, tea, or other substances for a few hours before bed

RazorEddie has some awesome advice. i similarly "meditate" to get myself to sleep, by forcing myself to focus on my breathing and pushing out every other thought. i slowly say the word IN as i inhale and OUT as i exhale.

in the end i had to turn to prescription medicine to help me sleep though, because i was getting to sleep fine but.... waking up at 4 in the morning, unable to STAY asleep.

good thing I'm NEET and I sleep whenever I want however long I want


So. OP. NEET. If you work, drop work. Or go on holiday. Remove all time schedules from your life.
And then enjoyeee. Sleep at whatever hour you feel sleepy, wake up when you wake up. Take it easy.
You'll see that all your problems, including insomnia, will solve themselves in time.

You should probably have your doctor prescribe sleep meds, because it seems like you miss a lot of sleep. Melatonin helps a little, but I don't think it'll be strong enough for you.

Sitting up in bed and reading a book or magazine does the trick for me.
The more you try NOT to sleep - and try TO catch up on your reading - the easier it is to fall asleep.

If that fails -get up and zap a piece of food in your microwave- and then bolt it down without drinking water. That dry lump of food will sit in you stomach like a piece of concrete and it will put you in a food coma, and you will fall asleep.

Ive found that texting people takes my mind off deeper thoughts and helps me sleep

Thanks for the ideas everyone