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Comment by anigbrowl | Hacker News Reader

A glass of whiskey and a few pages of HP Lovecraft always does it for me. But the dream, the dreams...

Seriously, a drink and a bit of light reading followed by 5-10 minutes of pillow talk works fine for me. I avoid the computer for at least a half hour before going to sleep: it's the routine of settling down for the evening that helps me sleep, rather than any individual components. The reading material is usually something I've read before rather than something new which I Must Complete.

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I've read that alcohol is generally not recommended because it disrupts your sleeping patterns. Certainly, large amounts of it do so for me.

A while ago I tried eliminating all caffeine (I typically drink a lot of diet Coke and coffee). The first few days were hell, and I pretty much sat staring blankly at my computer. Then I had a couple of really magical days where I felt quite alert even in the typically drowsy afternoons. And what was weird was that I seemed to dream more vividly (and remember my dreams). Then I fell off the wagon... at some point I need to try that experiment again, because I think I was onto something.

Yeah a big drink will do that. If I'm having a nightcap then it's just a thimbleful rather than a tumbler; I like fine whiskey, and it's sufficiently expensive that I restrict myself to little sips rather than full measures.

Yes, one thing that I've read also helps is having a sort of nightly ritual. It conditions your mind to expect to go to sleep through repetition. It sounds like your glass of whiskey also may serve that purpose.

It's probably the routine more than the liqueur that gets you primed for bed at those levels.

For me it's an hour away from the computer. TV works if I'm watching something interesting enough so that I won't change the channel but not so much that it will stimulate me. Plus I have to remember to set the off-timer otherwise I'll feel really tired in the morning. Pillow talk on the other hand works wonders on me but not on my gf's temper.. ;)

Alcohol can help to fall asleep, but it is known to reduce the quality of sleep.

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