Bad sleep problems

[mystic iris]

Hi, So im 13 years old and uhmm lately if been having sleep problems qause i cant mange to ge tired or like sleep so ill be staring at my ceiling for hours. ( Im tpying this at 00:50 ) So uhh im wondering if there are like tactics or methods to sleep faster and longer qause i need help. Uhmm good night

[silver robin]

Are you still awake?

Wait that was stupid question

Personally what works for me is taking some sleep aid like Melatonin

[mystic iris]

I dont think im allowed that or yeah uhmm i dont want to spend money sorry im poor

[mystic iris]

Do you mabey have a other method ? its fine if not dw

[neon yoke]

Well at 13 it's plausabile that you have a different sleep cycle. But generally I think there xpuld be multiple reasons to it.

The easiest or first reaction/answer would be to clean your sleep hygiene.

Change bed sheets 1 a week or every other week.
Don't go on your phone or any other electronic device 1-2 hours before u go to sleep (read a book or crochet or draw, etc.)
give yourself a broader time frame for sleep: Instead of saying, I have to be in bed and sleep by 9, say, I want to be in bed and go to sleep somewhere between 9-10 (that can help and let's your body relax since it's not forced/stressed to be asleep st this second and gives you time to calm down too.)
dont eat to heavy or at all before bed
be bed ready 1 hour before you go to bed (so you can just hope in the bed and dont have to worry about anything anymore
block out all light as best as possible
if you can, no electronics jn your room
open the window for some fresh air before bed -> cooler rooms tend to be better for sleep
if you have a lot of thoughts running your mind, write down what bothers you on paper and try to sleep again so it's out of mind.
meditation could work (even some while you fall asleep)
there's a Wikipedia for bedtime podcast you could listen to while you try to fall asleep. -) we also had some muscle relaxation workouts in school sometimes and I'd always fall asleep during those because I really couldnt be bothered (they are boring as hell, perfect for sleep)

listen to someone witg a monotone or boring voice trying to teach you something (works like a charm lol) jk
no noise or white noise (depending on what helps you best: I really recommend driving in a car sounds, helps me a lot)
never change the time you wake up to, so if you dont catch enough sleep, your body will be tired and sleep sooner. Like, always awake by 8 am.

I think that should sum it up for if it really is just nothing huge. If you have insomnia or those tips don't help, try consulting a professional maybe.

[mystic iris]

Thank you, So mutch i really appreciate you :)

[vast anvil]

only thing i'd add to what they said is the following

your sleep cycle starts when you wake up, just 5-10 minutes of sunlight in the morning helps an incredibly large amount (if you wake up before the sun is up, most smart bulbs have a sunlight mimicking mode if you have those, there are more creative ways but direct sunlight is the best by far)

your day to day schedule matters more than you think, especially when you eat, ideally food timing should be somewhat consistent (and you should eat ~2 or more hours before bed, this ensures a low heart rate when you get to bed, improving the likelyhood you can sleep easier)

you should sleep and wake within the same ~1 hour every day, including weekends, the human body loves consistency

if you don't wanna go full "off tech 2 hours before bed" night mode / blue light filters / blue light filtering glasses does wonders as well, though i'd suggest specifically not gaming ~1 hour before bed from personal experience so your brain calms down

they are absolutely right in saying you likely have a different natural cycle due to your age, teens naturally tend to stay up later and it kind of feels like fighting off evolution, but if you can just stick to a schedule for ~1-2 weeks, waking up and getting that sunlight for 5-10 minutes each morning, the schedule should naturally lock in place, given you wrote a message here asking about this, you're very likely the type of person who cares about this and knows it's important, that'll make your job a lot easier, stay consistent, you got this

if you have any questions about sleep or how anything works specifically, feel free to ask

[mystic iris]

Thank you, :)

If changed my bed sheets today that 1 thing taken care off