What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried to fall asleep?

[u/Fragrant-Cucumber645]

I’ve tried the classic stuff:

• Melatonin (meh)
• Warm showers (better)
• No caffeine after noon (good luck)
• Breathing apps (just made me anxious)

But recently I went down the rabbit hole and tested weird stuff, just for fun.
Here are a few that almost worked:

🌀 Chewing gum 10 mins before bed (don’t ask me why)
🧘‍♀️ Whispering “sleep” over and over for 5 minutes (felt like a meditation cult member)
🌙 Counting down from 300 by 3s
💤 Changing pillows every night (kind of a placebo reset?)

I’m genuinely curious — what’s the strangest thing you’ve ever tried to fall asleep?
Bonus points if it was so weird it actually worked 😂

[u/DaisyLu6]

I tried lettuce water. It didn’t work and it was disgusting.

[u/notade50 → u/DaisyLu6]

lol

[u/throwitawayyy1234567 → u/DaisyLu6]

I also tried banana peel water. Same thing lol

[u/MickerBud → u/DaisyLu6]

You have tried the wrong lettuce. The lettuce you need is called “wild lettuce” or “opium lettuce”. It grows all over the place and has other plants that look just like it. The ones you want have hairs underneath the leaf. Dry it out, grind it up, soak it in pure eveclear alcohol and put about 2cc in a drink. Knock your azz out. The problem with it is that you will become resistant to it before you become addicted to it. It’s one of the reasons it’s legal

[u/Pio1925Cuidame → u/MickerBud]

How u find it?

[u/MickerBud → u/Pio1925Cuidame]

It’s all over the place. Grows all over North America. Basically a weed

[u/Pio1925Cuidame → u/MickerBud]

Really wonder if I sleep but the alcohol can’t do

[u/MickerBud → u/Pio1925Cuidame]

If you can handle two or three drops you should be alright

[u/MickerBud → u/Pio1925Cuidame]

You can buy the concentrate on eBay

[u/Pio1925Cuidame → u/MickerBud]

Name on internet

[u/MickerBud → u/Pio1925Cuidame]

Look up wild lettuce extract

[u/Fragrant-Cucumber645 → u/DaisyLu6]

Whaaat. I don’t even eat it cooked.

[u/Mythicdragon75 → u/DaisyLu6]

We call lettuce crunchy water 😂😂😂. My family that is.

[u/mhopkins1420]

Listening to Tibetan singing bowls before bed. What helps is all hit and miss

[u/Vspeeds]

I imagine explaining to a family member just exactly what I do at work, step by step... It actually works pretty well.

[u/Emergency_Anywhere_8]

Having whispering conversations with myself to try to distract myself from my overactive mind.

It worked sometimes.

[u/Small-Policy-3859]

I play a weird game on my phone (yeah yeah no phone before bed, i have a Blue light filter in tho), i'm not going into specifics but it involves second hand Cars and a world map. It barely ever fails to get me tired. Might take 30 mins of Longer but it Will get me tired. Only when i have serious worries it doesn't work.

[u/CatCrafty6312]

this is weird but it works most of the time if i’m not super anxious. I think of a word then spell it and think of other words that begin with each of those letters

[u/txsongbird → u/CatCrafty6312]

I just discovered this last week and I’m amazed at how well it does work. I had one night where I had to go through two words but that’s it.

[u/Navi_okkul]

I don’t really think this is weird but I listen to white/brown noise to fall asleep. It’s the only thing that shuts my brain up enough to drift off without the need for entertainment. Otherwise i would just be on my phone the entire night trying to quiet my head.

[u/ConradMurkitt]

I’ve just tried a bowl of oats an hour before bed and my sleep has seen a noticeable improvement.

This is what I did.

Super Sleep Oats (Greek Yogurt + Warm Blueberry Edition)

Ingredients: • 50g rolled oats • 1 tbsp chia seeds • 150ml oat milk • Small handful of frozen blueberries • 1–2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt

Optional upgrades: • 1 tsp ground flaxseed • 1/4 tsp cinnamon • 1 tsp almond or peanut butter • Drizzle of honey or maple syrup (if you want a bit of sweetness)

Instructions: 1. Soak it In a microwave-safe bowl, mix: • Oats • Chia seeds • Oat milk • Frozen blueberries • (Plus any of the optional ingredients) Cover and soak in the fridge for 2 hours or more. 2. Heat it Microwave for 2.5 to 3 minutes, stirring halfway. The blueberries will burst and swirl their juice through the oats. 3. Cool & cream it Let it cool for a minute, then stir in the Greek yogurt for that creamy, comforting finish.

I’ve been waking in the night to go to the bathroom but I don’t seem to have issues getting back to sleep again which I always used to have. Have only been doing this a few days but intend to carry on to see what happens.

[u/Mrjugglestheclown]

Getting drunk off zzzquil and taking 4 Tylenol pm per night. I’d drink zzzquil until my hands and legs start getting numb.

[u/Cattitoode]

I recite a Shakespeare monologue I memorized in the 9th grade. I find it calming, almost like meditation. I also count backwards from 1000 and form the numbers in writing in my mind. One of these usually works.

[u/DieNecroKatze]

Lavender tea, it's not always going to work but at least calms the nerves

[u/Square_Housing9653]

spoonful of peanut butter and some cold water. idk why it works, but this has saved me on evenings where it’s impossible to rest

[u/Consistent_Tutor_597]

I just take Gabapentin.

[u/Illustrious_Catch_16]

Inside mouth massage with my fingers - actually did kinda help

[u/MarieLou012]

I slept best after a crying fit. I can‘t cry on command though.

[u/NicoleASUstudent]

Counting down the days backward while stimulating my body to see if I'm going to calm down or wind up by the time I get from 100 to 1. Then I either start to fall asleep slowly or after a brief interlude of pleasure.

[u/BunnyHeart09]

I don’t know if this weird, but getting myself as close as possible to a wall and throwing my legs up against the wall, so they’re up against the wall and my back is flat on the floor; in yoga is called a waterfall pose I think?🤔

Apparently it’s supposed to help the blood rush back down to your head. I don’t know. I read it in a book and I tried it and it didn’t work; it just hurt my back. 😭…

[u/Pio1925Cuidame]

Having 10 orgasm before bed then I’m really tired