<p>And at least as far as I know, I am not usually an insomniac. Which is why I walked the long steps down to my dorm's computer lab just to see if posting online would help me fall asleep.</p>
<p>I don't get it either. Today I woke up at 6:44 am, did morning exercises, had a very challenging and eye-opening neurobiology lecture, followed by an honours chemistry lecture, rushed to a medical appointment to receive a needle, rushed back to the other side of Grounds to get shoes for a 3 and half-hour lab, rushed to another side of Grounds and barely made it for the second day of crew tryouts, rowed on the ergometer for like an hour, barely had time for dinner, rushed to a debate practice meeting, ended at 9 pm, rushed back to my dorm to finish homework and do the night routine, and did the facebook/email/etc. routine as well. I have had nothing short of a tightly-packed day. And yet I can't sleep?!!</p>
<p>Also, I was trying to sleep in time for a morning swim before a morning class ... mainly as a remedy against the hot Virginia weather ... but I guess not.</p>
<p>Is it like the foreignness of the dorm room? I suppose it doesn't feel homely yet, but I don't have night fears or anything. It's just that though I feel tired, when I put the head against the pillow, my eyes remain wide awake. O_O</p>
<p>You mentioned hot Virginia weather... is it hot in your room? That can keep you up. But if not, this is just a time where you're taking in so much new information and probably worrying about a bunch of things, and it's not uncommon to have trouble sleeping. Maybe if it gets worse or continues for another two weeks you should see your school's health center/nurse. But I think it's normal :) Good luck!</p>
<p>i'm sorry you can't sleep..that must be horrible. it probably is because of the fact that the dorm is still new to you. when I can't sleep, i silently count backwards from 100 slowly, taking a breath between each number. i usually fall asleep by the time i get to the 60's or 50's..but thats just what i do, i'm not saying its gonna work for anyone else, but hey it might. i hope you get some sleep soon :)</p>
<p>I can somewhat relate to this post. I've never gone as long as two weeks, but I move a LOT (several times a year) and it sometimes has taken me a good week to get used to it. Sometimes it's the excitement of the new place, sometimes it's a strange fear, or in the case of having a roomate, I personally was self conscious and didn't like the idea of sleeping in front of another person. </p>
<p>As for falling asleep, what usually works for me (even when I'm not tired at all I can force myself into a nap this way) is if I think about the place where I would most like to be at that time and imagine myself in the most comfortable bed possible. Gets me to sleep (within 20-30 mins) EVERY time. </p>
<p>Good luck with coming up with something that makes you tick--err, sleep! :)</p>
<p>sometimes you just can't, I mean for some reason I couldn't sleep in the last week of school last year (sophomore year) and I only slept like 2-4 hours every night until I went home and slept like a rock. It was really weird.</p>
<p>i know what u mean
i went through the same thing for the first couple of days where i just couldnt fall asleep in my dorm room and i was just staring at the ceiling
i think u just need more time to adjust urself and make ur dorm like a place of sleep or something
it takes some time for u to get used to ur dorm so give it a bit more time and make sure ur tired before u go to bed and maybe thatll help</p>
<p>i've been in my summer dorm for like almost 3 months and for the most part i can't really just sleep straight for many hours, i find myself always waking up like every 2 hours, unlike home where i can sleep straight for long hours at a time.</p>
<p>Take Melatonin supplements. You can get them at Walmart for like $7. It's the chemical your body releases to regulate your sleep cycle. They will knock you out in a much more natural way than Tylenol PM or other sleep aids. Additionally, you wake up with a clear head as opposed to the hangover sleep aids often leave. I was never a big believer in natural supplements, but I just could never fall asleep unless I was under the influence of something, or else I would just think too much.</p>
<p>So in brief:</p>
<p>Take Melatonin.
Turn off the laptop.
Make the room dark.
Read a book or something.
Wait for melatonin to kick in, and go to sleep.</p>
<p>You may think this is going to sound silly but...</p>
<p>--Maybe you can ask your Mom to ship your bed pillow from home. </p>
<p>--If there's something that you had on your bed at home (like a throw, a throw pillow, a stuffed animal, etc.), ask your Mom to ship that to you too.</p>
<p>I know it sounds silly but it might do the trick.</p>
<p>sometimes your mind is still active, BECAUSE of all the activities you did during the day. your thoughts are still whirring and churning out ideas at inopportune times :)</p>
<p>Mmmmm my bed is so commmfy. I'm usually asleep after one song on my ipod. I mean not to rub it in your face or anything, its probably cuz I already have two years under my belt of living in a dorm in high school. And the mattresses in college are infinitely more comfortable than the ones in college. And I'm exhausted at the end of my day. I guess just different strokes. Good luck. </p>
<p>You have a night time routine. That's good. Routines are a good sign you are adjusting. WHen something interrupted my kid's routine like a vacation I always and my mother always used cold or luke warm baths that turned cold. It would soak any extra energy out. Your night routine should include an bowl of instant oatmeal or a small chocolate milk. Then brush your teeth and go to sleep!</p>