I'm going to be real with you - I sleep like shit. There's no nice or fluffy way of going about this. I am NOT a pleasant person in the morning, and it's probably best for everyone if you just let me be if I am in fact sleeping (seriously though). I have done everything (well... that's not true, but that's on me) to find a way to fall asleep. I don't know about everyone (I am clearly not an expert here), but here are some of my pride and joy miracle workers.

1. YouTube is your friend.

Below you will find 3 videos that knock my ass out (most of the time). Thunderstorms really do it for me, surprisingly enough even generated ones do too. If rain isn't your thing, youtube has a SLEW of options for sleeping sounds, not to mention you could get a white noise machine (I want to get one).

2. Herbal Tea is wonderful

As an American, I know that tea isn't exactly as it should be, yet I find Bigelow tea quite helpful in my quest for ZZZ's. My favorite is Sweet Dreams (which is less than $3 at most grocery stores). It's a chamomile and mint combo that relaxes me and with some added cream and sweetener tastes like heaven. I recommend trying some tea, whether it's this one or another one, the options are endless!

3. Face Mask for the WIN

I shit you not, I bought a face mask and it helps SOOOOOOOOO much. I don't know why, there's nothing remotely special about it overall, but perhaps the lack of light or having to have a focus on something solid helps my racing thoughts calm down (this may help too).

4. BLACK OUT CURTAINS

I got my first set of BOC's when I was 18. WORTH IT. Aside from the fact that I hate too much sunlight coming into my room (people joke that I am secretly a vampire, and I don't argue), I sleep like crap so these are needed if I sometimes fall asleep when the sun is coming up.

5. Don't Eat after 12 am (if avoidable)

I know that it's tempting. I know that you are so damn hungry, but I found that if I eat before I go to sleep, my brain starts over processing what my food is doing inside of my body (pretty weird right?). It's definitely not something to starve yourself over, but it may help getting to sleep.

6. Comfort

This can be in the form of what clothes you're wearing (if any), the number of blankets/covers, or even the temperature in the room. You will not sleep if you're uncomfortable or hot/cold. Make sure that your needs are taken care of prior to trying to fall asleep.

If you have some ideas, feel free to let a girl know! Happy Sleeping zZzZ.