Dontfindme Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Hi guys, What do you guys do to get a good night's rest? How do you maintain good sleep behavior/schedules? My sleep schedule is awful. It's hard for me to stick to a normal sleep schedule. I have to force myself to stay awake for about 38-40 hours about 3-4 times a month, to tire myself out enough to sleep at a normal time (11-12). The first 1-2 days it will be great, I'll be sleeping by 11-11:30, then if I somehow get just a tiny bit late, the schedule is ruined. I'll stay up till 3-4am. I want to fix this. I'm tired of this coming up constantly, but I'm hesitant about getting on any sort of meds - sleep aids. So, that is currently out of the question. Any tips would be much appreciated! Link to post Share on other sites
TabbyHearts Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Here are some tips that I found really helped me. I was never a morning person, had a tendency to stay up till about 12 or 1 when I had to get up at 7 and always hated my alarm with a passion, snooze button was my friend. Once I got a healthy sleep schedule, I was asleep by 10pm and woke up naturally no later than 6:30am, ready to wake up and start the day. 1. Make your room as dark as possible. I got a blackout blind for under my curtains. I don't have anything with a light on it plugged in my room, I removed the LED alarm clock for a battery operated one that doesn't light up. If there's a light on your phone charger or something, cover it. Any light disturbs your sleep. 2. Make your room cool, but still comfortable. Don't be too hot or too cold. 3. Don't make a habit of watching TV or being online in bed before going to sleep. I bring my phone to bed but I stop using it and don't do anything stimulating like watch TV or read Facebook for about 30 mins before I go to sleep. I read a light book which usually makes my eyes tired anyway. They say keep the bedroom for sleeping and sex only. 4. Don't decide tonight that you are going to sleep 3 hours earlier than you normally do. Try to push your bed time up by about 15 - 20 minutes a week, small steps. 5. Take a bath before bed time with epsom salts/lavender scented stuff. It's meant to calm you. You can even have lavender spray for your pillow. 6. If you do want to try a sleep aid, try melatonin or magnesium (any magnesium ending in -ate). Of course, make sure this is safe for you personally to do, considering any possible other meds you might be taking. Give your good habits a month and see how it makes you feel. My guess is you'll like how it makes you feel and you'll end up prioritizing your sleep. When I did this, I made the commitment to do it and even refused nights out because I wanted to see. One good night of sleep is not going to fix the problem, but one bad night of staying up too late does take days to recover from. Most people think that sleeping in will help them catch up on sleep, but it's actually going to bed early that does. Each hour of sleep you get before 12am counts as 2 hours of quality sleep. Good luck! 6 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Dontfindme Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Here are some tips that I found really helped me. I was never a morning person, had a tendency to stay up till about 12 or 1 when I had to get up at 7 and always hated my alarm with a passion, snooze button was my friend. Once I got a healthy sleep schedule, I was asleep by 10pm and woke up naturally no later than 6:30am, ready to wake up and start the day. 1. Make your room as dark as possible. I got a blackout blind for under my curtains. I don't have anything with a light on it plugged in my room, I removed the LED alarm clock for a battery operated one that doesn't light up. If there's a light on your phone charger or something, cover it. Any light disturbs your sleep. 2. Make your room cool, but still comfortable. Don't be too hot or too cold. 3. Don't make a habit of watching TV or being online in bed before going to sleep. I bring my phone to bed but I stop using it and don't do anything stimulating like watch TV or read Facebook for about 30 mins before I go to sleep. I read a light book which usually makes my eyes tired anyway. They say keep the bedroom for sleeping and sex only. 4. Don't decide tonight that you are going to sleep 3 hours earlier than you normally do. Try to push your bed time up by about 15 - 20 minutes a week, small steps. 5. Take a bath before bed time with epsom salts/lavender scented stuff. It's meant to calm you. You can even have lavender spray for your pillow. 6. If you do want to try a sleep aid, try melatonin or magnesium (any magnesium ending in -ate). Of course, make sure this is safe for you personally to do, considering any possible other meds you might be taking. Give your good habits a month and see how it makes you feel. My guess is you'll like how it makes you feel and you'll end up prioritizing your sleep. When I did this, I made the commitment to do it and even refused nights out because I wanted to see. One good night of sleep is not going to fix the problem, but one bad night of staying up too late does take days to recover from. Most people think that sleeping in will help them catch up on sleep, but it's actually going to bed early that does. Each hour of sleep you get before 12am counts as 2 hours of quality sleep. Good luck! This is great info! Thank you so much! I'm going to try the sleeping 20 minutes early method, it sounds much more feasible than sleep deprivation. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Haydn Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 If you insist on listening to Robert Smith, then sleep will elude you. Try some Morrissey. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Dontfindme Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 If you insist on listening to Robert Smith, then sleep will elude you. Try some Morrissey. Good point - I'll try Morrissey, but he will most likely force me to spend countless hours, on a music-binge, on Youtube, whilst simultaneously googling photos of his younger days. I need more whiny music...maybe Radiohead. Link to post Share on other sites
Leegh Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 As I'm sure everyone knows, cutting back and/or eliminating caffeine can help with getting good sleep. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Michelle ma Belle Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Here are some tips that I found really helped me. I was never a morning person, had a tendency to stay up till about 12 or 1 when I had to get up at 7 and always hated my alarm with a passion, snooze button was my friend. Once I got a healthy sleep schedule, I was asleep by 10pm and woke up naturally no later than 6:30am, ready to wake up and start the day. 1. Make your room as dark as possible. I got a blackout blind for under my curtains. I don't have anything with a light on it plugged in my room, I removed the LED alarm clock for a battery operated one that doesn't light up. If there's a light on your phone charger or something, cover it. Any light disturbs your sleep. 2. Make your room cool, but still comfortable. Don't be too hot or too cold. 3. Don't make a habit of watching TV or being online in bed before going to sleep. I bring my phone to bed but I stop using it and don't do anything stimulating like watch TV or read Facebook for about 30 mins before I go to sleep. I read a light book which usually makes my eyes tired anyway. They say keep the bedroom for sleeping and sex only. 4. Don't decide tonight that you are going to sleep 3 hours earlier than you normally do. Try to push your bed time up by about 15 - 20 minutes a week, small steps. 5. Take a bath before bed time with epsom salts/lavender scented stuff. It's meant to calm you. You can even have lavender spray for your pillow. 6. If you do want to try a sleep aid, try melatonin or magnesium (any magnesium ending in -ate). Of course, make sure this is safe for you personally to do, considering any possible other meds you might be taking. Give your good habits a month and see how it makes you feel. My guess is you'll like how it makes you feel and you'll end up prioritizing your sleep. When I did this, I made the commitment to do it and even refused nights out because I wanted to see. One good night of sleep is not going to fix the problem, but one bad night of staying up too late does take days to recover from. Most people think that sleeping in will help them catch up on sleep, but it's actually going to bed early that does. Each hour of sleep you get before 12am counts as 2 hours of quality sleep. Good luck! Excellent advice and exactly the what I would have proposed. I suffer from serious bouts of insomnia from time to time and I've always found the cooler room, blackness and especially regular doses of Melatonin to work miracles for me 1 Link to post Share on other sites
regine_phalange Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I have trouble sleeping when I do mental work in the evening. My body gets tired but my brain is still sprinting. I also avoid thinking about stuff (other than daydreaming). I never go to bed hungry, but I eat a light dinner. Sometimes I read something thats fun and doesnt need a lot of processing. Also, double glass windows. Almost soundproof. Physical activity in the afternoon helps a lot to sleep better as well. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Dontfindme Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 I've been able to sleep on time lately - but somehow keep waking up at 4-5am - so I feel it isn't as restful as it could be. Definitely better than before though. Thanks for all the great suggestions! Link to post Share on other sites
TabbyHearts Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Keep it up! Waking at 4-5 is a common time as it's when cortisone (the hormone that tells your body to wake up) starts kicking in. The more you keep a good sleep schedule, the less you'll find that happens. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
writergal Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Foods that help you sleep: Walnuts Cheese and crackers Any food with a high glycemic index like pretzels, bread,etc Fish Rice Red Cherries Chamomile tea Honey And if that doesn't work, you can buy Melatonin over the counter at any drug store. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
writergal Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I've been able to sleep on time lately - but somehow keep waking up at 4-5am - so I feel it isn't as restful as it could be. Definitely better than before though. Thanks for all the great suggestions! You could be a segmented sleeper. There's research out there to show over history that people used to sleep 4-5 hours at a time, wake up and then would have to entertain themselves for a few hours until they fell asleep again for 3 hours. Sleep doctors debate the issue, but I've been a segmented sleeper my whole life and it works fine for me. I sleep for about 5 hours, wake up and stay awake for about 60-90 minutes, then naturally fall asleep again and wake up feeling fine. I had to go to a sleep center and had a sleep study done to find this out. So I will never sleep a straight 8 hours and am fine with that. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
whichwayisup Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 After a warm bath, hop into your bead and bring your electronic device of your choice with you, go to youtube and find a relaxing and peaceful meditation guide to do for about half an hour. Trust me, you'll be so dozy and half asleep before it's over. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Dontfindme Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 Keep it up! Waking at 4-5 is a common time as it's when cortisone (the hormone that tells your body to wake up) starts kicking in. The more you keep a good sleep schedule, the less you'll find that happens. Wow, you know a lot about this, huh? Thanks for this info! This is good to know! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Dontfindme Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 Foods that help you sleep: Walnuts Cheese and crackers Any food with a high glycemic index like pretzels, bread,etc Fish Rice Red Cherries Chamomile tea Honey And if that doesn't work, you can buy Melatonin over the counter at any drug store. You could be a segmented sleeper. There's research out there to show over history that people used to sleep 4-5 hours at a time, wake up and then would have to entertain themselves for a few hours until they fell asleep again for 3 hours. Sleep doctors debate the issue, but I've been a segmented sleeper my whole life and it works fine for me. I sleep for about 5 hours, wake up and stay awake for about 60-90 minutes, then naturally fall asleep again and wake up feeling fine. I had to go to a sleep center and had a sleep study done to find this out. So I will never sleep a straight 8 hours and am fine with that. Thank you Writergal! I have honey! So I will try to have some before bed. I can get melatonin, but have been holding off on that to give myself a chance. Also, very cool info on segmented sleeping - I don't think I ever was a segmented sleeper before, but maybe I screwed my sleep system badly enough to become one? I'll try to monitor this! Link to post Share on other sites
Author Dontfindme Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 After a warm bath, hop into your bead and bring your electronic device of your choice with you, go to youtube and find a relaxing and peaceful meditation guide to do for about half an hour. Trust me, you'll be so dozy and half asleep before it's over. This makes so much sense - when I used to go to my yoga class, the exercises, and the ambience (music, voice, breathing techniques) all soothed me so much so that I wished I could sleep then and there. I'll try this tonight! Thank you! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
whichwayisup Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 This makes so much sense - when I used to go to my yoga class, the exercises, and the ambience (music, voice, breathing techniques) all soothed me so much so that I wished I could sleep then and there. I'll try this tonight! Thank you! I find meditation silences the mind. Makes it more peaceful and thoughts aren't taking over. Let me know how it goes! Glad to help. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I can tell you may be against doctors/medicine, but in my opinion you first need to have a good checkup and then when that turns up nothing, you need to be evaluated for some other disorder that may be doing this to you. And you should be open to taking meds for it. Even a half of a benadryl may be enough to knock you out and its only side effect seems to be that it, like all antihistamines, is drying, so drink plenty of water. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
writergal Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I think if you employ the suggestions in this thread, sleep will surely find you: - eat high glycemic foods that promote sleep - bedtime yoga - meditation - white noise - sleep study possibly In fact, try all in conjunction with each other and see if that helps. Also, if having sleep study done interests you then you may want to contact a sleep center to set up an appointment. A sleep study team / doctor will know after observing you what your sleep pattern is and be able to recommend exactly what you need to do to sleep better. It's the way I found out my segmented sleep pattern was normal among other sleep issues I had that got fixed. If you make an appointment, you will need to keep a sleep journal the week before you come in. That information will help your sleep doctor. Sometimes sleep problems mask underlying health problems too, like acid reflux which can cause insomnia, or breathing problems like sleep apnea. Or circulatory problems, or whatever. A sleep study can reveal a lot. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Dontfindme Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 I find meditation silences the mind. Makes it more peaceful and thoughts aren't taking over. Let me know how it goes! Glad to help. I tried it last night - I put on a "Guided meditation - deep relaxation" video, and fell asleep within 10-15 minutes, and slept pretty well! I'm very happy with the results. Will try again tonight to figure out what sleeping habits I need to continue to employ. Thanks again! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Dontfindme Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 I can tell you may be against doctors/medicine, but in my opinion you first need to have a good checkup and then when that turns up nothing, you need to be evaluated for some other disorder that may be doing this to you. And you should be open to taking meds for it. Even a half of a benadryl may be enough to knock you out and its only side effect seems to be that it, like all antihistamines, is drying, so drink plenty of water. Oh, I'm not against doctors at all. I've been following up with my doctors, and everything seems to be okay. I have been attributing my terrible sleep cycle on my own bad habits - I enjoy staying up at night, and indulged in it often against my better judgement. I used to take benadryl to knock myself out - partly due to sleep, and partly because of my allergies. It worked well when I used it, but I want to be in control. Now that I am trying to be more disciplined, it has been going well! Thank you for your suggestions! I will look into consulting a professional about any disorders if it doesn't work out after I try everything in my power. So far so good though! I think if you employ the suggestions in this thread, sleep will surely find you: - eat high glycemic foods that promote sleep - bedtime yoga - meditation - white noise - sleep study possibly In fact, try all in conjunction with each other and see if that helps. Also, if having sleep study done interests you then you may want to contact a sleep center to set up an appointment. A sleep study team / doctor will know after observing you what your sleep pattern is and be able to recommend exactly what you need to do to sleep better. It's the way I found out my segmented sleep pattern was normal among other sleep issues I had that got fixed. If you make an appointment, you will need to keep a sleep journal the week before you come in. That information will help your sleep doctor. Sometimes sleep problems mask underlying health problems too, like acid reflux which can cause insomnia, or breathing problems like sleep apnea. Or circulatory problems, or whatever. A sleep study can reveal a lot. I agree - using all of the suggested methods above may promote the best results for me. It has been better every day though, so I am really glad. I do like the idea of a sleep study - I will try this if my current plan backfires! Thanks again! Link to post Share on other sites
aMguilts Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) if you have trouble sleeping- you aren't doing enough during the day to make you sleep aM Edited January 12, 2015 by aMguilts 1 Link to post Share on other sites
ComingInHot Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Uhm, maybe I missed it but how many hours are you thinking you should get. Or what do you consider in terms of hours a healthy night's sleep. Please do a little research if your immediate answer is 7-9 hours per night. You may be surprised by the fact that although the majority of people do well on between 7 & 9 hours a night, some bodies only require and 'want' 4 to 6 hours of sleep each night. The key is knowing what your unique body and mind need then follow all of the great advice given. Good luck and sleep well! CiH* 1 Link to post Share on other sites
thefooloftheyear Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 A hard workout after work will usually put anyone to sleep....Sound sleep..Plus you get all the other benefits of a proper exercise regimen.. If all that fails, try to dig up some of the old episodes of that guy Bob Ross...he had a show on PBS, sported a 'fro and would paint on canvas and talk in subtle tones...that put about anyone into a deep sleep in no time flat... TFY 1 Link to post Share on other sites
ComingInHot Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 A hard workout after work will usually put anyone to sleep....Sound sleep..Plus you get all the other benefits of a proper exercise regimen.. If all that fails, try to dig up some of the old episodes of that guy Bob Ross...he had a show on PBS, sported a 'fro and would paint on canvas and talk in subtle tones...that put about anyone into a deep sleep in no time flat... TFY Ahhhh! 'Happy Trees'. I looooved his Happy trees. To this day my trees are sad and decrepit no matter how hard I try. sorry OP... t/j* CiH 2 Link to post Share on other sites
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