Tips for Sleeping Enough?

[improvementedward]

Like the title says, I'm looking for tips from people on being disciplined towards sleep. I'm a really busy person and I'll find that I'll often sacrifice my sleep schedule to get a little more work done or to extend my social time.

 

While this can help me to reach a deadline in the short term, I'm pretty certain that it's actually negatively affecting my performance over the long term. So it's a habit that I'm trying to fix, but it's proven more difficult than I thought it would be to really change towards this. There's always one last thing to get done, one more social event to go to, or some other distraction that keeps me from going to bed early enough.

 

People who have good sleep habits, what are your tips in overcoming this? What's worked for you? I really appreciate your insight and advice in advance!

[Michael569]

 

 

22 minutes ago, improvementedward said:

There's always one last thing to get done, one more social event to go to, or some other distraction that keeps me from going to bed early enough.

This needs to be addressed first. The need to be busy all the time is increasing your cortisol, reducing your melatonin and killing your sleep. 

Few tips that may help you out

1. Read "Why we sleep" by Matthew Walker to understand the horrific consequences of not getting enough sleep. 
2. Start going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Aim for solid 8 hours. (ideally 8.5)
3. Quit all electronic devices 90 minutes prior to your bed time. Blue light from these blocks secretion of melatonin drastically and prolongs time required to get into REM sleep
4. Dim all lights as much as possible 60 minutes prior to your bed time. Only keep enough light to avoid bumping into object. Ideally light a candle in your room instead of using lamp. Artificial light blocks secretion of melatonin just as blue light from electronics. 
5. Consider purchasing blue light blocking glasses and start wearing them around 2 hours prior to your bed time. 
6. Do not exercise 2 hours prior to your bed time
7. Do not go to bed neither hungry nor full..something in between. 
8. Have a few pistachios before your bed time, they contains highest known amount of natural melatonin. 
9. Remove any clock visible from bed that will induce "sleeplessness anxiety"
10. If you can't fall asleep, get up and do a very light relaxing activity such as yoga or meditation. (consider doing these prior to bed time ideally)
11. Make sure your room is as close to 100% dark as possible, all lights that can go, have to go.

Good luck

EDIT

• try staying away from caffeine after 2pm 
• if possible avoid alcohol consumption altogether. It is a sedative preventing your body from entering REM sleep. 

Edited March 8, 2019 by Michael569

[improvementedward]

@Michael569 Thank you for the specific and detailed advice! I'll definitely start applying these action steps.

[Joseph Maynor]

I stopped trying to corral my sleep into one time of day so much.  Now I make sure I get at least 6 hours of sleep and I take a nap during the day or evening of one is required.  But I'm no longer anal about getting say 9 hours or 8 hours of sleep in a single block of time.  I try to get at least 6 at night and sometimes I need to supplement with a nap, sometimes I don't.  

Edited April 12, 2019 by Joseph Maynor

[John_Webb]

Honestly, while I do not have any difficulties with this issue. Although, I will say that the only guarantee of a good sleep for me is great physical fatigue at the end of the day.

[Fatemeh]

Avoiding electronic devices one hour before going to bed and going to bed early ( like 10 pm) have helped me in the past. I hope they're helpful enough.

[Bill W]

On 08/03/2019 at 0:53 PM, Michael569 said:

 

 

This needs to be addressed first. The need to be busy all the time is increasing your cortisol, reducing your melatonin and killing your sleep. 

Few tips that may help you out

1. Read "Why we sleep" by Matthew Walker to understand the horrific consequences of not getting enough sleep. 

Lol - Yeh considering much insomnia is anxiety related why not brush up on some worse case scenarios and catastrophising! 

[studentofthegame]

I have begun sorting my sleep out by setting one alarm for the morning (as opposed to several alarms, 7, 7.15, 7.30 etc). One alarm. I know when i set that alarm that it’s the only alarm and i have to get up when it goes off.

And that’s it. By getting up at the same time every day it sets my sleeping pattern. I don’t want the pressure of having a bed time as well. By getting up every day at 7, i’m naturally tired and in bed by midnight.

In addition;

I have a cd on loop playing nature sounds in the background (volume set low) and i also have a small humidifier which sends a fine mist down into the room throughout the night. Filling that up is part of the bedtime ritual. I usually have a cup of yogi bedtime tea, sometimes with a splash of apple cider vinegar and honey (a recipe tim ferris swears knocks him out at night).

Don’t pressure yourself at night. Your sleep prep should be calming and priming you to relax. 

I need total darkness. Blackout curtains, no lights.

One problem with my night routine is that i’m in the habit of listening to true crime podcasts as i fall asleep. I doubt that’s doing my subconscious much good. 

 

 

[ZZZZ]

I also highly recommend "Why we sleep" by Matthew Walker. If you don't know why you should be doing something or your habits are bad, you won't really want to change them. Researching and understanding how sleep affects your goals and wellbeing will help you start priotitizing it in your life. Do you weightlift, run, or do anything physical? Sleep deprivation absolutely ruins your body's ability to recharge and repair itself. Find yourself iritable or exhausted throughout the day? Getting sick more often than you should? Motor skills not as sharp as they could be? Etc.

The effects of sleep deprivation are sneaky. It's like that effect where you've been drinking for 6 hours and you feel like you're sober enough to drive after stopping for an hour or two. You feel relatively much more sober, but you've been so deeply immersed in that state for such a longer period of time, that you no longer have an accurate representation of what it means to be truly sober. This is just as true for sleep deprivation. 

 

Also consider incorporating naps into you're routine. I'm very busy and like to keep my schedule flexible, so napping will allow me to stay out later or get up earlier and not suffer the full effects of cutting a few hours off my sleep. Understand how sleep debt works. When you stay up an hour longer, you not only lost an hour of sleep, but you gained another hour of activity exhausting your body and mind. That debt has to be repaid one way or another.

[ivory]

Sleep was the first step I took on my journey to health. I used to get 5-6 hours of sleep. Then one day I had enough. I decided that I would force myself to lie in bed for 8 hours a night. It was a bit uncomfortable at first because I would often lie there for 2 hours at a time awake. After some time, though, I taught myself to get 8 hours of sleep each night. Now I sleep at least 9 hours each night and I can't imagine sleeping any less. The lesson is that you have to teach yourself how to have good sleep hygiene.

[John_Webb]

By the way, really good advice, so that before going to bed, contact with the screens of your devices is maximally limited, I personally tried out this advice. Of course, it’s worth adding that it’s incredibly important to choose a good mattress using proven resources

Edited May 16, 2019 by John_Webb

[ajasatya]

@improvementedward wake up early and stretch. eat something and then do some light cardio. try this for 1 week and see how it feels.

[JohnnyBravo]

After experimenting for 4 weeks.

Butekyo breathing.

In other words,

Spend one hour before bed ONLY breathing through and out the NOSE. No mouth. Only nose.

Also pause between inhale and exhale if you can. Try hold the pause as long as possible. If you cant dont bother with this.

Nose inhale and exhaling done for ONE HOUR minimum will put you to bed if the body is tired.

[bhawananancy]

I think you should buy the best mattress from Refresh Mattress for a comfortable sleep 

[Ibn Sina]

- Exercise before sleep, increases sleep and well being.
- If doesn't help, medications. 

[jfak76]

Before going to bed I usually put aside my phone and read a book. This tip has always helped me to fall asleep faster. Also, I try to eat beforehand,  to go to bed full, because hunger just drives me crazy and I have insomnia because of it. Moreover I changed my mattress not so long ago and I have  already felt the difference it terms of sleep. it's very comfortable and adapts to your body shape, so you can relax and sleep well.