Step 1. No phone/TV/screens in the bedroom
Step 2. No screens 30 min before going to bed
Step 3. Go to bed at the same time each night
Step 4. Set yourself up to actually get enough sleep
Try this for 6 weeks and then if you seriously still cant sleep discuss with a doctor.
There are alarm apps that can be set up to require taking a picture of a specific thing to turn the alarm off. I used one in college, where I had to take a picture of my toilet. Ten years later I still wake up around 6am every day with no alarm.
I've always found that point odd because for me I can't sleep when hungry often my body's wake up alarm is getting hungry so all eating dinner hours before sleep just makes me wake up starved in the middle of the night so I usually eat as late as possible so I can have my more consistent alarm clock wake me up instead of my stomach
I think people are built differently and what works for some people doesn't work for others. I know people who can't function without a hearty breakfast. For me, eating soon after I get up makes me feel sick. I feel best if I don't eat for several hours after I get up.
For sleeping, I think the most important thing is routine / habit. If your body recognizes that you're in the routine you do before bed, it knows what comes next. What that routine is can differ from person to person.
It seems obvious but also: don't drink anything with caffeine before bed and don't eat a good couple of hours before sleep too.
I've had many friends who'd have a tea before going to sleep to 'calm' them without realising most have quite a lot still. Or guzzling down a soda too.
They say that there's two things you don't skimp on: shoes, and your bed. You're gonna spend half of your life in one, and the other half laying on the other.
I bought a nice mattress a couple of years ago during a clearance sale, and I would've paid full price for it even now. Best investment I've ever made, and I've had zero sleep issues since then.
Expand that to: "stuff that keeps you separated from the ground". Tires fall in that category. If you live where it snows and don't have good mass transit, get snow tires, and otherwise rotate, inflate and take care of your tires, and they'll take care of you.
Moderate exercise for 20 minutes daily is also important for sleep regulation.
Although I will preface all this advice with the fact that if your natural circadian rhythm does not line up with the time you sleep your quality of sleep will always remain degraded.
I don't even need to do the no screens part. I try to read on my tablet before bed and end up passing out 15 minutes into it. It takes me months to finish books.
Someone gave me the advice of actually not reading before bed, because your body will associate reading with sleep and make it more difficult at other times.
I don't exactly follow it, but reading is definitely effective at putting me to sleep
Consistent sleep is the #1 sleep-related correlate of academic performance, even more so than duration or quality! Sleeping at the same time every night is incredibly important.
Same here on the carbs. I notice when I eat after 6pm it's going to affect me with either a not great sleep and the need for bathroom break(s) through the night. Low intake of sugar throughout the day I sleep much better and more soundly.
When I did Atkins many years ago, it was some of the best sleep I ever had. It was like I was a teenager again that could sleep all day and night.
I slept fine when working a flip schedule. I programmed my into body that we will be going to sleep after we get home from work regardless of the time of day.
thing is, this is basically just saying "just sleep bro", i can't do any of these things.
if i go without screens i will go mad from boredom, if i go to bed the same time each night i will lie awake in bed until i go mad with boredom or get up because fuck that noise, and what does "set yourself up to get enough sleep" even mean? that's terribly vague.
i have yet to find anything that lets me get even vaguely consistently good sleep, i've tried all the things people say to do and it does NOTHING if it's even feasible in the first place.
Screens give off blue light, which your body uses to measure "daytime." If you cant do screen free activities before bed, install a color corrector that shifts your devices outputs to red dominant light ~1-2 hours before you would like to sleep.
Break the habit of doing non sleep things in the afternoon in your bed. If the only thing you do in bed is sleep, it trains your brain to start internal sleep processes when you get into the sleep spot.
If you havent tried it before, try exercising 1-3 hours before you want to sleep. Can be simple like a walk or jog, or quick and short reps of jumping jacks, crunches, and stretches. Whatever works. The workout helps burn off energy and other hormones that keep you up, tuckers you out a bit, and very very lightly damages muscles which gives your body a "reason" to sleep. You do most of your healing asleep.
Sleepless rest is better than no rest at all. Lying awake for 2 hours and then sleeping for 4 does more for your body than just sleeping for 4 hours. Sleep is king, but even if you arent asleep, resting still helps your body recover. If you cannot sleep, try not to stress about not sleeping, because at least you are getting rest.
On your off days and free time, there is no shame in midday napping. Often, people try not to nap out of fear it will spoil their sleep. Sometimes, those naps help you catch up on sleep to get you back into a healthy sleep schedule. And, again, any rest is better than none.
of course i've been using night filters on my screens, as i said i've tried EVERYTHING to get better sleep and nothing works.
as for naps, those are even more impossible to achieve. the like… 5 times? i've managed to take a nap i've just ended up sleeping for several hours which only serves to further fuck up the sleep schedule.
What's happening with you when you get bored we tell people to stop using screens and coffee specifically because boredom is the goal you might need some medical attention if you can't sleep when bord
what does boredom have to do with going to sleep? you need to be tired, not bored. if i'm sufficiently tired no amount of entertainment will keep me awake and if i'm not tired them being bored is just going to make my thoughts spin in circles and make me restless.
I know you got downvoted, but I do have autism and adhd and I feel this in my bones. It’s the opposite of neurotypicals— we actually need the stimulation in order to get to sleep.
Yeah people giving simplistic life advice generally don't understand the actual issues because they don't have the problem, it's painfully common especially with things like insomnia, anxiety, and similar 'just don't worry about things', 'have you tried not being depressed and just going out and doing stuff?', 'just lay down and wait until you sleep'
I can lay my head on a pillow after a long walk, no screen time and all the other shit they say and still spend the entire night caught in churning and bubbling anxiety that builds and builds until I'm as wired as a crackhead.
I'm not saying don't try things people suggest but I guess don't expect them to work and beat yourself up with them. If you can't find something that works for you then see a doctor about getting sleep drugs, while you meme seems to be pushing the Puritanical idea that anything but a natural life is bad that's totally stupid and op should be ashamed.
We're complex biological machines that go wrong in a myriad of ways, it's perfectly fine to require the addition of outside substances to moderate and control your health - honestly future generations will probably be shocked how few people used sleep aids.
Of course not every drug works the same on everyone and many can have negative side effects so it can take some shopping around but talk to medical professionals.
(Full disclosure I don't take medical sleep aids due to other complications but I know many who do and swear by them)
How to sleep:
Step 1. No phone/TV/screens in the bedroom
Step 2. No screens 30 min before going to bed
Step 3. Go to bed at the same time each night
Step 4. Set yourself up to actually get enough sleep
Try this for 6 weeks and then if you seriously still cant sleep discuss with a doctor.
You're missing the only one that actually works for me. Get up at roughly the same time every morning. I won't do it, but I should.
There are alarm apps that can be set up to require taking a picture of a specific thing to turn the alarm off. I used one in college, where I had to take a picture of my toilet. Ten years later I still wake up around 6am every day with no alarm.
I think you were being used to train AI dude
If so that ai has a vast depth of knowledge of what toilets look like
But only on toilets.
my body forces me up around 6-7 for some reason and i wake up periodically throughout the night
its a blessing when i want to be productive early because of things i didnt do the night before
but its a curse when i just want some sleep for once.
sometimes i sleep the whole night no problems and feel NICE in the morning but im usually ludicrously baked (more than usual) when that happens.
Step 0.5: eat dinner several hours before you even want to be sleepy
(I used to have a lot of sleeping issues that all stemmed from me chronically eating too late)
I've always found that point odd because for me I can't sleep when hungry often my body's wake up alarm is getting hungry so all eating dinner hours before sleep just makes me wake up starved in the middle of the night so I usually eat as late as possible so I can have my more consistent alarm clock wake me up instead of my stomach
What works for me is: a slice or two of high-fiber bread, toasted with a bit of butter, about an hour before I sleep.
Also, it's not unusual to wake up at least once in the middle of the night.
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Yeah, dude, you do fuck tons of exercise. No wonder you sleep well!
I think people are built differently and what works for some people doesn't work for others. I know people who can't function without a hearty breakfast. For me, eating soon after I get up makes me feel sick. I feel best if I don't eat for several hours after I get up.
For sleeping, I think the most important thing is routine / habit. If your body recognizes that you're in the routine you do before bed, it knows what comes next. What that routine is can differ from person to person.
Same for me. I also exercise tons so I have to eat a huge second dinner before bed or I can't sleep at all.
A reminder that fit does not automatically mean healthy.
It seems obvious but also: don't drink anything with caffeine before bed and don't eat a good couple of hours before sleep too.
I've had many friends who'd have a tea before going to sleep to 'calm' them without realising most have quite a lot still. Or guzzling down a soda too.
My mom at 9:30pm having a cup of coffee, complaining that she can't sleep without her pills.
You shouldn't have caffeine within 10 hours of sleep actually.
That seems a bit much. Then you shouldn't have a coffee after 10am. Most people are perfectly fine with having coffee in the afternoon.
You go to bed at 8pm??
It might seem like that but I've seen it recommended by doctors more than once. Caffeine stays in our system longer than most expect.
According to the FDA, the half-life of caffeine — the time it takes for the starting amount of the substance to reduce by half — is between four and six hours. This means that up to six hours after drinking a caffeinated beverage, half of the caffeine you consumed is still present in your body — keeping you alert. And, if it's bedtime, potentially keeping you from falling or staying asleep.
They say that there's two things you don't skimp on: shoes, and your bed. You're gonna spend half of your life in one, and the other half laying on the other.
I bought a nice mattress a couple of years ago during a clearance sale, and I would've paid full price for it even now. Best investment I've ever made, and I've had zero sleep issues since then.
Expand that to: "stuff that keeps you separated from the ground". Tires fall in that category. If you live where it snows and don't have good mass transit, get snow tires, and otherwise rotate, inflate and take care of your tires, and they'll take care of you.
How to sleep:
Moderate exercise for 20 minutes daily is also important for sleep regulation.
Although I will preface all this advice with the fact that if your natural circadian rhythm does not line up with the time you sleep your quality of sleep will always remain degraded.
I don't even need to do the no screens part. I try to read on my tablet before bed and end up passing out 15 minutes into it. It takes me months to finish books.
Someone gave me the advice of actually not reading before bed, because your body will associate reading with sleep and make it more difficult at other times.
I don't exactly follow it, but reading is definitely effective at putting me to sleep
Consistent sleep is the #1 sleep-related correlate of academic performance, even more so than duration or quality! Sleeping at the same time every night is incredibly important.
I sleep from 12-5:30 every night and feel so much better than a solid but inconsistent 8 hours.
I just do 2 bong rips instead of 1.
I can't drink coffee after like 2pm either. Sugar or other carbs before bed can also impact my sleep quality
Same here on the carbs. I notice when I eat after 6pm it's going to affect me with either a not great sleep and the need for bathroom break(s) through the night. Low intake of sugar throughout the day I sleep much better and more soundly.
When I did Atkins many years ago, it was some of the best sleep I ever had. It was like I was a teenager again that could sleep all day and night.
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I slept fine when working a flip schedule. I programmed my into body that we will be going to sleep after we get home from work regardless of the time of day.
thing is, this is basically just saying "just sleep bro", i can't do any of these things.
if i go without screens i will go mad from boredom, if i go to bed the same time each night i will lie awake in bed until i go mad with boredom or get up because fuck that noise, and what does "set yourself up to get enough sleep" even mean? that's terribly vague.
i have yet to find anything that lets me get even vaguely consistently good sleep, i've tried all the things people say to do and it does NOTHING if it's even feasible in the first place.
Dude if you can't go without screens for 30 min you might have other problems.
But try reading books instead. Should be enough to stop you going mad (hopefully) without messing with your sleep.
yeah no shit i've been waiting a year now to start getting diagnosed for autism/adhd
as for books: finding a book that doesn't bore me to bits is an arse, all the good stuff is digital.
Boring you is the point… If it's an interesting book, it'll keep you awake. The point isn't to have a good time, it's to fall asleep.
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Screens give off blue light, which your body uses to measure "daytime." If you cant do screen free activities before bed, install a color corrector that shifts your devices outputs to red dominant light ~1-2 hours before you would like to sleep.
Break the habit of doing non sleep things in the afternoon in your bed. If the only thing you do in bed is sleep, it trains your brain to start internal sleep processes when you get into the sleep spot.
If you havent tried it before, try exercising 1-3 hours before you want to sleep. Can be simple like a walk or jog, or quick and short reps of jumping jacks, crunches, and stretches. Whatever works. The workout helps burn off energy and other hormones that keep you up, tuckers you out a bit, and very very lightly damages muscles which gives your body a "reason" to sleep. You do most of your healing asleep.
Sleepless rest is better than no rest at all. Lying awake for 2 hours and then sleeping for 4 does more for your body than just sleeping for 4 hours. Sleep is king, but even if you arent asleep, resting still helps your body recover. If you cannot sleep, try not to stress about not sleeping, because at least you are getting rest.
On your off days and free time, there is no shame in midday napping. Often, people try not to nap out of fear it will spoil their sleep. Sometimes, those naps help you catch up on sleep to get you back into a healthy sleep schedule. And, again, any rest is better than none.
of course i've been using night filters on my screens, as i said i've tried EVERYTHING to get better sleep and nothing works.
as for naps, those are even more impossible to achieve. the like… 5 times? i've managed to take a nap i've just ended up sleeping for several hours which only serves to further fuck up the sleep schedule.
You seem determined to fail.
What's happening with you when you get bored we tell people to stop using screens and coffee specifically because boredom is the goal you might need some medical attention if you can't sleep when bord
what does boredom have to do with going to sleep? you need to be tired, not bored. if i'm sufficiently tired no amount of entertainment will keep me awake and if i'm not tired them being bored is just going to make my thoughts spin in circles and make me restless.
I know you got downvoted, but I do have autism and adhd and I feel this in my bones. It’s the opposite of neurotypicals— we actually need the stimulation in order to get to sleep.
yeah, people just don't even realize they're being ableist unfortunately, as always neurodivergency is not taken seriously.
I was about 45 when I found this:
Sleep with Me Podcast
Bedtime stories that bore you to sleep. It doesn't work for everyone, but it changed my life.
Yeah people giving simplistic life advice generally don't understand the actual issues because they don't have the problem, it's painfully common especially with things like insomnia, anxiety, and similar 'just don't worry about things', 'have you tried not being depressed and just going out and doing stuff?', 'just lay down and wait until you sleep'
I can lay my head on a pillow after a long walk, no screen time and all the other shit they say and still spend the entire night caught in churning and bubbling anxiety that builds and builds until I'm as wired as a crackhead.
I'm not saying don't try things people suggest but I guess don't expect them to work and beat yourself up with them. If you can't find something that works for you then see a doctor about getting sleep drugs, while you meme seems to be pushing the Puritanical idea that anything but a natural life is bad that's totally stupid and op should be ashamed.
We're complex biological machines that go wrong in a myriad of ways, it's perfectly fine to require the addition of outside substances to moderate and control your health - honestly future generations will probably be shocked how few people used sleep aids.
Of course not every drug works the same on everyone and many can have negative side effects so it can take some shopping around but talk to medical professionals.
(Full disclosure I don't take medical sleep aids due to other complications but I know many who do and swear by them)
Get sick and put on a shitload of meds, half of which are literal poison.