3 ms·

Anyone have tips for managing sleep in the winter months? It seems like I can stay up forever (until 02-04) and don't get so tired. I need to be in bed by 23 ac

Anyone have tips for managing sleep in the winter months? It seems like I can stay up forever (until 02-04) and don't get so tired. I need to be in bed by 23 actually.

Ericson2314 6y ago
- Exercise, not too late in the day. - Do not eat or drink anything but water at least 3 hours before when you are going to bed. - Do not have screens in the bedroom. - No screens 1 hour before before bed. (That last one I utterly fail at, but I am mainly doing textual things not from an attention-economy leach on the screen so, and it works out. Either the other 3 is enough or that screen time is sufficiently less stimulating.)
- kzrdude 6y ago
  Excercise is maybe the most important, but it's hard when it's cold outside (and gyms are shut) :) I've figured lately that working "hard" at chores at home can replace some of it, the point is to not be too lazy.
  - watwut 6y ago
    > Excercise is maybe the most important, but it's hard when it's cold outside (and gyms are shut) : Good quality sports cloth are not that expensive anymore and make winter outside exercising possible and pleasant. Really, buy merino shirt and sport pants. The other option is fast wall outside, but that have to be longer to amount to exercise. Third option is to have a look at bodyweight exercising. Most of it you can do at home with zero equipment and don't require much space. Some of it requires stomping, so you may have to skip those is someone lives under you.
  - bloodorange 6y ago
    I found that (for me) the key to making a habit out of some things is to eliminate as much friction as possible in just getting started. If I were you, I'd look at the simplest things like "7 minute workout" to just get started with something easy enough to fit into my routine and once it becomes a habit, one could consider making it more intense. There are interesting challenges like the "100 pushups" or "200 squats" challenge for which you only need a bit of free space on the floor.
  - Foivos 6y ago
    Lately, I am using exercise video games, such as "ringfit adventure" and "fitness boxing", with very good results.
graeme 6y ago
I had this, now much improved: * have an early dinner. I eat at 4 or 5 pm. This is extreme, but earlier will probably help if possible. No snacks after dinner * Get light exposure as early as possible after waking. A morning walk is good * Exercise close to waking. In practice I do a 7 min workout, eat and walk * blue light blocking glasses help * A sleep mask can help. I use a manta mask + their glasses. I don’t actually sleep with the mask as I side sleep, but I wear it for 10 min or so while laying in bed and I fall asleep, then shift to my side to continue. (For whatever reason I can’t sleep on my back) * Fewer household lights in evening. Lamps are good. * Decide to get ready for bed even if you’re not sleepy. If you start a wind down routine by dimming lights, brushing teeth, reading, whatever you do before bed, you’ll start to get sleepier. It sounds dumb, but if you are, say, staring at your phone for three hours waiting to get tired you won’t get tired. * Keep a log. You may identify changes or factors specific to you that help improve things
- kzrdude 6y ago
  > Decide to get ready for bed even if you’re not sleepy. Thank you for reminding me of this. Two years ago I had a sleeping revolution and I had success with a barrage of efforts I did, most notably giving up caffeine and having this routine, and ensuring 100% darkness. But I have to recognize that I lost the routine now.
  - graeme 6y ago
    Oh I forgot, I stopped caffeine too. That helped I think, I just drink decaf now. But yeah simply deciding to start each night is the stupidest yet most effective thing. I think it’s easy to forget this as sleep sort of feels like a non activity vs. say working out or reading etc where deciding to do the thing is obviously the first step.
watwut 6y ago
For me, colder room makes me more sleepy. So take down heater in the evening and then more for sleep. Open window to get cold fresh air into room before sleeping and if you can, have it little open whole night.
jusssi 6y ago
I got plenty of help from a wake-up light, set up so that it reaches full brightness by the time the alarm sounds. I didn't want an extra gadget in the bedroom so I just replaced all the lights in the bedroom with Hue bulbs.
toast0 6y ago
There's lots of good tips in replies, but some things that work for me that I didn't see mentioned. Avoid caffeine. If not entirely, at least don't have any after noon. Everytime I have a really hard time falling asleep it'a because I had a (delicious) coffee or cola after lunch. Enough times that I've almost learned my lesson. ;) Go to bed quickly if you're feeling drowsy in the evening, even if it's before your preferred time. I often feel sleepy just before 21; and if I get into bed then, I usually sleep through the night and wakeup rested; but if I push through it, for whatever reason, I'm no longer drowsy in 30 minutes, and I will have a hard time sleeping until much later.

Anyone have tips for managing sleep in the winter months? It seems like I can stay up forever (until 02-04) and don't get so tired. I need to be in bed by 23 actually.

Ericson2314 6y ago

- Exercise, not too late in the day. - Do not eat or drink anything but water at least 3 hours before when you are going to bed. - Do not have screens in the bedroom. - No screens 1 hour before before bed. (That last one I utterly fail at, but I am mainly doing textual things not from an attention-economy leach on the screen so, and it works out. Either the other 3 is enough or that screen time is sufficiently less stimulating.)

kzrdude 6y ago
Excercise is maybe the most important, but it's hard when it's cold outside (and gyms are shut) :) I've figured lately that working "hard" at chores at home can replace some of it, the point is to not be too lazy.
- watwut 6y ago
  > Excercise is maybe the most important, but it's hard when it's cold outside (and gyms are shut) : Good quality sports cloth are not that expensive anymore and make winter outside exercising possible and pleasant. Really, buy merino shirt and sport pants. The other option is fast wall outside, but that have to be longer to amount to exercise. Third option is to have a look at bodyweight exercising. Most of it you can do at home with zero equipment and don't require much space. Some of it requires stomping, so you may have to skip those is someone lives under you.
- bloodorange 6y ago
  I found that (for me) the key to making a habit out of some things is to eliminate as much friction as possible in just getting started. If I were you, I'd look at the simplest things like "7 minute workout" to just get started with something easy enough to fit into my routine and once it becomes a habit, one could consider making it more intense. There are interesting challenges like the "100 pushups" or "200 squats" challenge for which you only need a bit of free space on the floor.
- Foivos 6y ago
  Lately, I am using exercise video games, such as "ringfit adventure" and "fitness boxing", with very good results.

graeme 6y ago

I had this, now much improved: * have an early dinner. I eat at 4 or 5 pm. This is extreme, but earlier will probably help if possible. No snacks after dinner * Get light exposure as early as possible after waking. A morning walk is good * Exercise close to waking. In practice I do a 7 min workout, eat and walk * blue light blocking glasses help * A sleep mask can help. I use a manta mask + their glasses. I don’t actually sleep with the mask as I side sleep, but I wear it for 10 min or so while laying in bed and I fall asleep, then shift to my side to continue. (For whatever reason I can’t sleep on my back) * Fewer household lights in evening. Lamps are good. * Decide to get ready for bed even if you’re not sleepy. If you start a wind down routine by dimming lights, brushing teeth, reading, whatever you do before bed, you’ll start to get sleepier. It sounds dumb, but if you are, say, staring at your phone for three hours waiting to get tired you won’t get tired. * Keep a log. You may identify changes or factors specific to you that help improve things

kzrdude 6y ago
> Decide to get ready for bed even if you’re not sleepy. Thank you for reminding me of this. Two years ago I had a sleeping revolution and I had success with a barrage of efforts I did, most notably giving up caffeine and having this routine, and ensuring 100% darkness. But I have to recognize that I lost the routine now.
- graeme 6y ago
  Oh I forgot, I stopped caffeine too. That helped I think, I just drink decaf now. But yeah simply deciding to start each night is the stupidest yet most effective thing. I think it’s easy to forget this as sleep sort of feels like a non activity vs. say working out or reading etc where deciding to do the thing is obviously the first step.

watwut 6y ago

For me, colder room makes me more sleepy. So take down heater in the evening and then more for sleep. Open window to get cold fresh air into room before sleeping and if you can, have it little open whole night.

jusssi 6y ago

I got plenty of help from a wake-up light, set up so that it reaches full brightness by the time the alarm sounds. I didn't want an extra gadget in the bedroom so I just replaced all the lights in the bedroom with Hue bulbs.

toast0 6y ago

There's lots of good tips in replies, but some things that work for me that I didn't see mentioned. Avoid caffeine. If not entirely, at least don't have any after noon. Everytime I have a really hard time falling asleep it'a because I had a (delicious) coffee or cola after lunch. Enough times that I've almost learned my lesson. ;) Go to bed quickly if you're feeling drowsy in the evening, even if it's before your preferred time. I often feel sleepy just before 21; and if I get into bed then, I usually sleep through the night and wakeup rested; but if I push through it, for whatever reason, I'm no longer drowsy in 30 minutes, and I will have a hard time sleeping until much later.