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I've currently got two issues with my sleep: I'm a chronic couch sleeper and I am incapable of sleeping in. The first problem is most nights, about half my nigh

I've currently got two issues with my sleep: I'm a chronic couch sleeper and I am incapable of sleeping in. The first problem is most nights, about half my night, from 11-3am usually, I sleep on the couch before getting up and going to bed, I don't feel tired the morning after but I know there's an impact. The second issue is that I just can't sleep in, if I go to bed at 11pm, I wake up at 7am, if I'm out late with friends and stay up till 3am, I'm still up at 7am. For me it's like at 7am my brain just starts working, I was laying in my bed at 6:50am this morning and my brain is already going "alright we gotta work on that new database, oh how should I design it, yada, yada, yada", after a while of staring at the ceiling I always just go "fuck it might as well get to work".

haswell 4y ago
As a former chronic couch sleeper, this one hit close to home. You're describing my sleeping patterns over the past few decades pretty well. After I encountered the book "Why we Sleep" and heard some podcast interviews with the author, I was convinced that I needed to change my habits and started taking this seriously. Here's what I did: 1. If I slept on the couch, I'd stay there. My first priority was to start getting full nights of sleep. This involved "giving in" to my couch sleeping, and stocking the couch with sheets/blankets so I could set myself up for success. I found that once I was no longer "oh shit, I did it again", I could actually sleep through the night. 2. I started a morning mindfulness habit. Over time, this helped me notice more clearly each morning how I was feeling, and how my choices the night before improved or degraded my day. If I passed out while watching something, I would always wake up less rested. 3. After getting some regularity in my schedule, I started feeling more rested, and my meditation habit seemed to be providing even more clarity. One day, I started internally questioning why I was sleeping on the couch when my bed was far more comfortable. So I went to bed on time. And then I kept doing it. For the first time in over 30 years, I feel like my relationship with sleep and going to bed has fundamentally changed. I realized that my poor sleep was more about bad habits I'd been clinging to since I was a kid, and the more I improved my sleep, the more clearly I could see this. YMMV, but figured I'd share how this went for me. > if I'm out late with friends and stay up till 3am, I'm still up at 7am. This was a hard pill to swallow, but as I dug more into the sleep research, it became clear that the body is not well suited for the occasional (or regular) 3AM morning. The body seems to be optimized for regularity/consistency, and adding a 3AM night is never without cost. This doesn't mean I never stay up late, but I now do so knowing exactly what to expect.
11235813213455 4y ago
I'd guess a good solution could be to get rid of your TV

haswell 4y ago

As a former chronic couch sleeper, this one hit close to home. You're describing my sleeping patterns over the past few decades pretty well. After I encountered the book "Why we Sleep" and heard some podcast interviews with the author, I was convinced that I needed to change my habits and started taking this seriously. Here's what I did: 1. If I slept on the couch, I'd stay there. My first priority was to start getting full nights of sleep. This involved "giving in" to my couch sleeping, and stocking the couch with sheets/blankets so I could set myself up for success. I found that once I was no longer "oh shit, I did it again", I could actually sleep through the night. 2. I started a morning mindfulness habit. Over time, this helped me notice more clearly each morning how I was feeling, and how my choices the night before improved or degraded my day. If I passed out while watching something, I would always wake up less rested. 3. After getting some regularity in my schedule, I started feeling more rested, and my meditation habit seemed to be providing even more clarity. One day, I started internally questioning why I was sleeping on the couch when my bed was far more comfortable. So I went to bed on time. And then I kept doing it. For the first time in over 30 years, I feel like my relationship with sleep and going to bed has fundamentally changed. I realized that my poor sleep was more about bad habits I'd been clinging to since I was a kid, and the more I improved my sleep, the more clearly I could see this. YMMV, but figured I'd share how this went for me. > if I'm out late with friends and stay up till 3am, I'm still up at 7am. This was a hard pill to swallow, but as I dug more into the sleep research, it became clear that the body is not well suited for the occasional (or regular) 3AM morning. The body seems to be optimized for regularity/consistency, and adding a 3AM night is never without cost. This doesn't mean I never stay up late, but I now do so knowing exactly what to expect.

11235813213455 4y ago

I'd guess a good solution could be to get rid of your TV