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Ask HN: insomnia?

3 points by joubert 18y ago

What do you do when you have insomnia?

hbien 18y ago
Hack. Or read Hacker News.
- joubert 18y ago
  Yeah, I'm doing both right now. I wonder whether anyone does something like jogging, play Go on KGS etc.
  - hbien 18y ago
    Oh, well I don't jog at night if I can't sleep. But I find that running during the day helps me sleep at night. Here's my list: hack, play TF2, catch up on my stack of PragProg PDFs, plan out the next day, practice juggling
ErrantX 18y ago
Read & exercise. It's the best thign for it (esp if your really not going ot get any sleep). Steven Fry is an insomniac and he knows a lot of crap simply from reading books when he couldn't sleep. I try to go the same way :D
sam_in_nyc 18y ago
Find out what's causing it... there's something wrong. Usually it is stress or anxiety. Is something worrying you? The easiest way to solve it: exercise and/or eat more. This reduces stress and anxiety. It's easier said than done... I find insomnia (and most things in life) to be a feedback loop. Less sleep means I'm more exhausted and not hungry. More quality sleep gives me more energy to exercise and I eat right. So you've gotta do something that changes in which direction you're regressing. It should be noted there's a difference between insomnia and sleep phase disorders. One is actually whether or not you sleep soundly for enough hours a night, and the other is at which hours you tend to sleep. But take my advice with a grain of salt.. it's 6:15 here and I'm still awake :)
matthewking 18y ago
Watch TV for half an hour, then try to sleep again. Usually its because something is on my mind, so I need to put my mind somewhere else (hence, the TV). However, I find that I sleep much better if I get off the computer early, say 9PM. That gives me plenty of time to wind down and get sleepy before a reasonable time to go to bed. Otherwise I'll find myself still on the computer until 3AM, then I have no means of winding down, so I struggle to get to sleep all night, get up late the next day, and so the cycle continues!
- jwilliams 18y ago
  I find TV and Computer the worst thing - I think the directed glow/light of the screen isn't good for your body clock... Try reading. Works much better for me.
- chris11 18y ago
  There is some evidence that tv watching and computer usage both lower melatonin production, which would keep you up longer. So doing either right before bed probably isn't a good idea.
hapless 18y ago
I follow my doctors' advice. Every doctor I've ever had has given me the same advice on insomnia. It's not rocket science. 1. Go to bed at the same time every night. 2. Get up at the same time every morning. 3. Don't do anything in bed other than bed-related activities. No TV, no reading, no radio. (If you must read, just don't do it in bed. Get up. Sit in a chair.) 4. Exercise more. 5. Cut caffeine consumption. This is common-sense advice. Your situation may be peculiar in some way. See a doctor.

Ask HN: insomnia?

3 points by joubert 18y ago

What do you do when you have insomnia?

hbien 18y ago

Hack. Or read Hacker News.

joubert 18y ago
Yeah, I'm doing both right now. I wonder whether anyone does something like jogging, play Go on KGS etc.
- hbien 18y ago
  Oh, well I don't jog at night if I can't sleep. But I find that running during the day helps me sleep at night. Here's my list: hack, play TF2, catch up on my stack of PragProg PDFs, plan out the next day, practice juggling

ErrantX 18y ago

Read & exercise. It's the best thign for it (esp if your really not going ot get any sleep). Steven Fry is an insomniac and he knows a lot of crap simply from reading books when he couldn't sleep. I try to go the same way :D

sam_in_nyc 18y ago

Find out what's causing it... there's something wrong. Usually it is stress or anxiety. Is something worrying you? The easiest way to solve it: exercise and/or eat more. This reduces stress and anxiety. It's easier said than done... I find insomnia (and most things in life) to be a feedback loop. Less sleep means I'm more exhausted and not hungry. More quality sleep gives me more energy to exercise and I eat right. So you've gotta do something that changes in which direction you're regressing. It should be noted there's a difference between insomnia and sleep phase disorders. One is actually whether or not you sleep soundly for enough hours a night, and the other is at which hours you tend to sleep. But take my advice with a grain of salt.. it's 6:15 here and I'm still awake :)

matthewking 18y ago

Watch TV for half an hour, then try to sleep again. Usually its because something is on my mind, so I need to put my mind somewhere else (hence, the TV). However, I find that I sleep much better if I get off the computer early, say 9PM. That gives me plenty of time to wind down and get sleepy before a reasonable time to go to bed. Otherwise I'll find myself still on the computer until 3AM, then I have no means of winding down, so I struggle to get to sleep all night, get up late the next day, and so the cycle continues!

jwilliams 18y ago
I find TV and Computer the worst thing - I think the directed glow/light of the screen isn't good for your body clock... Try reading. Works much better for me.
chris11 18y ago
There is some evidence that tv watching and computer usage both lower melatonin production, which would keep you up longer. So doing either right before bed probably isn't a good idea.

hapless 18y ago

I follow my doctors' advice. Every doctor I've ever had has given me the same advice on insomnia. It's not rocket science. 1. Go to bed at the same time every night. 2. Get up at the same time every morning. 3. Don't do anything in bed other than bed-related activities. No TV, no reading, no radio. (If you must read, just don't do it in bed. Get up. Sit in a chair.) 4. Exercise more. 5. Cut caffeine consumption. This is common-sense advice. Your situation may be peculiar in some way. See a doctor.