3 ms·

- a bad nights sleep will happen, often a few nights in a row. Be ok with that (easier said than done, I did CBT for this). Instead of lying in bed restless get

by PyWoody 2mo ago

- a bad nights sleep will happen, often a few nights in a row. Be ok with that (easier said than done, I did CBT for this). Instead of lying in bed restless get up and watch TV, or read. This is the hardest one for me. I'm currently working on about 20 minutes of sleep and I know tonight will probably be the same. I'll lie in bed knowing I should get up and do something to shake the cobwebs out but I'm stuck in a purgatory between exhaustion and restlessness. Do you have any advice for getting over the initial hump?

DougN7 2mo ago
Not the above poster but lookup “sleep hygiene”. A lot of the recommendations are solid and have helped me too, especially about fixing a regular sleep schedule.
munksbeer 2mo ago
Have you tried putting on an audiobook and just settling in to enjoy it as long as you're awake? I concur with a lot of the original advice. I still wake up a lot during the night, but I can fall asleep again by starting my audiobook again. My brain needs to focus on just that one thing, otherwise everything else spins around. - Exercise, exercise, exercise! I am quite willing to bet that a lot of people with sleep issues don't really exercise properly. Exhaust yourself here. - Develop a good sleep habit, same time each night. - Magnesium and melatonin while trying to get the sleep habit started. - Audiobooks. Not podcasts. An actual story, like someone is reading you to sleep when you were young (if you sleep next to someone, you might need particular band headphones, or lower the volume and put a slim tablet under your pillow).
- PyWoody 2mo ago
  - Exercise, exercise, exercise! I am quite willing to bet that a lot of people with sleep issues don't really exercise properly. Exhaust yourself here. I do at least an hour of cardio a day just for that. I'm in great shape but still have terrible sleep lol - Magnesium and melatonin while trying to get the sleep habit started. I've been thinking about trying melatonin. I'm always afraid of becoming dependent on anything related to sleep. I should really give it a go, though. - Audiobooks. Not podcasts. An actual story, like someone is reading you to sleep when you were young (if you sleep next to someone, you might need particular band headphones, or lower the volume and put a slim tablet under your pillow). I do exactly the tablet-under-the-pillow trick but for sitcom reruns, e.g., Frasier, 30 Rock, Cheers, Parks and Rec, etc. I'll give audio books another try. I found they can be distracting instead of relaxing.
maccard 2mo ago
I did a CBT course on it, the steps were very roughly to stay up until I got tired and then get up at my target time. IIRC that was stay up till 4 and get up at 7:30. That pretty quickly made me realise that I was _definitely_ getting way more sleep than I thought I was. Between “normal” bed time and my bed time, the bedroom rules apply - no stimulating activities etc. I took up reading, but watching light series would be another good one. You don’t go to bed until you’re actually tired - that is “I’m pretty sure I’ve actually fallen asleep on the couch” tired. Then, move it back 30 minutes a week.
- PyWoody 2mo ago
  This is great advice. I'm going to start doing it tonight. Thanks!

by PyWoody 2mo ago

DougN7 2mo ago

Not the above poster but lookup “sleep hygiene”. A lot of the recommendations are solid and have helped me too, especially about fixing a regular sleep schedule.

munksbeer 2mo ago

Have you tried putting on an audiobook and just settling in to enjoy it as long as you're awake? I concur with a lot of the original advice. I still wake up a lot during the night, but I can fall asleep again by starting my audiobook again. My brain needs to focus on just that one thing, otherwise everything else spins around. - Exercise, exercise, exercise! I am quite willing to bet that a lot of people with sleep issues don't really exercise properly. Exhaust yourself here. - Develop a good sleep habit, same time each night. - Magnesium and melatonin while trying to get the sleep habit started. - Audiobooks. Not podcasts. An actual story, like someone is reading you to sleep when you were young (if you sleep next to someone, you might need particular band headphones, or lower the volume and put a slim tablet under your pillow).

PyWoody 2mo ago
- Exercise, exercise, exercise! I am quite willing to bet that a lot of people with sleep issues don't really exercise properly. Exhaust yourself here. I do at least an hour of cardio a day just for that. I'm in great shape but still have terrible sleep lol - Magnesium and melatonin while trying to get the sleep habit started. I've been thinking about trying melatonin. I'm always afraid of becoming dependent on anything related to sleep. I should really give it a go, though. - Audiobooks. Not podcasts. An actual story, like someone is reading you to sleep when you were young (if you sleep next to someone, you might need particular band headphones, or lower the volume and put a slim tablet under your pillow). I do exactly the tablet-under-the-pillow trick but for sitcom reruns, e.g., Frasier, 30 Rock, Cheers, Parks and Rec, etc. I'll give audio books another try. I found they can be distracting instead of relaxing.

maccard 2mo ago

I did a CBT course on it, the steps were very roughly to stay up until I got tired and then get up at my target time. IIRC that was stay up till 4 and get up at 7:30. That pretty quickly made me realise that I was _definitely_ getting way more sleep than I thought I was. Between “normal” bed time and my bed time, the bedroom rules apply - no stimulating activities etc. I took up reading, but watching light series would be another good one. You don’t go to bed until you’re actually tired - that is “I’m pretty sure I’ve actually fallen asleep on the couch” tired. Then, move it back 30 minutes a week.

PyWoody 2mo ago
This is great advice. I'm going to start doing it tonight. Thanks!