I struggle with getting enough sleep. It's really nothing new - been fighting my bed-time for as long as I can remember. Just seems lately that a little more sleep would be a smart thing.
How do you all relax and unwind? How do you mark the end of your day?
Location: On a clear day, I can see Mt. Rainier ... but you can't count on the days to be clear here ...
Posts: 1,863
Re: Bedtime Routine
I sleep very little by comparison to most people I know. I've read recently that some of us are geneticaly wired to need less sleep. Some people apparently need as little as 4 hours. I can survive a few days on 4 hours, but over a sustained period, 6 hours is more like normal for me. If I go to bed and get to sleep at 10:00, I find I will wake up about 4:00 AM - just automatically happens. Are you refreshed when you sleep as little as you do?
__________________
Dolly speaks with a ****ney accent. On the drinks thread, we talk about ****tails. A confident person might be ****-sure. An arrogant person is ****y.
#%$@ TAM!!! It was a rooster long before it was an organ!!! FREE THE **** FROM THE EVIL TAM CENSORS!
Eat dinner fairly early so your body isn't busy digesting while it's supposed to be getting ready for sleep mode.
Ease off the caffeine and alcohol. Chamomile tea, peppermint tea (after dinner), that kind of thing.
Don't go straight from the computer to bed. Give your body a chance to unwind with the day. Low light and if anything, read a book or listen to relaxing music. Have a warm bath! Things like that.
I suffered with insomnia for a couple of years that started when I was about 16. I learned that magnesium is meant to help with insomnia. I also favor essential oils. So pure lavender oil (if you don't mind the aroma), in a bath or a couple of drops on your pillow can help. Being aware of your breathing, dimmed light, and not being stimulated by TV or computers are the way to go imo.
Location: On a clear day, I can see Mt. Rainier ... but you can't count on the days to be clear here ...
Posts: 1,863
Re: Bedtime Routine
A couple of options to help unwind, though:
When I'm really wound up, and need to go to bed, but just am not sleepy, and can't get sleepy, I find that Melatonin helps me get sleepy, and I don't have a hangover when I wake up like I will from most OTC barbiturates such as you may find in cough medicines. However; I still prefer to not take something if I don't have to.
Something that I had to do with the tinnitus, but I just find generally relaxing at bedtime is the Sounds of Nature albums such as those by Joe Baker. There are sounds of "Thunderstorm by the Sea," or "Thundering Rainstorm." There is a whole collection of them you can find on Amazon. They last about an hour, and the MP3 download is only a couple of dollars for each of them. I find it very relaxing for me and for my wife, too, to play that at bedtime (Except rain ... my wife looked at me funny when I played rain and asked me why I wanted to hear rain seeing as we live in the Seattle area ... ).
__________________
Dolly speaks with a ****ney accent. On the drinks thread, we talk about ****tails. A confident person might be ****-sure. An arrogant person is ****y.
#%$@ TAM!!! It was a rooster long before it was an organ!!! FREE THE **** FROM THE EVIL TAM CENSORS!
Location: On a clear day, I can see Mt. Rainier ... but you can't count on the days to be clear here ...
Posts: 1,863
Re: Bedtime Routine
Quote:
Originally Posted by heartsbeating
I can suggest some things that might help.
Eat dinner fairly early so your body isn't busy digesting while it's supposed to be getting ready for sleep mode.
Ease off the caffeine and alcohol. Chamomile tea, peppermint tea (after dinner), that kind of thing.
Don't go straight from the computer to bed. Give your body a chance to unwind with the day. Low light and if anything, read a book or listen to relaxing music. Have a warm bath! Things like that.
I suffered with insomnia for a couple of years that started when I was about 16. I learned that magnesium is meant to help with insomnia. I also favor essential oils. So pure lavender oil (if you don't mind the aroma), in a bath or a couple of drops on your pillow can help. Being aware of your breathing, dimmed light, and not being stimulated by TV or computers are the way to go imo.
I had actually forgotten about Chamomile or Peppermint tea. Yes, I've done that in the past, too. Especially when it accompanies pleasant conversation, it is good for helping relax.
__________________
Dolly speaks with a ****ney accent. On the drinks thread, we talk about ****tails. A confident person might be ****-sure. An arrogant person is ****y.
#%$@ TAM!!! It was a rooster long before it was an organ!!! FREE THE **** FROM THE EVIL TAM CENSORS!
Eat dinner fairly early so your body isn't busy digesting while it's supposed to be getting ready for sleep mode.
Ease off the caffeine and alcohol. Chamomile tea, peppermint tea (after dinner), that kind of thing.
Don't go straight from the computer to bed. Give your body a chance to unwind with the day. Low light and if anything, read a book or listen to relaxing music. Have a warm bath! Things like that.
I suffered with insomnia for a couple of years that started when I was about 16. I learned that magnesium is meant to help with insomnia. I also favor essential oils. So pure lavender oil (if you don't mind the aroma), in a bath or a couple of drops on your pillow can help. Being aware of your breathing, dimmed light, and not being stimulated by TV or computers are the way to go imo.
You pretty much listed what I do in your list of what not to do.
Location: On a clear day, I can see Mt. Rainier ... but you can't count on the days to be clear here ...
Posts: 1,863
Re: Bedtime Routine
One more question: Do you sleep on your stomach?
Honest answer: I don't know how anyone can change this, but I've been told many times to change it. What it will do for me is if I sleep too long, I will wake up with a headache. It took me a LONG time to figure out that was happening because of the twisting of my neck to the side when I sleep on my stomach.
So I've been told by a chiropractor and a doctor to not sleep on my stomach ... but nobody can tell me how to accomplish that. Fortunately, I sleep like I said above, so I seldom sleep long enough to get the headache.
__________________
Dolly speaks with a ****ney accent. On the drinks thread, we talk about ****tails. A confident person might be ****-sure. An arrogant person is ****y.
#%$@ TAM!!! It was a rooster long before it was an organ!!! FREE THE **** FROM THE EVIL TAM CENSORS!
__________________
Dolly speaks with a ****ney accent. On the drinks thread, we talk about ****tails. A confident person might be ****-sure. An arrogant person is ****y.
#%$@ TAM!!! It was a rooster long before it was an organ!!! FREE THE **** FROM THE EVIL TAM CENSORS!
Some of it is psychological - I feel like I'm giving up - or some days this feels like the only time that is truly mine.
It's a false sense though. If you're not waking up refreshed, it's not only going to make you feel 'unfresh' haha.. it can have an effect on your health too.
The time that is truly yours may just need some adjusting. Perhaps it's the guitar for 30mins. Then herbal tea, a shower or bath, then bed with a book.
19Likes
Bedtime Routine 
).
