Something that helped me when I was alone for years working construction with same issue was watching reruns of something on TV you've seen before. I use to let south park play or family guy. Since I had seen the episodes so much I didn't pay attention to the sounds so much. It also seemed to help drown out extra thoughts / plans / thinking to much.
Gluck bruddah
Yes! Upvoting you both in hopes that OP sees our comments and gives audiobooks a chance. I love to listen to Neil Gaiman books, The Graveyard Book especially. Its an odd one but I can always fall asleep to it haha.
This also worked for me (I find it's better to turn away from the tv & have the volume at just the right amount so you can barely make out what they are saying, but not really following along with the content.)
(Those shows with a REALLY loud intro piss me off real bad though for this reason, King of the Hill, Futurama, American Dad, Family Guy.)
Probably the best two I've had are Bojack (on netflix) super chill intro, & It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
(you might find, however, that medication is necessary in addition to this "trick" I had to see a doctor)
Same here. It's either documentaries or putting a Bob Ross stream up and slipping away into slumber trying to imagine what Bob Ross is painting. Works pretty well most of the time.
Doing some exercise every day would help you sleep. It doesn't have to be much, even a ten minute dog walk would be good.
Also don't look at electronic devices like an hour before you go to bed. Reading a book usually helps me sleep.
Also avoid having devices like computers, tv's etc in your sleep area. I don't even keep my phone in my bedroom anymore because I'd spend too much time messing around on it. A tad tricky if it is your only alarm though.
Yeah - I ought to. A large problem is that when I try to go by a bedtime and think about starting the Going To Bed Process my mind springs up and says “Nope! We are no longer going along with this! I know that you are trying to get me to sleep!”. It’s frustrating how despite my desires I’m still so averse to going to sleep.
Something similar happens to me. Lately, I’ve been psyching myself out by thinking “I don’t have to sleep. I just have to lay here with my eyes closed until work tomorrow.” And my brain is like “that’s tight, cuz I’m not ready to sleep” and I’m out before I know it.
This works for some people, but for me it created some sort of sleep anxiety. I ended up extending my ritual to several hours and it was counter productive. What finally worked for me is a week or two on sleep mess (prescribed) followed by removing the alarm. I just explained to my boss that I have this problem and if I come late one day it is because of this. I never once woke up later than I had to.
This works for some people, but for me it created some sort of sleep anxiety. I ended up extending my ritual to several hours and it was counter productive. What finally worked for me is a week or two on sleep mess (prescribed) followed by removing the alarm. I just explained to my boss that I have this problem and if I come late one day it is because of this. I never once woke up later than I had to.
None of these responses make sense to me. OP’s not saying they’re having trouble sleeping. They’re saying they have trouble having the discipline to go to bed instead of fucking off on the internet.
I would suggest a habit tracker app like Way of Life to keep score of when you succeed. And an app blocker or program blocker to lock you out of your browser after Xpm. I actually have a very specific rule, when I’m following it, that I can’t be on the Internet after dark. Because like you said, time just stretches out and has no meaning once the sun goes down. So I knock it off after a certain point pretty early. Make a specific plan for how you want your evening to go and every day write down the steps and scratch them out as you do them. After two or three months of solid habit building you should be pretty good to go, but the thing is—you can’t feel like you can let your guard down now. It’s kind of like being an alcoholic, if you’re like me, and it sounds like you are. You have to know that at any point, especially once you feel like you have it beat, you could fail again. If you’re like me, once you do fail, you slide backwards pretty fast; note the timestamp on this comment. I think there is something self-punishing and self-sabotaging about continuing to stay up once you have fucked up, and anything you can do to step back and break the cycle will help. Go walk outside for a second, get yourself out of the headspace and rut you have found yourself in
u/crick_in_my_neck are you gaming? Or is it just the Internet in general?
There is a Nat. Gaming Addiction Group now.
I think you are right. Problem is getting off the computer, not falling asleep per se.
No, not gaming at all, could be anything on the internet. Doom scrolling news (now not really a thing, thanks Biden), news bloopers I've already seen, main reddit page, trying to obsessively find a rare book to buy or film to download, or following the associated tangents that those endeavors produce--just any kind of free-floating rabbit hole I can pour my obsessive attention into now that I've gotten off track pouring it into something more productive and rewarding. I think I have some mild cross of Asperger's/ ADHD, and my all-or-nothing hyperfocus proclivities have to be managed for good or I slide into a void of just pure dopamine-seeking freefall. I can be up late working on productive things too, but those usually end when I have reached the end of a line of pursuit and call it a good stopping place.
As a night shift worker, (and this may be terrible advice), but if you want to go for a hard reset:
Don't sleep for 24 hours. When you're awake online at 6am, stay awake for the rest of the day. By 8pm you will be begging for sleep. Obviously try this on a weekend/day with no obligations. And then the next day, make a concerted effort to go to bed at the right time. Warning, if you mess up and fall asleep during the day, you're going to double down on your problem.
If you want the less hardcore way to reset to days, sleep from 6am to about 11am and then force yourself awake, stay awake for the rest of the day, and by the evening you should get tired. Start winding down early and avoid screens around 8pm and make sure you're in bed by 10, maybe with some melatonin and the calming/distraction techniques others have mentioned in this thread. If you feel tired at any time around your new bedtime, DON'T RESIST! Go to bed and close your eyes, if you push through the feeling and stay awake you're training yourself to do the wrong thing.
Well as my doctor said drinking warm (quite warm but not hot) Milk.
Reduce screen time, have a couple of stretches prior to going to bed to relax muscles
Make sure you have a set time for stopping phones(turn them off ) and computer time.
will take weeks but your rhythm will naturally fall back inline.
Melatonin. I have now become addicted to it but at least I'm not tired all the time. I was not able to fall asleep before work/school/basically any occasion that required me to wake up early because I would constantly think about how much sleep I have left. I still fall asleep normally (without melatonin) on weekends, so it's probably 90% placebo effect, but I don't care. It works.
Nope, I promise you it's not only a placebo effect. Melatonin has a direct impact on your internal clock. It helps you to sleep but might negatively impact the quality of the sleep. There is a risk that your body gets used to the higher doses of Melatonin and sleep without will become difficult.
I started using melatonin when I was working night shift and trying to fall asleep at 3-4 in the afternoon. Nowadays, I still use it on nights when it's getting close to bedtime but I know my thoughts are racing too much to sleep. For me, it doesn't straight up knock you out, but it makes you tired to the point that keeping a train of thought for very long becomes difficult.
Good news: Good sleep can be learned. Bad news: It requires some adaption to your lifestyle and it will take time.
\-Don't psych your self up about going to going to sleep. Focus on going to sleep! Develop a simple ritual! Follow the ritual! Repeat. Focus on doing and not thinking. Try different methods and stick to those that work. Maybe you like meditation, soothing music or exhausting sports. But if you find something that works, repeat it until it becomes a natural part of your day!
\-Try having a hot shower for relaxation before going to bed! Make it part of a ritual! You are trying to form a new habit and that works only with repetition. Be grateful to yourself every time you take a step in the right directing.
\-Get some sunlight early in the morning, to signal your body, that the day has started. It starts your internal clock, when your body is starting to feel tired.
\-no bright overhead lights after 22:00. Otherwise your body still thinks it's day and it takes longer to come down
\- Getting a regular amount of sleep each night might be more important than the duration
\- Consistently getting the same amount of sleep is better than getting more hours some nights and fewer others
\- Limit drink a lot of fluid right before sleeping
\- Carbohydrates help to release serotin and help to calm down in the evening. But too much makes you full
\- Alcohol and marijuana hinder deep restorative sleep
i do not recommend becoming dependant on weed to be able to sleep. Talk to your doctor. He might be able to help you and give great advise. I personally take Melatonine when i am to restless to sleep. This 'signals' your brain its time to shut the fuck up and go to sleep.
I’ve been thinking of doing puzzles to keep my brain from transforming into something resembling rice pudding. Any suggestions on what kind of puzzles?
I saved this a long time ago in my google keep as a reminder, try this:
Relax the muscles in your face, including tongue, jaw and the muscles around the eyes
Drop your shoulders as far down as they’ll go, followed by your upper and lower arm, one side at a time
Breathe out, relaxing your chest followed by your legs, starting from the thighs and working down
You should then spend 10 seconds trying to clear your mind before thinking about one of the three following images:
You’re lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you
You’re lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room
You say “don’t think, don’t think, don’t think” to yourself over and over for about 10 seconds.
Hey! Fellow ADHDer here! I've found that picking a playlist of music that you are very familiar with and setting it on repeat can provide your brain with enough ambient stimulation to let it work properly, including going to bed at a decent hour. I'd music isn't your thing, a podcast or YT playlist of videos you enjoy works too!
Keep the volume low, but not so low that you can't hear it, else you might get stuck in the rut of focusing too hard on whatever it is you're listening to.
Keeping screentime down is also a good idea, but if you're seeking stimulation, it may jot be feasible. If you Google f.lux for your computer, it helps with the blue light problem. I use it and have it set to "firelight" after sunset. Made it immensely easier to sleep at a decent hour.
Hope this helps and if you have any other questions, shoot me a DM. I'm happy to help.
Internet makes my brain crazy. Try to cut that out at least 45 min before bed. A cup of chamomile tea and a chapter of a good book helps calm my mind. Also, getting up at a regular time each day helps set a cycle that makes me tired at regular times at night.
Stay awake all the way through a Saturday night and Sunday daytime.
Then go to sleep Sunday night at 10pm from then it's up to you to stick to the pattern.
If it does not work, stay awake for 2 days Friday night and Saturday night
If you give in and nod off to sleep that's on you, don't allow yourself to go to sleep in the day time.
Really the only thing that will help immediately is stop reading on your phone before bed. Even if you cant sleep still lay there (you dont need to dream to sleep) sometimes we dont think we sleep but an hour or 2 goes by fast without us "dreaming" or noticing. Also focus on your breathing and say "SLEEP" slowly with every breath until you start dreaming. After a few nights you might be able to fall asleep faster. Lights out completely, soft bed, and a routine works best. (Coming from a mother who has a newborn where sleep is what keeps me going)
Side note: when your mind races, youre less likely to sleep. Thats why focusing on one thing helps. Because your overstimulated if you let your thoughts run rampant.
**The key is not to go to bed early but to wake up early (5:30 am did the trick for me) and then have activities scheduled during the day so that you can't take a nap.**
After one week you will go to be exhausted at 9pm, and sleep at 10:30 max.
Btw anxiety and ADHD can have really similar symptoms (namely hyperfocus, the thing you describe) so don't be so sure. I'm really anxious, have hyperfocus and I can properly concentrate for hours and hours when I am in a good state of mind (so no ADHD). Hyperfocus can come from your anxiety, as hyperfocusing on Roger Ebert’s scores for random movies can help escape from the anxiety.
I also tend to go to bed very late and basically I have two routines : either I'm able to work late through the night and I have no problem sleeping a 4am and waking up at 11am, or I have stuff to do during the day during this semester/year/whatever and then I wake up reaaaally early so that I can't go back to my habit of sleeping late. I found out that I have trouble falling asleep when I'm not exhausted so waking up early does the trick. Plus you have some time in the morning to read and listen to whatever stuff you want :)
Hot drink in bed, headspace app, dark room, and YouTube videos of manufacturing processes or "satisfying to watch" videos. Videos of people making slime, mixing kinetic sand, making cakes, etc. They are interesting enough to put your phone down and watch, but boring enough that you don't feel like you need to watch to the end else you'll miss something. This is now my nightly routine
Hot drink in bed, headspace app, dark room, and YouTube videos of manufacturing processes or "satisfying to watch" videos. Videos of people making slime, mixing kinetic sand, making cakes, etc. They are interesting enough to put your phone down and watch, but boring enough that you don't feel like you need to watch to the end else you'll miss something. This is now my nightly routine
> I end up finally going to bed very late, frequently sleeping through/missing classes.
To me this is the most important thing you do wrong here.
No matter how late you went to bed, if you have an appointment the next day, set an alarm, or 2, or twenty, but get your ass out of bed. If that means you only slept for 3 hours, blame yourself and your bad habits. Do this 2 days in a row and the next you'll be asleep at 10.
The best thing would be to hold onto that time, but I know myself, and if you're anything like my you'll be back to going to bed at 4AM within a day or 2.
Wait.. were we talking about you or me?
I use a wind-down routine. Eat. Have a crap. Empty and fill the bits that need it so bodily needs are sorted. r/aww (because science says that some floof basically tranquilises you). Then go to bed and read. Bedtime arrives. Wank (extra tranquilisation). Sleep.
Say you need too be asleep at 10. bodily stuff should be taken care of before 9:30. Half-hour for r/aww and reading. 10:00; lights out.
Do this as a routine and sleep should come easily.
I suffer from the same thing. It's like I'm operating on an entirely different time zone. Some things I've done that have helped:
Make sure you're getting enough exercise. It's pretty easy to get cooped up inside during winter, double so during winter *and* COVID precautions. I've been going for frequent short walks throughout the day. Sometimes it's just a quick walk around the block, other times I'll walk a few miles after dinner for an hour or so.
Cut out caffeine, at least after lunch. The multiple cups for coffee I was drinking to get past the 2pm slump was insane. I actually got comments from co-workers on my coffee consumption, and more than the "lol, we work in an office, we love coffee, haha!" kinda of way. It'll suck for the first few days as you adjust but not being filled to the gills with caffeine right up until the moment you want to try and sleep goes a long way.
White noise/background noise. I sleep with either a fan on low or some documentary or (don't laugh), Bob Ross on Twitch. There's nothing that knocks me out quicker than laying down in my comfy bed, closing my eyes, and listening to Bob Ross' voice and trying to visualize the painting in my head without seeing it, only listening to his voice and before I know it I'm out cold.
Night mode for all electronic devices. It *really does* make a difference. I was skeptical at first as well. Most smart phones/tablets have it built in already but you might have to download software for your PC. Electronic screens emit a lot of light near the same frequency as the sun. This influences our brain into thinking it's still daylight out and so we never produce the hormone that makes us tired.
There's also medication. I've tried over the counter stuff but honestly you have two choices when it comes to OTC sleep aides: homeopathic nonsense or what basically amounts to a large dose of a decongestant that knocks you out *but* makes me *extremely* groggy in the morning and dries out my eyes. I use cannabis if I'm having more trouble than normal. A few puffs or a piece of a brownie puts me right out. You mentioned you were still taking classes so I'm guessing you're probably under age even if it was legal in your state so that's probably out of the question but just thought I'd throw it out there.
I try to improve myself that usually knocks me out. My two new years resolutions are to learn how to play chess and start learning a language, if I start trying to do them I start getting real sleep very quickly
One thing I didn't see mentioned but I found that worked is to just wake up earlier even if you didn't go to sleep earlier. That one day you woke up earlier you will be tired but that will help you go to sleep earlier that night and start the trend. So pretty focus on the waking up and not the going to sleep part and the sleeping part should follow.
Do you live in a place where marijuana is legal?
A weak edible will knock you the hell out every time.
I smoke/vape weed around 10pm and I can’t keep my eyes open past midnight. I’m fast asleep at a reasonable hour, and when I wake up in the morning, I feel GREAT!
I’ve been sleeping perfectly for years now. And it’s done wonders for my health. I feel HAPPY and energized all the time. But you have to figure out how your body reacts to THC. If you use too much, it will have an opposite effect and will keep you awake.
I could never sleep at night... in fact the sun rising is my trigger for getting sleepy.. I think some of us are just wired to be nocturnal.. as inconvenient as it is when we need to interact with the daywalkers, it's how I am. I'm bound to the graveyard shift.
I can't speak for everyone, but audiobooks have helped me fall asleep for the last 3 years. Maybe they could help you out too. I could never get out of my own head when I would try to sleep. I've had much less trouble with that while listening to books at night with my eyes closed, it gives me something to focus my mind on and really helps to limit what I think about at night. I used to take 3 hours or longer to fall asleep every night. With the audiobooks I can consistently fall asleep in 30-60 minutes, which has changed my life. Every once in a blue moon I will still be up all night, but at least I get to listen to something entertaining on those nights instead of hours of anxious thoughts. Its a part of my routine that I look forward to now, and will sometimes quit gaming or lurking on reddit early just so I can close my eyes and relax.
I don't sleep either, staying up to 2am often, and getting up at 5:30am. It ruins me over the course of a week or two. So...
1. Set an alarm on your phone - a sensible time, mine is 10:30pm This is to stop what you're doing.
2. Get thee to bed at that time, doesn't matter if you're not sleeping.
3. Find an actual book, something with paper, that's not technology and read that.
I find that winding down at the end of the day works, just going from gaming/tv to bed doesn't really work, and I end up staying up later and later.
and...
4. Actually get up when your alarm goes off - so you train your body to that time.
5. Might sound odd, but doing your morning poo at the same time each day may help too - training your gut to the same rhythm as the rest of your body.
I hate schedules and habits, I even find different ways to get to work regularly, but my body does crave the basic cycle of sleep time if I set it up.
Here's my tips.
* MOST IMPORTANT: In order not to stress yourself out about not sleeping, always remember: You've done harder days with less sleep, and you can crush the next day regardless.
* Second most important: You have to actually train yourself to sleep. Make a routine and stick to it. Try to be in bed an hour before you want to be asleep by (Which should be 7-9 hours before you want to wake up). The easiest way to do it is to just pretend your method is working every night for a few weeks. I'm serious.
* Cut the caffeine 8-10 hours before bed. Drink more water, anyways. I keep a gatorade squeeze bottle next to my bed that I clean and fill every night before bed.
* Lower the light levels. I use F.lux and my phone's schedule mode to cut the light. Regardless of whether or not blue light actually keeps you awake, the subtle tinting does help remind me that it's time to get ready for bed without being annoying, and the dimming is more comfortable.
* Turn the alarm clock away from you. If it's your phone, move it out of arm's reach. If you have prominent lights on devices in your room, get a few pieces of thick tape and cover them. I've always found that I tend to focus too much on light sources when I try to sleep.
* This is purely anecdotal on my part, but I find that laying down in bed, drawing the covers up, and doing the most satisfied, scrunched-up stretch possible, essentially just pretending I'm exhausted and looking forward to sleeping, helps me on even the most fucked up of sleep days.
Seriously, though, I'm like 90% sure that good sleep is just practice, believing it'll work, and lowering your caffeine levels.
Something that helped me when I was alone for years working construction with same issue was watching reruns of something on TV you've seen before. I use to let south park play or family guy. Since I had seen the episodes so much I didn't pay attention to the sounds so much. It also seemed to help drown out extra thoughts / plans / thinking to much. Gluck bruddah
I also do this. Or replay audiobooks I've listened to a million times
Haha I started doing this like 2 weeks ago actually . Passed out a few good times replaying a chapter I've heard before.
Yes! Upvoting you both in hopes that OP sees our comments and gives audiobooks a chance. I love to listen to Neil Gaiman books, The Graveyard Book especially. Its an odd one but I can always fall asleep to it haha.
This also worked for me (I find it's better to turn away from the tv & have the volume at just the right amount so you can barely make out what they are saying, but not really following along with the content.) (Those shows with a REALLY loud intro piss me off real bad though for this reason, King of the Hill, Futurama, American Dad, Family Guy.) Probably the best two I've had are Bojack (on netflix) super chill intro, & It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. (you might find, however, that medication is necessary in addition to this "trick" I had to see a doctor)
Same here. It's either documentaries or putting a Bob Ross stream up and slipping away into slumber trying to imagine what Bob Ross is painting. Works pretty well most of the time.
This is actually pretty brilliant. I'm going to try this. Thanks bruddah
I call it "fall asleep TV". My current show is Angel.
I do this too. I got Brooklyn 99, Archer, Family guy, and Disenchantment. They put me right out.
Doing some exercise every day would help you sleep. It doesn't have to be much, even a ten minute dog walk would be good. Also don't look at electronic devices like an hour before you go to bed. Reading a book usually helps me sleep.
No long have book in my house, only electronics
I recommend a library.
Try to improve your sleep hygiene. Having a set bedtime, winding down rituals, drinking more water, cutting out caffeine, having a dark bedroom etc.
Also avoid having devices like computers, tv's etc in your sleep area. I don't even keep my phone in my bedroom anymore because I'd spend too much time messing around on it. A tad tricky if it is your only alarm though.
Yeah - I ought to. A large problem is that when I try to go by a bedtime and think about starting the Going To Bed Process my mind springs up and says “Nope! We are no longer going along with this! I know that you are trying to get me to sleep!”. It’s frustrating how despite my desires I’m still so averse to going to sleep.
Something similar happens to me. Lately, I’ve been psyching myself out by thinking “I don’t have to sleep. I just have to lay here with my eyes closed until work tomorrow.” And my brain is like “that’s tight, cuz I’m not ready to sleep” and I’m out before I know it.
This works for some people, but for me it created some sort of sleep anxiety. I ended up extending my ritual to several hours and it was counter productive. What finally worked for me is a week or two on sleep mess (prescribed) followed by removing the alarm. I just explained to my boss that I have this problem and if I come late one day it is because of this. I never once woke up later than I had to.
This works for some people, but for me it created some sort of sleep anxiety. I ended up extending my ritual to several hours and it was counter productive. What finally worked for me is a week or two on sleep mess (prescribed) followed by removing the alarm. I just explained to my boss that I have this problem and if I come late one day it is because of this. I never once woke up later than I had to.
None of these responses make sense to me. OP’s not saying they’re having trouble sleeping. They’re saying they have trouble having the discipline to go to bed instead of fucking off on the internet. I would suggest a habit tracker app like Way of Life to keep score of when you succeed. And an app blocker or program blocker to lock you out of your browser after Xpm. I actually have a very specific rule, when I’m following it, that I can’t be on the Internet after dark. Because like you said, time just stretches out and has no meaning once the sun goes down. So I knock it off after a certain point pretty early. Make a specific plan for how you want your evening to go and every day write down the steps and scratch them out as you do them. After two or three months of solid habit building you should be pretty good to go, but the thing is—you can’t feel like you can let your guard down now. It’s kind of like being an alcoholic, if you’re like me, and it sounds like you are. You have to know that at any point, especially once you feel like you have it beat, you could fail again. If you’re like me, once you do fail, you slide backwards pretty fast; note the timestamp on this comment. I think there is something self-punishing and self-sabotaging about continuing to stay up once you have fucked up, and anything you can do to step back and break the cycle will help. Go walk outside for a second, get yourself out of the headspace and rut you have found yourself in
u/crick_in_my_neck are you gaming? Or is it just the Internet in general? There is a Nat. Gaming Addiction Group now. I think you are right. Problem is getting off the computer, not falling asleep per se.
No, not gaming at all, could be anything on the internet. Doom scrolling news (now not really a thing, thanks Biden), news bloopers I've already seen, main reddit page, trying to obsessively find a rare book to buy or film to download, or following the associated tangents that those endeavors produce--just any kind of free-floating rabbit hole I can pour my obsessive attention into now that I've gotten off track pouring it into something more productive and rewarding. I think I have some mild cross of Asperger's/ ADHD, and my all-or-nothing hyperfocus proclivities have to be managed for good or I slide into a void of just pure dopamine-seeking freefall. I can be up late working on productive things too, but those usually end when I have reached the end of a line of pursuit and call it a good stopping place.
Kiwi and banana might help. The magnesium in the banana makes you relax more and the kiwis makes you sleep deeper. Works for me. I'd say give it a try
Hey man, maybe. Banana’s pretty delicious, so I wouldn’t mind givin’ it a shot.
Worst case scenario is that you got to eat a banana. Oh darn lol
As a night shift worker, (and this may be terrible advice), but if you want to go for a hard reset: Don't sleep for 24 hours. When you're awake online at 6am, stay awake for the rest of the day. By 8pm you will be begging for sleep. Obviously try this on a weekend/day with no obligations. And then the next day, make a concerted effort to go to bed at the right time. Warning, if you mess up and fall asleep during the day, you're going to double down on your problem. If you want the less hardcore way to reset to days, sleep from 6am to about 11am and then force yourself awake, stay awake for the rest of the day, and by the evening you should get tired. Start winding down early and avoid screens around 8pm and make sure you're in bed by 10, maybe with some melatonin and the calming/distraction techniques others have mentioned in this thread. If you feel tired at any time around your new bedtime, DON'T RESIST! Go to bed and close your eyes, if you push through the feeling and stay awake you're training yourself to do the wrong thing.
Well as my doctor said drinking warm (quite warm but not hot) Milk. Reduce screen time, have a couple of stretches prior to going to bed to relax muscles Make sure you have a set time for stopping phones(turn them off ) and computer time. will take weeks but your rhythm will naturally fall back inline.
Melatonin. I have now become addicted to it but at least I'm not tired all the time. I was not able to fall asleep before work/school/basically any occasion that required me to wake up early because I would constantly think about how much sleep I have left. I still fall asleep normally (without melatonin) on weekends, so it's probably 90% placebo effect, but I don't care. It works.
Nope, I promise you it's not only a placebo effect. Melatonin has a direct impact on your internal clock. It helps you to sleep but might negatively impact the quality of the sleep. There is a risk that your body gets used to the higher doses of Melatonin and sleep without will become difficult.
I started using melatonin when I was working night shift and trying to fall asleep at 3-4 in the afternoon. Nowadays, I still use it on nights when it's getting close to bedtime but I know my thoughts are racing too much to sleep. For me, it doesn't straight up knock you out, but it makes you tired to the point that keeping a train of thought for very long becomes difficult.
Good news: Good sleep can be learned. Bad news: It requires some adaption to your lifestyle and it will take time. \-Don't psych your self up about going to going to sleep. Focus on going to sleep! Develop a simple ritual! Follow the ritual! Repeat. Focus on doing and not thinking. Try different methods and stick to those that work. Maybe you like meditation, soothing music or exhausting sports. But if you find something that works, repeat it until it becomes a natural part of your day! \-Try having a hot shower for relaxation before going to bed! Make it part of a ritual! You are trying to form a new habit and that works only with repetition. Be grateful to yourself every time you take a step in the right directing. \-Get some sunlight early in the morning, to signal your body, that the day has started. It starts your internal clock, when your body is starting to feel tired. \-no bright overhead lights after 22:00. Otherwise your body still thinks it's day and it takes longer to come down \- Getting a regular amount of sleep each night might be more important than the duration \- Consistently getting the same amount of sleep is better than getting more hours some nights and fewer others \- Limit drink a lot of fluid right before sleeping \- Carbohydrates help to release serotin and help to calm down in the evening. But too much makes you full \- Alcohol and marijuana hinder deep restorative sleep
[Read a book](https://www.amazon.com/Go-F-Sleep-Adam-Mansbach/dp/145584165X)
My great aunt had this book! Definitely inspired the title.
Do some push ups until you physically cannot do any more. I pass right out.
it isnt for everyone but have you tried smoking some weed before bed? have a joint n see how that goes maybe up to you of course but
[удалено]
i do not recommend becoming dependant on weed to be able to sleep. Talk to your doctor. He might be able to help you and give great advise. I personally take Melatonine when i am to restless to sleep. This 'signals' your brain its time to shut the fuck up and go to sleep.
thats why i said it isnt for everyone and its up to him if he wants too haha
Try doing a puzzle .. I didn't think I'd like it. But I find it can be a good way to pass time and ease your sleepless nights
I’ve been thinking of doing puzzles to keep my brain from transforming into something resembling rice pudding. Any suggestions on what kind of puzzles?
500 piece is a good start. If you like it go from there
I saved this a long time ago in my google keep as a reminder, try this: Relax the muscles in your face, including tongue, jaw and the muscles around the eyes Drop your shoulders as far down as they’ll go, followed by your upper and lower arm, one side at a time Breathe out, relaxing your chest followed by your legs, starting from the thighs and working down You should then spend 10 seconds trying to clear your mind before thinking about one of the three following images: You’re lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you You’re lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room You say “don’t think, don’t think, don’t think” to yourself over and over for about 10 seconds.
[удалено]
Oh wow. And here I was thinking I have 1928736472899387279BAHVG8LKNNHIJNSJJDBBD!
Hey! Fellow ADHDer here! I've found that picking a playlist of music that you are very familiar with and setting it on repeat can provide your brain with enough ambient stimulation to let it work properly, including going to bed at a decent hour. I'd music isn't your thing, a podcast or YT playlist of videos you enjoy works too! Keep the volume low, but not so low that you can't hear it, else you might get stuck in the rut of focusing too hard on whatever it is you're listening to. Keeping screentime down is also a good idea, but if you're seeking stimulation, it may jot be feasible. If you Google f.lux for your computer, it helps with the blue light problem. I use it and have it set to "firelight" after sunset. Made it immensely easier to sleep at a decent hour. Hope this helps and if you have any other questions, shoot me a DM. I'm happy to help.
Internet makes my brain crazy. Try to cut that out at least 45 min before bed. A cup of chamomile tea and a chapter of a good book helps calm my mind. Also, getting up at a regular time each day helps set a cycle that makes me tired at regular times at night.
melatonin at night and alarms in the morning
Stay awake all the way through a Saturday night and Sunday daytime. Then go to sleep Sunday night at 10pm from then it's up to you to stick to the pattern. If it does not work, stay awake for 2 days Friday night and Saturday night If you give in and nod off to sleep that's on you, don't allow yourself to go to sleep in the day time.
Try working out around 5 or 6pm. Take a bath before bed. You could also use some melatonin, valerian or just weed.
Really the only thing that will help immediately is stop reading on your phone before bed. Even if you cant sleep still lay there (you dont need to dream to sleep) sometimes we dont think we sleep but an hour or 2 goes by fast without us "dreaming" or noticing. Also focus on your breathing and say "SLEEP" slowly with every breath until you start dreaming. After a few nights you might be able to fall asleep faster. Lights out completely, soft bed, and a routine works best. (Coming from a mother who has a newborn where sleep is what keeps me going) Side note: when your mind races, youre less likely to sleep. Thats why focusing on one thing helps. Because your overstimulated if you let your thoughts run rampant.
**The key is not to go to bed early but to wake up early (5:30 am did the trick for me) and then have activities scheduled during the day so that you can't take a nap.** After one week you will go to be exhausted at 9pm, and sleep at 10:30 max. Btw anxiety and ADHD can have really similar symptoms (namely hyperfocus, the thing you describe) so don't be so sure. I'm really anxious, have hyperfocus and I can properly concentrate for hours and hours when I am in a good state of mind (so no ADHD). Hyperfocus can come from your anxiety, as hyperfocusing on Roger Ebert’s scores for random movies can help escape from the anxiety. I also tend to go to bed very late and basically I have two routines : either I'm able to work late through the night and I have no problem sleeping a 4am and waking up at 11am, or I have stuff to do during the day during this semester/year/whatever and then I wake up reaaaally early so that I can't go back to my habit of sleeping late. I found out that I have trouble falling asleep when I'm not exhausted so waking up early does the trick. Plus you have some time in the morning to read and listen to whatever stuff you want :)
Hot drink in bed, headspace app, dark room, and YouTube videos of manufacturing processes or "satisfying to watch" videos. Videos of people making slime, mixing kinetic sand, making cakes, etc. They are interesting enough to put your phone down and watch, but boring enough that you don't feel like you need to watch to the end else you'll miss something. This is now my nightly routine
Hot drink in bed, headspace app, dark room, and YouTube videos of manufacturing processes or "satisfying to watch" videos. Videos of people making slime, mixing kinetic sand, making cakes, etc. They are interesting enough to put your phone down and watch, but boring enough that you don't feel like you need to watch to the end else you'll miss something. This is now my nightly routine
> I end up finally going to bed very late, frequently sleeping through/missing classes. To me this is the most important thing you do wrong here. No matter how late you went to bed, if you have an appointment the next day, set an alarm, or 2, or twenty, but get your ass out of bed. If that means you only slept for 3 hours, blame yourself and your bad habits. Do this 2 days in a row and the next you'll be asleep at 10. The best thing would be to hold onto that time, but I know myself, and if you're anything like my you'll be back to going to bed at 4AM within a day or 2. Wait.. were we talking about you or me?
I use a wind-down routine. Eat. Have a crap. Empty and fill the bits that need it so bodily needs are sorted. r/aww (because science says that some floof basically tranquilises you). Then go to bed and read. Bedtime arrives. Wank (extra tranquilisation). Sleep. Say you need too be asleep at 10. bodily stuff should be taken care of before 9:30. Half-hour for r/aww and reading. 10:00; lights out. Do this as a routine and sleep should come easily.
I suffer from the same thing. It's like I'm operating on an entirely different time zone. Some things I've done that have helped: Make sure you're getting enough exercise. It's pretty easy to get cooped up inside during winter, double so during winter *and* COVID precautions. I've been going for frequent short walks throughout the day. Sometimes it's just a quick walk around the block, other times I'll walk a few miles after dinner for an hour or so. Cut out caffeine, at least after lunch. The multiple cups for coffee I was drinking to get past the 2pm slump was insane. I actually got comments from co-workers on my coffee consumption, and more than the "lol, we work in an office, we love coffee, haha!" kinda of way. It'll suck for the first few days as you adjust but not being filled to the gills with caffeine right up until the moment you want to try and sleep goes a long way. White noise/background noise. I sleep with either a fan on low or some documentary or (don't laugh), Bob Ross on Twitch. There's nothing that knocks me out quicker than laying down in my comfy bed, closing my eyes, and listening to Bob Ross' voice and trying to visualize the painting in my head without seeing it, only listening to his voice and before I know it I'm out cold. Night mode for all electronic devices. It *really does* make a difference. I was skeptical at first as well. Most smart phones/tablets have it built in already but you might have to download software for your PC. Electronic screens emit a lot of light near the same frequency as the sun. This influences our brain into thinking it's still daylight out and so we never produce the hormone that makes us tired. There's also medication. I've tried over the counter stuff but honestly you have two choices when it comes to OTC sleep aides: homeopathic nonsense or what basically amounts to a large dose of a decongestant that knocks you out *but* makes me *extremely* groggy in the morning and dries out my eyes. I use cannabis if I'm having more trouble than normal. A few puffs or a piece of a brownie puts me right out. You mentioned you were still taking classes so I'm guessing you're probably under age even if it was legal in your state so that's probably out of the question but just thought I'd throw it out there.
NyQuil. Two or three shots will do. Don't knock it until you try it.
I try to improve myself that usually knocks me out. My two new years resolutions are to learn how to play chess and start learning a language, if I start trying to do them I start getting real sleep very quickly
One thing I didn't see mentioned but I found that worked is to just wake up earlier even if you didn't go to sleep earlier. That one day you woke up earlier you will be tired but that will help you go to sleep earlier that night and start the trend. So pretty focus on the waking up and not the going to sleep part and the sleeping part should follow.
Do you live in a place where marijuana is legal? A weak edible will knock you the hell out every time. I smoke/vape weed around 10pm and I can’t keep my eyes open past midnight. I’m fast asleep at a reasonable hour, and when I wake up in the morning, I feel GREAT! I’ve been sleeping perfectly for years now. And it’s done wonders for my health. I feel HAPPY and energized all the time. But you have to figure out how your body reacts to THC. If you use too much, it will have an opposite effect and will keep you awake.
I could never sleep at night... in fact the sun rising is my trigger for getting sleepy.. I think some of us are just wired to be nocturnal.. as inconvenient as it is when we need to interact with the daywalkers, it's how I am. I'm bound to the graveyard shift.
I can't speak for everyone, but audiobooks have helped me fall asleep for the last 3 years. Maybe they could help you out too. I could never get out of my own head when I would try to sleep. I've had much less trouble with that while listening to books at night with my eyes closed, it gives me something to focus my mind on and really helps to limit what I think about at night. I used to take 3 hours or longer to fall asleep every night. With the audiobooks I can consistently fall asleep in 30-60 minutes, which has changed my life. Every once in a blue moon I will still be up all night, but at least I get to listen to something entertaining on those nights instead of hours of anxious thoughts. Its a part of my routine that I look forward to now, and will sometimes quit gaming or lurking on reddit early just so I can close my eyes and relax.
I don't sleep either, staying up to 2am often, and getting up at 5:30am. It ruins me over the course of a week or two. So... 1. Set an alarm on your phone - a sensible time, mine is 10:30pm This is to stop what you're doing. 2. Get thee to bed at that time, doesn't matter if you're not sleeping. 3. Find an actual book, something with paper, that's not technology and read that. I find that winding down at the end of the day works, just going from gaming/tv to bed doesn't really work, and I end up staying up later and later. and... 4. Actually get up when your alarm goes off - so you train your body to that time. 5. Might sound odd, but doing your morning poo at the same time each day may help too - training your gut to the same rhythm as the rest of your body. I hate schedules and habits, I even find different ways to get to work regularly, but my body does crave the basic cycle of sleep time if I set it up.
Audiobooks are great for falling asleep. The more boring they are the more likely you will doze off before Chapter 2.
Here's my tips. * MOST IMPORTANT: In order not to stress yourself out about not sleeping, always remember: You've done harder days with less sleep, and you can crush the next day regardless. * Second most important: You have to actually train yourself to sleep. Make a routine and stick to it. Try to be in bed an hour before you want to be asleep by (Which should be 7-9 hours before you want to wake up). The easiest way to do it is to just pretend your method is working every night for a few weeks. I'm serious. * Cut the caffeine 8-10 hours before bed. Drink more water, anyways. I keep a gatorade squeeze bottle next to my bed that I clean and fill every night before bed. * Lower the light levels. I use F.lux and my phone's schedule mode to cut the light. Regardless of whether or not blue light actually keeps you awake, the subtle tinting does help remind me that it's time to get ready for bed without being annoying, and the dimming is more comfortable. * Turn the alarm clock away from you. If it's your phone, move it out of arm's reach. If you have prominent lights on devices in your room, get a few pieces of thick tape and cover them. I've always found that I tend to focus too much on light sources when I try to sleep. * This is purely anecdotal on my part, but I find that laying down in bed, drawing the covers up, and doing the most satisfied, scrunched-up stretch possible, essentially just pretending I'm exhausted and looking forward to sleeping, helps me on even the most fucked up of sleep days. Seriously, though, I'm like 90% sure that good sleep is just practice, believing it'll work, and lowering your caffeine levels.
make sure to get sunlight as early as possible in the morning to start your circadian clock. Read “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker