My sleeping habits are pretty horrible. Because I worked at a restaurant for the past two years, I often found that I wasn't getting home until after midnight, which messed up my nightly routine.
Instead of going to sleep when I wanted to, I was forced to stay awake past my "bedtime," forcing me to get my second wind and stay up for more hours.
Since quitting the restaurant industry, I've got a nightly routine down (wash my face, brush my teeth, put my sweats on, hit the sack) and I find that I'm going to sleep quicker and with more ease. But this routine is still not second nature for me.
The earlier I go to sleep, the earlier I'm waking up, which is causing drowsiness towards the end of my day. I also realized that if I go to sleep a little too early, I wake up in the wee hours of the morning, since my body still can't accept that I can now get more than five hours of sleep.
My whole day can end up being out of whack if my routine does not go accordingly... and for many, sleep deprivation can create total chaos-- both physically and mentally.
Do you stay up all night just trying to fall asleep? Are you one of the many that suffer from sleep deprivation? If not, what are your nighttime secrets?
healthkicker
Comments (22)
Yeah, my sleeping habits are definitely messed up. My school had been on strike for almost 3 months so during that time, I'd sleep at 3 or 4am and wake up mid-afternoon. My insomnia had also kicked up full gear during the past month so I wasn't and still can't get a decent amount of sleep. But anyway, sleep deprivation is something I've been struggling with for a long time, even before the strike happened.
it's no secret. i wake up early lol
i feel my best when i've had 8-9h of sleep. any less, and i have a terrible time waking up. any more, and i just feel like a bum.
i usually fall asleep as soon as i get in bed :)
oh i meant to add, i never used to be able to fall asleep for hours after i got into bed. but i've cut down my caffein intake A LOT. as in, i just drink tea in the morning and then decaf tea the rest of the day. and nothing else. it really really helped with sleep
I'm an insomniac. It's terrible. I can't fall asleep, and when i do, i can't stay asleep. I can stay awake for days with barely any side effects, actually sometimes i forget that i've been awake for so long. I don't know what to tell you =\
I go to sleep, usually, between 2am and 5am. I wake up between 10am and 1pm. I've had those habits for the past two or three years. Sometimes it can take me three or more hours to get to sleep, sometimes it only takes me a few minutes. It's actually pretty easy for me to sleep a lot of the time.
give it some time for your body to adjust to the change.
i find if i watch a scary movie or go online right before bed, i have dreams (or nightmares) or if i remember something memorable than i'll have dreams about it. its a proven fact. if your having trouble sleeping, drink some warm milk, count sheep or read a good book.
Just try to sleep when you can.
I downloaded some sleeping noises/music onto my Zune [kinda like an iPod].
Mostly rain and thunderstorm sounds.
I keep an earphone in one ear since I sleep on the other side.
Helps me sleep well. =]
I stay up late all the time. I mean, hell, it's 3 15 here at home. I don't enjoy trying to go to sleep, so I just stay up until I'm too tired to think! Normally, that's pretty easy. Over the course of my day, I do enough to wear myself out, allowing me to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. There are days, however, where that doesn't happen, so I'm up.
But I'm used to the small amounts of sleep. I'd go to bed at midnight(or later) almost every night, and I like clockwork I'd be up again at 5 30 for school. Now that my schedule is later, I can afford to sleep longer, but my body easily reverts to those old habits. two nights of less than 6 hours, and I feel better than I did getting more sleep.
i am the best sleeper ever! on school nights i go to bed between 8:30 and 9:00, but sometimes as late as 9:30 if i have a lot of work. i can go to sleep quickly.
since changing my habits, i have been happier, more awake, and i feel a lot healthier. i get an average of nine to ten hours of sleep a night.
I turn myself off at a certain time and try not to think about all the bad things.
I watch what I eat and drink a couple of hours before going to bed and wearing something comfortable in bed so I dont get to hot or cold during the night.
I take a small amount of medicine to sleep. Amitriptiline (sp?) Anyway, other than that, I know that if you force yourself to go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every day, your clock will eventually adjust to it. No naps, though. And for a while, you may feel like the worlds biggest b***h. But I've heard that it does work. Good luck.
i stay up late only if i have something important coming up the next day.
I definately get Zero Sleep sometimes,even before I had my son. I can lay in bed and be awake for hours and then sometimes I can just go right to sleep! Idk whats wrong with me. I was subscribed a sleep aide, that was actually a anti depression pill, I don't have depression but my doctor said that it also can act as a sleep aide when taken an hour before you want to go to sleep and it really works!
i've been suffering from insomnia since 1998.... :(
Same here. I've been exercising earlier... that helps a bit. And I've nixed caffeine from my diet. Good luck. I hate not being able to sleep.
Maybe you could see a doctor about a sleeping pill. There are medicines out there that help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. It might be something you could look into.
I hate it cause I try to sleep early but it never works. I end up sleeping so late and then the cycle continues.
I started having sleep issues when I was 12. I'm a lot better now because I meditate, keep my room VERY dark (so that sunlight doesn't wake me), and drink soothing hot liquids before going to bed. Also, give your body time to adjust to your new sleep schedule.
i have terrible sleeping habits. i haven't been able to fall asleep on my own for about two years now so i have to take a bunch of pills to go to sleep since my tolerance has built up so much. then, when i do finally sleep, i can usually only stay asleep for 4 or 5 hours. cool.
Your body needs time to adjust, give it some more time, surely if yu stay in bed for longer and lie ther with eyes shut yur body will learn to just not wake up ?
i have bad sleeping habits from school (waking super early) and work on weekends where i dont get home till 1am and dnt get to sleep till 3am.
Sleep deprivation sucks, i cant even get to sleep at 11 if i tried nowadays =(