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I was up all night again last night until I set a six hour timer this morning and let myself pass out. This is starting to be a problem

I used to be a horrible sleeper, but I'm not sure any of my solutions can work for you.
For one thing, I gave up coffee entirely (down from somewhere around 10 cups a day). Nothing with caffeine after 16:00. No sugar after 22:00. Weed and alcohol, but in moderation - too much of either and you might be able to get to sleep more easily, but your sleep quality will be shit.
Last but definitely not least, finding a safe spot to fall asleep. My personal recommendation is "fetal position in my wife's arms, with her boobs in my back" but if you try that one you're going to get punched

Bubble181 said:

I used to be a horrible sleeper, but I'm not sure any of my solutions can work for you.
For one thing, I gave up coffee entirely (down from somewhere around 10 cups a day). Nothing with caffeine after 16:00. No sugar after 22:00. Weed and alcohol, but in moderation - too much of either and you might be able to get to sleep more easily, but your sleep quality will be shit.
Last but definitely not least, finding a safe spot to fall asleep. My personal recommendation is "fetal position in my wife's arms, with her boobs in my back" but if you try that one you're going to get punched

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I absolutely have a problem with abusing caffeine from many 12 hour work days. I'll get withdrawals without it. I should get off it entirely but going cold turkey really makes me sick

I used to drink after work but I finally cleaned up in 2017 :3

Benadryl always helped me in a pinch, but it’s not a long term fix.

Yeah, I was pretty bad about caffeine as well due to night shifts and 12+ hour shifts. Getting ulcers helped

Shakey said:

Benadryl always helped me in a pinch, but it’s not a long term fix.

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I could try it, I never buy drugs from the grocery store so I've got no idea if any of that stuff will help me

I was listening to this this morning and from what I can remember of it I got about 5 hours and 10 minutes of sleep. I should find more droning long form content like it, I've had podcasts shut off from how long it can take me to fall asleep and the sudden silence was jarring

I've got this little 2 cup moka pot that I make espresso with, from now on only one of these a day. I was going to buy a bigger one for christmas but no fuckin way now lol

And no more energy drinks, I used to spend so much on those that I started shoplifting

Lately, I've been having my echo dot play thunderstorm sounds, and that's starting to work pretty well. It's training my brain that thunderstorm sounds means bed time. Even if I'm stuck on my phone playing a game, if I turn the sounds it, it's not very long before I roll over and go to sleep.

My sleep issues are related to arthritis/chronic pain.

Figuring out that I can’t sleep flat made a huge difference as did and electric blanket.

Tinwhistler said:

Lately, I've been having my echo dot play thunderstorm sounds, and that's starting to work pretty well. It's training my brain that thunderstorm sounds means bed time. Even if I'm stuck on my phone playing a game, if I turn the sounds it, it's not very long before I roll over and go to sleep.

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Queue the car crash in the storm due to falling asleep behind the wheel

But yeah, finding the "right" type of noise can make a huge change. Some people need something recognizable, others just static, or light music, or droning boring talk,.... Grey noise, white noise, pink noise...

Long-term sleep disruption usually takes a while to fix, but here are some sleep hygiene fixes you should implement right away, as it might take a couple weeks to see results:

• Bed is for sleep only. Don't read in bed, don't watch TV, use your phone, etc. Get your body/brain used to the idea that you are there to sleep.
• Have a bedtime as much as possible. Erratic work shifts can mess this up, but if you have a pretty normal routine, pick a time and go to bed at that time.
• Have a rising time as much as possible. You didn't sleep the whole night and reeeeally want to hit snooze? Get up anyway, push yourself to get out of bed. This is the same as the previous point, you want to get your body to learn when you 'need' the rest, don't let it dictate when your sleep cycle is.
• Try not to drink caffeine after noon or 1PM - the science here is that caffeine's half-life is 5 hours. What this means is if you have a coffee at 7AM, by 12PM, there is still HALF the caffeine from that coffee inside your body, and at 5PM, a quarter of the original amount of caffeine. This is enough of an impact to be disruptive at night if you have caffeine in the afternoon.
• For one hour before bed, do calming things. No loud music, no screens (there's lots out there about 'blue light' but I'd say the concern here is more about constant light and eye strain in general than the 'type'.) Try a bath, a book that isn't about something that gets you worked up (for good or ill), prayer or meditation, whatever you find low-key.
• Try to have a couple regular bedtime routines, like flossing and brushing your teeth, that you do before bed so you cue your body and brain that you're getting ready for this
• While you're getting into a sleep routine, avoid naps, and if you do nap, try to keep them to around 20 minutes or less.
• If you're in bed and can't sleep, get up for a half hour, even if it's two in the morning, and do one of your calming activities in another room. Make some tea, or read for a few minutes. If you start to feel tired, go to bed, otherwise wait the full half hour and then go back to bed. Here the idea is to avoid associating the bed with the stress of sleeplessness.
• Be patient and have mercy on yourself. Don't get mad at yourself for not sleeping, don't get mad if you set some rules and routines and then miss some or all of them a night or two or three in a row. You're practising sleep just like you practise anything. Get back up, start again, make it a little further.

Also don't be averse to therapy or medication if they are available and recommended for you. I was on sleeping aids for 5 years, and I was hopeless without them. Now I sleep decently overall, but I needed meds for a while. That's okay.

Tinwhistler said:

Lately, I've been having my echo dot play thunderstorm sounds, and that's starting to work pretty well. It's training my brain that thunderstorm sounds means bed time. Even if I'm stuck on my phone playing a game, if I turn the sounds it, it's not very long before I roll over and go to sleep.

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Yeah I would love some beach sounds

Chad Sexington said:

Long-term sleep disruption usually takes a while to fix, but here are some sleep hygiene fixes you should implement right away, as it might take a couple weeks to see results:

• Bed is for sleep only. Don't read in bed, don't watch TV, use your phone, etc. Get your body/brain used to the idea that you are there to sleep.
• Have a bedtime as much as possible. Erratic work shifts can mess this up, but if you have a pretty normal routine, pick a time and go to bed at that time.
• Have a rising time as much as possible. You didn't sleep the whole night and reeeeally want to hit snooze? Get up anyway, push yourself to get out of bed. This is the same as the previous point, you want to get your body to learn when you 'need' the rest, don't let it dictate when your sleep cycle is.
• Try not to drink caffeine after noon or 1PM - the science here is that caffeine's half-life is 5 hours. What this means is if you have a coffee at 7AM, by 12PM, there is still HALF the caffeine from that coffee inside your body, and at 5PM, a quarter of the original amount of caffeine. This is enough of an impact to be disruptive at night if you have caffeine in the afternoon.
• For one hour before bed, do calming things. No loud music, no screens (there's lots out there about 'blue light' but I'd say the concern here is more about constant light and eye strain in general than the 'type'.) Try a bath, a book that isn't about something that gets you worked up (for good or ill), prayer or meditation, whatever you find low-key.
• Try to have a couple regular bedtime routines, like flossing and brushing your teeth, that you do before bed so you cue your body and brain that you're getting ready for this
• While you're getting into a sleep routine, avoid naps, and if you do nap, try to keep them to around 20 minutes or less.
• If you're in bed and can't sleep, get up for a half hour, even if it's two in the morning, and do one of your calming activities in another room. Make some tea, or read for a few minutes. If you start to feel tired, go to bed, otherwise wait the full half hour and then go back to bed. Here the idea is to avoid associating the bed with the stress of sleeplessness.
• Be patient and have mercy on yourself. Don't get mad at yourself for not sleeping, don't get mad if you set some rules and routines and then miss some or all of them a night or two or three in a row. You're practising sleep just like you practise anything. Get back up, start again, make it a little further.

Also don't be averse to therapy or medication if they are available and recommended for you. I was on sleeping aids for 5 years, and I was hopeless without them. Now I sleep decently overall, but I needed meds for a while. That's okay.

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I've been openly mentally ill lol

Squidleybits said:

My sleep issues are related to arthritis/chronic pain.

Figuring out that I can’t sleep flat made a huge difference as did and electric blanket.

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I already take a painkiller for my back pain and that has been a big improvement for my life

Cat said:

Yeah I would love some beach sounds

Post automatically merged: Nov 17, 2021

I've been openly mentally ill lol

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Me too, but I was very resistant to taking any drugs for my depression or my sleep disruptions for a long time, so I always like to include that it is okay to pursue those avenues. People can be biased or fatalistic about these things, and I want to encourage them that help is out there and it can work.

Chad Sexington said:

Me too, but I was very resistant to taking any drugs for my depression or my sleep disruptions for a long time, so I always like to include that it is okay to pursue those avenues. People can be biased or fatalistic about these things, and I want to encourage them that help is out there and it can work.

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Yeah I was a ritalin kid so I really don't like taking any pills. I have health insurance now so it is an option if I need it

Cat said:

Yeah I would love some beach sounds

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There are apps for phones, too

I have an app that plays thunderstorm sounds and I love it. I don’t use it often, but maybe I should.

The cats love the new bed too so I now have two or three of them with me at all times which helps. They’re very warm and the purring is relaxing.

Squidleybits said:

I have an app that plays thunderstorm sounds and I love it. I don’t use it often, but maybe I should.

The cats love the new bed too so I now have two or three of them with me at all times which helps. They’re very warm and the purring is relaxing.

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I would totally get a cat if I didn't live alone and work so much

My little sister has a cat that I refer to as my nephew, love the little bastard

I work from home since covid which is our monster kitten’s whole life. He will not be happy if I return to the office.

Switching every other night between 5mg of melatonin with a magnesium supplement and two Advil PM capsules.

Cheesy1 said:

Switching every other night between 5mg of melatonin with a magnesium supplement and two Advil PM capsules.

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I am already magging it up bc I am a drug user lol

I was going to type a bunch of stuff, but @Chad Sexington beat me to most of them. I will add the following:
-White noise (or ocean, or whatever) accomplishes two things. It helps mask surrounding, distracting sounds, and it also supposedly tickles the ancient memory of environmental blood flow in the womb. I don’t know how much stock to put in the second one, but the first one is definitely real.
-If you are having trouble sleeping because of “busy brain,” you can sometimes combat this by playing it against itself through listening to unintelligible background conversation (e.g., restaurant noise, especially if it is in a language you don’t understand) or by unchaining your brain to just follow an unfettered, free-associative random path wherever it might lead, and deliberately NOT allow yourself to linger on nor explore any of the things you come up with. Just keep flitting from idea to idea and not care about any of them, the idea is to keep the stream coming unabated.

Falling asleep is about allowing your brain to stop being deliberate/conscious/focused. There is no way to think your way to sleep because the act of concentrating on anything will work to keep you interested and awake. Far as I’m concerned, stuff like Benadryl (or alcohol) mainly works just because it makes it harder for you to concentrate on stuff. Yes, a sleeping brain is plenty active, but so is a computer that’s defragging a hard drive. It’s not about the amount of activity, it’s about how much of that activity is under your conscious control.

These are anecdotal, of course. I’m no sleep researcher. But I feel like I remember something confirming the random thoughts thing.

—Patrick

I got a busy brain like a motherfucker. My mind is obsessed with making logical connections if I don't distract it with drugs and entertainment. Used to listen to music and podcasts at work all the time

Cat said:

I used to drink after work but I finally cleaned up in 2017 :3

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I was about to say, Titos and Sprite does it for me... buuuut I don't want to push you off any wagons.

PatrThom said:

-If you are having trouble sleeping because of “busy brain,” you can sometimes combat this by playing it against itself through listening to unintelligible background conversation (e.g., restaurant noise, especially if it is in a language you don’t understand) or by unchaining your brain to just follow an unfettered, free-associative random path wherever it might lead, and deliberately NOT allow yourself to linger on nor explore any of the things you come up with. Just keep flitting from idea to idea and not care about any of them, the idea
Is to keep the stream coming unabated.

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Oh, that's something else I do..I'll close my eyes and start daydreaming. I'll take a super random thought like "what would I do if I could fly?" and not think about it too hard. Just daydream--kind of like constructing a waking dream. Soon, I'll fall asleep and my subconscious will take it from there (but rarely keeps on the same topic that I tried to kick start it with).

GasBandit said:

I was about to say, Titos and Sprite does it for me... buuuut I don't want to push you off any wagons.

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Lol thx

Tinwhistler said:

Oh, that's something else I do..I'll close my eyes and start daydreaming. I'll take a super random thought like "what would I do if I could fly?" and not think about it too hard. Just daydream--kind of like constructing a waking dream. Soon, I'll fall asleep my subconscious will take it from there (but rarely keeps on the same topic that I tried to kick start it with).

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Oh yeah, I used to meditate and I need to make it a regular part of my life. Clearing my mind is a bitch and sleep doesn't always feel like a reset

You're not really "clearing" your mind in order to sleep, it's more like a shift change. Time for you to stop driving it... just set it to cruise and stop caring about where it goes. You're not choosing where it goes, it's not your turn any more, you're just a spectator. Relinquish control of your meat mech and see what happens when your hands are no longer on the wheel.

--Patrick

Got a snack and a book picked out so it's bedtime. Let's see how this works out for me lol

Not in bed, though. Remember...gotta train yourself that beds are for sleeping, snuggling, and schtoinking, and not for eating/reading/writing/movies nor anything else that keeps your brain engaged.

...I'm not sure where Halforums fits, there. Probably not as "snuggling," though.

--Patrick

Some ibuprofen, melatonin, and some rain sounds.

My wife does podcasts or audiobooks. Loud enough to hear but not so loud that of they turn off the silence takes her by surprise. (this has been negotiated down from episodes of star trek or Xena at a normal listening volume)

I've also started using a body pillow to hug at night and keep my leg around it to help keep everything aligned.

I was going to suggest Melatonin, as I use that sometimes.

Since that's already been covered, may I suggest a cartoonishly large mallet to hit yourself over the head with?

I'll plug ASMR here. For some people it works, and for others it doesn't. There are just certain voices and sounds that really help relax me.
Lately I've found "follow my instructions" videos to lead to very quickly getting tired as a combination of the voices and eye movement really brings down my stress.
Linking an example video that is usually a final resort for me when I need to sleep.

Oh, and an obvious one I can't believe hasn't been mentioned. Masturbation, of course.

My schedule is completely borked. Living on Taiwan Time, but I'm on the Mason-Dixon Line. So for me, blackout curtains and a sleep mask are a MUST. I started playing one of those 8-hour jet/fan/train/star trek bridge videos to accompany actual AC or desk fan. First to drown out a literally insane neighbor, but now out of habit.

Well I woke up too early but I feel rested like I slept like a normal person for once so that's nice

Bubble181 said:

Oh, and an obvious one I can't believe hasn't been mentioned. Masturbation, of course.

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Used to be every night but I'm looking for healthier habits now lol

DarkAudit said:

My schedule is completely borked. Living on Taiwan Time, but I'm on the Mason-Dixon Line. So for me, blackout curtains and a sleep mask are a MUST. I started playing one of those 8-hour jet/fan/train/star trek bridge videos to accompany actual AC or desk fan. First to drown out a literally insane neighbor, but now out of habit.

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Got blankets for blackout curtains but if I block out that window completely I'd never wake up lol

Cat said:

Used to be every night but I'm looking for healthier habits now lol

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Despite what some religious authorities will tell you, masturbation isn’t unhealthy.

blotsfan said:

Despite what some religious authorities will tell you, masturbation isn’t unhealthy.

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I had an unhealthy relationship with sexual performance and my own self worth but it's for the best if I don't talk about that here

blotsfan said:

Despite what some religious authorities will tell you, masturbation isn’t unhealthy.

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Masturbation itself isn't unhealthy, but it can be a part of unhealthy depressive behavior. Source: I had some unhealthy depressive behaviors

Cat said:

I had an unhealthy relationship with sexual performance and my own self worth but it's for the best if I don't talk about that here

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Ravenpoe said:

Masturbation itself isn't unhealthy, but it can be a part of unhealthy depressive behavior. Source: I had some unhealthy depressive behaviors

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Fair enough.

Blackout curtains are amazing. I tend to be super cold all the time, so melting into a softer mattress and an electric blanket is my go to. Have you tried a mattress cover? Something you could melt into?

Not a technical term of course, but it’s the best feeling.

Squidleybits said:

Blackout curtains are amazing. I tend to be super cold all the time, so melting into a softer mattress and an electric blanket is my go to. Have you tried a mattress cover? Something you could melt into?

Not a technical term of course, but it’s the best feeling.

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I could get one later. Thx!

GasBandit said:

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One of my favorite movies

Tinwhistler said:

One of my favorite movies

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What is it!?!

Also putting my two cents into camp 'noise of some kind'. I can't do ocean noises because my mind can't settle down, I start thinking about the beach and then spiraling from there. Brown noise in particular works best for me and might be worth looking into for you. It's deeper and softer than white noise and consistent enough that I don't get distracted like with beach or rain.

I hope the black out curtains help and that you start to find a routine that works well for you!

Cat said:

What is it!?!

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Airheads.

I posted a clip from it because there's a scene where someone shouts at the crowd "I used to masturbate CONSTANTLY!"

LittleKagsin said:

Brown noise in particular works best for me and might be worth looking into for you.

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Not to be confused with brown notes. Please, please do not confuse it with that!

GasBandit said:

Airheads.

I posted a clip from it because there's a scene where someone shouts at the crowd "I used to masturbate CONSTANTLY!"

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Ohhh I saw that as a kid but I don't remember much of it. I've got for a rewatch now :3

LittleKagsin said:

Also putting my two cents into camp 'noise of some kind'. I can't do ocean noises because my mind can't settle down, I start thinking about the beach and then spiraling from there. Brown noise in particular works best for me and might be worth looking into for you. It's deeper and softer than white noise and consistent enough that I don't get distracted like with beach or rain.

I hope the black out curtains help and that you start to find a routine that works well for you!

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The beach is the most comforting place for me, used to go there almost every day off

GasBandit said:

Airheads.

I posted a clip from it because there's a scene where someone shouts at the crowd "I used to masturbate CONSTANTLY!"

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Buscemi is looking pretty good in this. Guy should've actually grown his hair out like that

I grabbed a new pillow today which seems promising. It’s contoured which is great for me as my neck and back are curved/a hot mess.

Squidleybits said:

I grabbed a new pillow today which seems promising. It’s contoured which is great for me as my neck and back are curved/a hot mess.

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Niiice, still need to try a mattress cover. But I've been sleeping pretty good lately. It helps that I've been feeling productive by writing and deleting dumb little shit

I also use satin pillowcases. My hair is damaged from meds and it helps it not break. It’s meant to be great for your skin as well. Not exactly on topic lol.

Sorry for all the posts here. I have recently redone our room to improve my sleep and have been talking about this non stop lol.

Squidleybits said:

I also use satin pillowcases. My hair is damaged from meds and it helps it not break. It’s meant to be great for your skin as well. Not exactly on topic lol.

Sorry for all the posts here. I have recently redone our room to improve my sleep and have been talking about this non stop lol.

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That's ok I'm making like 10x as many posts as everyone else combined lol. I just like posting even if nobody is reading them. Personally I hate the look and feel of satin

I think I like microfiber. I think my new sheets are microfiber but I'm not sure about that

Edit: found the packaging, they are microfiber and I have some microfiber panties as well

Cat said:

That's ok I'm making like 10x as many posts as everyone else combined lol. I just like posting even if nobody is reading them. Personally I hate the look and feel of satin

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Satin? Or Sateen?
(or both I guess)

--Patrick

PatrThom said:

Satin? Or Sateen?
(or both I guess)

--Patrick

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Honestly I would not know the difference. Hail satan tho

Edit: it feels slick and that shine is not appealing to my eyes