[HN Gopher] How to Train Yourself to Go to Sleep Earlier
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How to Train Yourself to Go to Sleep Earlier
Author : alecco
Score : 36 points
Date : 2024-11-01 13:49 UTC (9 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.sleepfoundation.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.sleepfoundation.org)
| dbsmith83 wrote:
| Similar to the journal idea, I keep a notebook by my bed where I
| can write down any thoughts or concerns I think of that needs
| attention the next day. This lets my mind relax so that I'm not
| worried about forgetting it or trying to solve it
| imzadi wrote:
| I wish I could train myself to sleep on my back. I've been trying
| for years, but I can't seem to fall asleep without the pressure
| of the pillow on my face.
| edflsafoiewq wrote:
| Me too. I can sort of "trick" myself by putting a balled-up
| blanket on my pillow and turning my face to rest against it.
| cassianoleal wrote:
| Legit question, what's the reason for wanting to sleep in what
| seems to be an uncomfortable position for you?
|
| I also can't sleep on my back but have no urge to change that.
| imzadi wrote:
| I have a lot of shoulder issues that are worsened by sleeping
| on my side or stomach. I also have a flat spot on the side of
| my face from always sleeping on it, and it gets worse the
| older I get. I'd like to be able to use overnight skin
| treatments without it getting all over my pillow.
| donatzsky wrote:
| While I can sleep on my back, I feel like I get better rest
| when on my side. It's not about how the pillow feels or
| anything like that, but my whole body and brain just seem to
| relax more.
|
| Apparently [1] sleeping on the side is better for your health,
| as well.
|
| [1] https://youtube.com/watch?v=O8UoAASCUsQ
| OptionOfT wrote:
| My SO used to sleep on her belly.
|
| Then we got an overpriced mattress with the same material that
| NASA uses...
|
| I'm an endless chaser of value. I hate to overpay for things.
| That mattress was $5k (king sized).
|
| She sleeps on her back, and her sleep quality has measurably
| improved.
| a_e_k wrote:
| I like to sleep on my back, but with a pillow over my forehead
| and eyes (i.e., nose and mouth exposed to fresh air).
| jchw wrote:
| This feels completely stupid, but I noticed what seems like an
| unmistakable improvement in my sleep quality (more restful, less
| waking up too early) a few days after I adjusted my diet to
| include a lot more fiber intake. After googling it, it _seems_
| like it might be supported by studies, but I 'm always a bit
| skeptical. Either way, if you have trouble getting good sleep,
| it's another dietary consideration to make. Increased fiber
| intake seems like it mostly has upsides.
|
| (The other advice in the article is obviously also solid, but
| none of it, including changing caffeine habits, really ever
| seemed to do much for me. So I guess it will vary a lot from
| person to person.)
| RalfWausE wrote:
| Have a toddler.
|
| No, seriously: Since we have now a toddler running around who
| absolutely does not want to go to sleep when the adults are still
| running around has led US to much more healthy sleeping habbits
| n4r9 wrote:
| As a parent of a toddler who currently wakes up every 1-2
| hours, I'm not so sure this is the key to sleep hygiene!
| LUmBULtERA wrote:
| Right? As another parent of a toddler, neither I nor any
| other parent I know of toddlers are getting as much sleep as
| we'd like want...
| fragmede wrote:
| Yes they wake up in the middle of the night, but ideally you
| try and put them down to sleep and enforce a regular bedtime,
| which is prime sleep hygiene.
| iterateoften wrote:
| I am a firm believer in sleep hygiene especially the rule
| "reserve the bedroom for sleep".
|
| I have had conversations with friends when they complain about
| not enough sleep and one common theme is they use electronics in
| the bedroom before sleep.
|
| When I share similar recommendations as this article about not
| using tv or phone in the bed and to leave the bedroom and
| meditate if you can't sleep after 20min I get a lot of pushback.
|
| The most common is that they can't fall asleep without watching a
| show or movie on. This is right after they complained about not
| being able to sleep. The second one is around not wanting to
| change anything about their weed or alcohol use to improve their
| sleep.
|
| I think a lot of it has to do with trying to avoid other
| anxieties which makes their sleep worse which increases anxiety
| in a cycle.
|
| This is just anecdotal without much else to say other than in
| people in general seem pretty skeptical about sleep hygiene. And
| almost seem reluctant to experiment. But I'm a firm believer.
| resoluteteeth wrote:
| > This is just anecdotal without much else to say other than in
| people in general seem pretty skeptical about sleep hygiene.
| And almost seem reluctant to experiment. But I'm a firm
| believer.
|
| As someone who often has difficulty getting to sleep, I have
| tried every sleep hygiene thing I have seen suggested but none
| of it works for me, at least in terms of getting to sleep, and
| conversely I find actually find doing special things around
| sleep to be counterproductive since they make me more more
| stressed out about getting to sleep, so I have decided to
| simply not worry about them.
|
| I do think they may be helpful for people who either don't
| really have issues getting to sleep but simply tend to get
| absorbed watching tv or something and go to sleep to late or
| who can get to sleep easily but have sleep quality issues,
| though.
| grvdrm wrote:
| I am both for avoiding electronics but also enjoy TV in bed.
| Not necessary but it's not something that I restrain much.
|
| Haven't seen too many people suggest this: train yourself to
| wake up earlier. I wake up at 5. That's not a hustle culture
| thing. Just the time when I can fit in my personal time,
| fitness, and a bit of free thinking before my kids wake up and
| the day starts.
|
| I can barely keep my eyes open past 930.
| nunez wrote:
| Bedtime routines increase sleep anxiety in some people.
| Consistency, i.e. the time you go to bed and the time that you
| wake up, is the most important factor.
| serguzest wrote:
| This writing is as unhelpful as telling an obese person simply to
| exercise and eat less. Everyone is different; I'm one of those
| people who were made to protect the tribe while they sleep. I'm
| naturally nocturnal, and the silence of the night makes me more
| alert. Turning on a not-so-interesting documentary or political
| commentary on YouTube actually helps me relax and fall asleep.
| enlyth wrote:
| Same, I'm nocturnal and a naturally anxious person. If I lie in
| bed doing nothing, I will just think about things that make me
| more anxious.
|
| A nice podcast or documentary will focus my thoughts on
| whatever I'm listening to and help me fall asleep easier.
| qazxcvbnmlp wrote:
| I wonder how big the cohort of users that turn on mildly
| interesting content to fall asleep to is?
|
| How would a creator feel to find out most of their views are
| people falling asleep?
| zonkerdonker wrote:
| How it's Made does it for me. Based on a lot of the youtube
| comments, there are quite a lot of others as well!
| antisthenes wrote:
| For night owls, all these habits are temporary.
|
| I've done a stretch of 2 weeks to 2 months of being an early
| riser, but inevitably, like clockwork, the sleep schedule
| drifts back to me going to bed around 2 AM and waking up around
| 10AM.
|
| And yes, I've tried everything.
| beng-nl wrote:
| As a parent of a 5 and 3 year old, I can confirm. No matter
| how long I'm forced successfully into getting up early, I'm
| still more alert and focused and happy as soon as the sun
| sets, and given the opportunity I'll instantly slip back into
| sleeping at 1-2 am again.
| BobaFloutist wrote:
| My secret has just been consistently going to bed and getting
| up at the same time as my wife, who is not a night owl, every
| night. Some nights are frustrating and take me longer to fall
| asleep, most mornings I feel bit groggy, and I'm overall not
| thrilled with my experience with sleep, but I'm able to keep
| a consistent schedule without rubberbanding amounts of sleep,
| I'm rarely truly exhausted during the day, and my waking
| hours overlaps consistently with society and businesses.
|
| It's certainly an imperfect compromise, but it works well
| enough.
| jibcage wrote:
| The article, for all of its other faults, also manages to breeze
| over another crucial point:
|
| "Research shows that blue light suppresses the body's production
| of melatonin, the sleep hormone. This can be helpful in the
| morning, when you want to wake up..."
|
| I find this to be a much easier habit to maintain, at least
| during summer: as close as possible after waking up, get as much
| light as you can, and at a regular time if possible. Sun lamps
| are an expensive but effective option during darker months, but
| they generally aren't covered by insurance.
|
| The first I heard of this was when I spoke to a sleep doctor, and
| it has worked much better for me than melatonin ever did.
| fifilura wrote:
| I did my military service (25 years ago). After that I rarely
| wait more than 3 minutes to fall asleep.
|
| Not many books get read that way unfortunately, I used to read a
| lot before that.
|
| These days I do wake up at weird hours though, not sure what to
| do when I wake 4AM.
| DrillShopper wrote:
| Sounds like a good opportunity to read
| jspash wrote:
| Could you elaborate? Was it from total exhaustion? Were you
| taught a special technique to help you sleep? Or was it from
| knowing you MUST get your rest or you'll suffer the entire next
| day?
| powersnail wrote:
| I know that this might sound too obvious to say. But I've found
| that, it is much easier to maintain good sleep habits when real
| life is not stressful. If I'm facing a big problem in life, an
| important deadline for example, it is unlikely that any effort I
| put into sleeping habits is going to help. Sometimes, I just stay
| up as late, but instead of working, time is spent in blaming
| myself for not sleeping in time, and worrying about getting up
| tomorrow.
|
| The reason I think this is worth saying, is that sometimes, to
| break the vicious cycle of [stress -> sleep-deprivation -> more
| stress -> ...], you need to shift the focus to tackle the real
| life problem first, and don't beat yourself up for not being a
| good sleeper. Trying and failing to develop sleep hygiene can
| pile on the frustration and worsen the vicious cycle.
| NGRhodes wrote:
| I'm surprised the article did not mention speaking to a doctor
| about the possibility of underlying medical conditions
| (physical/mental health/neurological), if all suggestions fail.
| DrillShopper wrote:
| I'm not.
|
| I have "good" insurance in the States and I still had to pay
| $700 out of pocket for a sleep study and another $750 to _rent_
| a CPAP that my insurance company demanded nightly uploaded logs
| from.
| bdangubic wrote:
| exactly... speaking to a doctor eliminates 97.34% of all
| readers
| throw24111 wrote:
| I regularly go to sleep at around 6 am, when the sun starts
| coming up, and wake up at around 2 / 3 pm. It doesn't matter
| where I am, or the time of the year. That's my natural bed time.
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