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Do you have sleep problems? Have you ever learned a way to solve sleep problems?
- Thread starter Tschumi
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GymWolf
Member
I bet your skin is a thing of beauty with all that sleep time.
Romulus
Member
I used to work in a sleep lab and calming magnesium powder was often recommended by docs that weren't pushing meds and cpap.
And time released melatonin is better than regular if it works on you at all in the first place.
Stay in shape. Alot of overweight people have undiagnosed sleep apnea. Even a slightly fat neck will push down on your throat and cause all sorts of problems for quality rest. Humans were meant to lean trackers anyway, neck fat makes no sense for us.
And time released melatonin is better than regular if it works on you at all in the first place.
Stay in shape. Alot of overweight people have undiagnosed sleep apnea. Even a slightly fat neck will push down on your throat and cause all sorts of problems for quality rest. Humans were meant to lean trackers anyway, neck fat makes no sense for us.
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-aftermidnight-
Member
CPAP machine, yes i know bout that whole issue on the recall. But i opened mine up and seems ok. i got a filter for the hose. Ever since i started using it years ago i've felt better. Actually the very first few times i used it, I woke up and felt like i did when i was like 8 or 9 years old 
but that was just the 1st few times.
but that was just the 1st few times.
carlosrox
Banned
Yup and ASMR was a dormant feeling I had for many many years til I found accidental (and intentional) ASMR on YouTube.
I was into ASMR way before it was cool and way before it had a name or I even knew it was a thing anybody else had. I thought me and my brothers were the only ones.
But it started off with really loving Bob Ross and The Urban Peasant that I would watch as a kid and loving their voices.
It was never something I was able to use to get to bed as a kid, instead I'd always need a fan to sleep to get some white noise going. Flash forward to me being a young adult and then I'd enjoy YouTube vids of certain people's voices. Then I finally found out other people did the same thing as me and that ASMR was a thing, had a name, and other people enjoyed it. It blew my mind quite a bit actually.
So yeah, my answer is a fan plus ASMR. I essentially can't sleep without both on.
I was into ASMR way before it was cool and way before it had a name or I even knew it was a thing anybody else had. I thought me and my brothers were the only ones.
But it started off with really loving Bob Ross and The Urban Peasant that I would watch as a kid and loving their voices.
It was never something I was able to use to get to bed as a kid, instead I'd always need a fan to sleep to get some white noise going. Flash forward to me being a young adult and then I'd enjoy YouTube vids of certain people's voices. Then I finally found out other people did the same thing as me and that ASMR was a thing, had a name, and other people enjoyed it. It blew my mind quite a bit actually.
So yeah, my answer is a fan plus ASMR. I essentially can't sleep without both on.
Rickyiez
Member
Sorta kinda . I always need more than 2 hours on bed before falling asleep , and then there's also anxiety from not able to sleep or feeling exhausted on the next morning .
All the while I thought the problem came from the brain not entering sleep mode yet and unable to stop having thoughts . Just recently I realized it's not the brain , it's the body all along . My body is programmed to enter sleeping mode around 3-4pm , so no matter what I did whether from trying to sleep early or avoiding certain foods/drinks , it doesn't matter because the body doesn't want to sleep yet .
So the only thing I can do is make sure my sleep schedule is consistent nowadays and try to gradually shift the biological clock earlier , which is damn hard NGL
All the while I thought the problem came from the brain not entering sleep mode yet and unable to stop having thoughts . Just recently I realized it's not the brain , it's the body all along . My body is programmed to enter sleeping mode around 3-4pm , so no matter what I did whether from trying to sleep early or avoiding certain foods/drinks , it doesn't matter because the body doesn't want to sleep yet .
So the only thing I can do is make sure my sleep schedule is consistent nowadays and try to gradually shift the biological clock earlier , which is damn hard NGL
Several things.
Go to bed at about the same time.
Stay away from coffeine.
Stay away from screen an hour or two before bed. Read a book instead.
Have some brown or white noise in the bacground. The sound of rain is very helpful for me.
And if all else fails, use relaxation exercises. Just deep, slow and controlled breathing can in itself conk you out.
Go to bed at about the same time.
Stay away from coffeine.
Stay away from screen an hour or two before bed. Read a book instead.
Have some brown or white noise in the bacground. The sound of rain is very helpful for me.
And if all else fails, use relaxation exercises. Just deep, slow and controlled breathing can in itself conk you out.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I dunno if it helps my skin, but I can definitely tell when I had poor sleep. A good night of sleep is like having a super power.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
I'm the same. I can sleep all day. Getting up feels like crap. Takes me 5-10 min to get fully awake.
My naps are 2 hours long. Always have been. I hear all these people doing half hour power naps and dont see how thats possible. When I do that, I feel terrible as my body has barely limped into slumber yet.
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Mistake
Member
I kind of figured out power naps. If I lie down, I’ll want to sleep deeper and then feel like crap after. But if I’m sitting and nod off, it works.
MastAndo
Gold Member
If I can sleep according to my own schedule, I have no issues. The problem is that my sleep patterns are WAY off. I only feel really ready for bed when the sun is about to come up. Any other time, unless it's a nap during the day, I'm basically forcing myself to sleep. I also feel my sharpest mentally at this time of night, around 12AM. If I force myself to bed at 10 or 11 PM like a normal person, I have these really vivid and troubling dreams - not exactly nightmares, but unpleasant, and I find myself wide awake a few hours later like my body is rejecting the idea.
This whole quarantine period with remote work has had this spiraling out of control for me. I've always been a night owl, but it's just snowballed into vampire status now. I'll go to bed around 6 AM and wake up a few hours later to stumble to my computer and get some work done. Around 5 PM, I'm ready to drop and if there's a lull in work to be done, I take a 2-hour nap. No shot of me getting to bed at a reasonable hour after that. Rinse and repeat for almost 2 years now, and I've kind of just embraced it as my way of life.
Over the weekend, left to my own devices, I can go to bed at 6 or 7 AM and wake up at 2 sleeping the whole way, feeling like I got a full night's rest. Easy peasy...problem is, that's not conducive to a normal life. It's pretty embarrassing that I have to make a real effort and move things around to be somewhere at noon for a weekend get together or something. So yeah, I would say I have sleep problems.
This whole quarantine period with remote work has had this spiraling out of control for me. I've always been a night owl, but it's just snowballed into vampire status now. I'll go to bed around 6 AM and wake up a few hours later to stumble to my computer and get some work done. Around 5 PM, I'm ready to drop and if there's a lull in work to be done, I take a 2-hour nap. No shot of me getting to bed at a reasonable hour after that. Rinse and repeat for almost 2 years now, and I've kind of just embraced it as my way of life.
Over the weekend, left to my own devices, I can go to bed at 6 or 7 AM and wake up at 2 sleeping the whole way, feeling like I got a full night's rest. Easy peasy...problem is, that's not conducive to a normal life. It's pretty embarrassing that I have to make a real effort and move things around to be somewhere at noon for a weekend get together or something. So yeah, I would say I have sleep problems.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
My sleeping habit is messed too. Last year it wasnt so bad. I can adjust any time and get back to normal, but latsely I'll stay up super late and my sleeping is often now two 3-4 hour sessions instead of one 7-8 sleep.
It actually works fine for work as I'm there all day. Just weird.
MastAndo
Gold Member
Yeah, it works well for work, as I'm in IT and we have international offices on the other side of the world. I'm working now actually which isn't an issue knowing I don't have to be up at an exact time to head into the office.
I wrote an email to one of the partners when our office opened up for 3-day work weeks last month explaining how my work habits/hours had shifted over the quarantine and I would be much more useful to the company and productive just continuing to work from home 99% of the time...which is true.
eddie4
Genuinely Generous
I'm lucky enough that I never had sleep issues. I am usually asleep about a minute or two after my head hits the pillow. My wife is extremely jealous of this. It usually helps that I can turn my brain off and not think of anything when I lay down. I don't lay and wonder if I should have done something different today, or what tomorrow will bring, or what might happen, etc. I just turn off my brain and it's sleep time.
Although I cannot sleep during the few days around the 4th of July due to my childhood trauma, the rest of the year, good to go.
Although I cannot sleep during the few days around the 4th of July due to my childhood trauma, the rest of the year, good to go.
Ionian
Member
Had a buddy like that, would nod-off after 2 beers. People wrote on his face with a Sharpie.
Once woke and went to town on the house with it. Took ages to clean it. Then again this was after the previous sleep when he was shot with a BB gun and didn't wake. Still have the photos of both.
I let him shoot me back, seriously hurts when awake.
We're still good mates.
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Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Some hot tips from Huberman:
hubermanlab.com
1) View sunlight by going outside within 30-60 minutes of waking. Do that again in the late afternoon, prior to sunset. If you wake up before the sun is out and you want to be awake, turn on artificial lights and then go outside once the sun rises.
On bright cloudless days: view morning and afternoon sun for 10 min; cloudy days: 20 min; very overcast days 30-60 min. If you live someplace with very minimal light, consider an artificial daytime simulator source.
Don’t wear sunglasses for this practice if you safely can, but contact lenses and eyeglasses are fine.
No, you don’t have to look directly at the sun, and never look at ANY light so bright it is painful to view! That said, you can’t wear a brimmed hat, sunglasses and remain in the shade and expect to “wake up” your circadian clock.
2) Wake up at the same time each day and go to sleep when you first start to feel sleepy. Pushing through the sleepy late evening feeling and going to sleep too late (for you) is one reason people wake at 3 am and can’t fall back asleep.
3) Avoid caffeine within 8-10 hours of bedtime. Dr. Matt Walker (sleep expert from UC Berkeley) might even say 12-14 hours. I do fine with caffeine at 2 pm and I go to sleep at ~10-11 pm. Dr. Walker was on the Huberman Lab Podcast and we discussed this in detail.
4) If you have sleep disturbances, insomnia, or anxiety about sleep, try the zero-cost research-supported protocols on the Reveri app (for Apple or Android phones) Do the Reveri sleep self-hypnosis 3x a week at any time of day. It’s only 10-15 min long and will help you rewire your nervous system to be able to relax faster.
5) Avoid viewing bright lights—especially bright overhead lights between 10 pm and 4 am. Here is a simple rule: only use as much artificial lighting as is necessary for you to remain and move about safely at night. Blue blockers can help a bit at night but still dim the lights. Viewing bright lights of all colors are a problem for your circadian system. Candlelight and moonlight are fine. (Shift workers should see the Huberman Lab Podcast on jetlag for offsetting shift work negative effects. Same for jetlagged travelers.)
6) Limit daytime naps to less than 90 min, or don’t nap at all. I love naps as do many of my colleagues. I tend to nap for 30 min most afternoons… maybe 45 min, but never longer.
7) If you wake up in the middle of the night (which, by the way, is normal to do once or so each night) but you can’t fall back asleep, consider doing an NSDR protocol when you wake up. Enter “NSDR” into YouTube and the top 3-4 options have different voices, durations for you to select from. Or simply do a “Yoga Nidra” protocol (enter “yoga nidra” to YouTube; 100s to select.)
8) You might consider taking (30-60 min before bed):
**Don’t take theanine if you have overly intense dreams, sleep-walk, or have night terrors.
***Also, some people (~5%), get an agitated stomach from magnesium supplementation, in which case, do not take it.
****I use supplements from Thorne for all of the above, except the Apigenin, as they don’t make it. Also, they do not manufacture Magnesium Threonate either. Magnesium Bisglycinate is a good replacement for Threonate. You can get 20% off all Thorne supplements at https://www.thorne.com/u/huberman or you can pick another source you like and trust. Thorne does not ship outside the USA.
9) Expect to feel really alert ~1 hour before your natural bedtime. This is a naturally occurring spike in wakefulness that sleep researchers have observed.
Don’t freak out if it happens. It will pass!
10) Keep the room you sleep in cool and dark and layer on blankets that you can remove.
Your body needs to drop in temperature by 1-3 degrees to fall and stay asleep effectively. Body temperature increases are one reason you wake up. Thus, keep your room cool and remove blankets as needed. If it’s too hot you would have to use a cooling device and that’s harder than simply tossing off blankets if you get too warm.
11) Drinking alcohol messes up your sleep. As do most sleep medications.
This was discussed on the Huberman Lab Podcast Episode with Dr. Matt Walker.
12) Kids (and indeed all of us) have changing sleep needs over time. Adjust accordingly.
We might be night owls at 15 but become “morning people” as we age or need 6 hours a night in summer and 7-8 in winter. It will vary.
That’s it for now. Again, sleep is THE foundation of our mental and physical health and performance in all endeavors. Yet no one is perfect about sleep. The occasional night out or missing sunlight viewing here and there is not a big deal, so don’t obsess about that. However, if any of us drift from these and the other behaviors for too long, we start to suffer. So whatever your life and goals and schedule, master your sleep. You’ll be so happy you did!
Toolkit for Sleep - Huberman Lab
The first Neural Network newsletter provides actionable tools, including a 12 step guide, to improve sleep.
hubermanlab.com
1) View sunlight by going outside within 30-60 minutes of waking. Do that again in the late afternoon, prior to sunset. If you wake up before the sun is out and you want to be awake, turn on artificial lights and then go outside once the sun rises.
On bright cloudless days: view morning and afternoon sun for 10 min; cloudy days: 20 min; very overcast days 30-60 min. If you live someplace with very minimal light, consider an artificial daytime simulator source.
Don’t wear sunglasses for this practice if you safely can, but contact lenses and eyeglasses are fine.
No, you don’t have to look directly at the sun, and never look at ANY light so bright it is painful to view! That said, you can’t wear a brimmed hat, sunglasses and remain in the shade and expect to “wake up” your circadian clock.
2) Wake up at the same time each day and go to sleep when you first start to feel sleepy. Pushing through the sleepy late evening feeling and going to sleep too late (for you) is one reason people wake at 3 am and can’t fall back asleep.
3) Avoid caffeine within 8-10 hours of bedtime. Dr. Matt Walker (sleep expert from UC Berkeley) might even say 12-14 hours. I do fine with caffeine at 2 pm and I go to sleep at ~10-11 pm. Dr. Walker was on the Huberman Lab Podcast and we discussed this in detail.
4) If you have sleep disturbances, insomnia, or anxiety about sleep, try the zero-cost research-supported protocols on the Reveri app (for Apple or Android phones) Do the Reveri sleep self-hypnosis 3x a week at any time of day. It’s only 10-15 min long and will help you rewire your nervous system to be able to relax faster.
5) Avoid viewing bright lights—especially bright overhead lights between 10 pm and 4 am. Here is a simple rule: only use as much artificial lighting as is necessary for you to remain and move about safely at night. Blue blockers can help a bit at night but still dim the lights. Viewing bright lights of all colors are a problem for your circadian system. Candlelight and moonlight are fine. (Shift workers should see the Huberman Lab Podcast on jetlag for offsetting shift work negative effects. Same for jetlagged travelers.)
6) Limit daytime naps to less than 90 min, or don’t nap at all. I love naps as do many of my colleagues. I tend to nap for 30 min most afternoons… maybe 45 min, but never longer.
7) If you wake up in the middle of the night (which, by the way, is normal to do once or so each night) but you can’t fall back asleep, consider doing an NSDR protocol when you wake up. Enter “NSDR” into YouTube and the top 3-4 options have different voices, durations for you to select from. Or simply do a “Yoga Nidra” protocol (enter “yoga nidra” to YouTube; 100s to select.)
8) You might consider taking (30-60 min before bed):
- 145mg Magnesium Threonate or 200mg Magnesium Bisglycinate
- 50mg Apigenin (Swanson is the only source I know of; we have no affiliation to Swanson)
- 100-400mg Theanine
- (3-4 nights per week I also take 2g of Glycine and 100mg GABA.)
**Don’t take theanine if you have overly intense dreams, sleep-walk, or have night terrors.
***Also, some people (~5%), get an agitated stomach from magnesium supplementation, in which case, do not take it.
****I use supplements from Thorne for all of the above, except the Apigenin, as they don’t make it. Also, they do not manufacture Magnesium Threonate either. Magnesium Bisglycinate is a good replacement for Threonate. You can get 20% off all Thorne supplements at https://www.thorne.com/u/huberman or you can pick another source you like and trust. Thorne does not ship outside the USA.
9) Expect to feel really alert ~1 hour before your natural bedtime. This is a naturally occurring spike in wakefulness that sleep researchers have observed.
Don’t freak out if it happens. It will pass!
10) Keep the room you sleep in cool and dark and layer on blankets that you can remove.
Your body needs to drop in temperature by 1-3 degrees to fall and stay asleep effectively. Body temperature increases are one reason you wake up. Thus, keep your room cool and remove blankets as needed. If it’s too hot you would have to use a cooling device and that’s harder than simply tossing off blankets if you get too warm.
11) Drinking alcohol messes up your sleep. As do most sleep medications.
This was discussed on the Huberman Lab Podcast Episode with Dr. Matt Walker.
12) Kids (and indeed all of us) have changing sleep needs over time. Adjust accordingly.
We might be night owls at 15 but become “morning people” as we age or need 6 hours a night in summer and 7-8 in winter. It will vary.
That’s it for now. Again, sleep is THE foundation of our mental and physical health and performance in all endeavors. Yet no one is perfect about sleep. The occasional night out or missing sunlight viewing here and there is not a big deal, so don’t obsess about that. However, if any of us drift from these and the other behaviors for too long, we start to suffer. So whatever your life and goals and schedule, master your sleep. You’ll be so happy you did!
Giallo Corsa
Gold Member
Benny, do these gummies really work or - in your opinion - do they work mostly as a Placebo ? Honest question friend, if it helps (you), it helps, not judging !
Cheers
Lady Redfield
Member
Yes.
I was told a few things to help:
- no tv, computers or cell phone an hour before bed, turn it all off. The light enters your eyes and they react keeping you awake.
-no caffeine before bed (obvious one)
- listen to relaxing sounds like rainfall, waves at the beach, etc.
I was told a few things to help:
- no tv, computers or cell phone an hour before bed, turn it all off. The light enters your eyes and they react keeping you awake.
-no caffeine before bed (obvious one)
- listen to relaxing sounds like rainfall, waves at the beach, etc.
Wildebeest
Member
People talk about "blue light" or "natural light" but if you want to be scientific about it all you need to worry about is how many "lux" you get on a light meter. Natural light has a high but variable Lux. Removing blue light will reduce the Lux but so would just turning down the brightness. So if you have problems getting up before sunrise or if you live in the North and get dim light in the winter, then you need a lamp with a high Lux rating, commonly sold as SAD therapy light boxes or similar.
GeekyDad
Member
I'm thinking most gummies have sugar in them, which itself is a stimulant. I'm sure a melatonin caplet/tablet could help, but I'd personally stay away from sugar right before bed. I actually cut myself off from everything but water three hours before bed.
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Lord Panda
The Sea is Always Right
I was a light sleeper, and every now and again would have issues with falling asleep especially if I didn’t go to bed and wake up at set times. Working from home really messed up my sleep cycles/ pattern because I became really complacent and undisciplined with going to bed on time.
Once I became a father, I can fall unconscious on any soft or hard surface at a whim. And walking me up would be akin to pulling a comatose whale from a deep well. So yeah parenthood will solve most insomnia cases.
Once I became a father, I can fall unconscious on any soft or hard surface at a whim. And walking me up would be akin to pulling a comatose whale from a deep well. So yeah parenthood will solve most insomnia cases.
Toytown Assassin
Member
opposite for me. I was the primary carer for my kids and my daughter was a total nightmare. She was on a 25 hour day for like the 1st 2 years. It destroyed me. I still don't sleep regularly over 20 years on.
Lord Panda
The Sea is Always Right
Goddamn, sorry to hear that. That would be my nightmare too. My friend’s kid suffered from night terrors and that went on for many years.
So far my newborn is sleeping solid for 3-4 hr cycles before waking up for a diaper change and feed.
Toytown Assassin
Member
She didn't have anything like that just slept exactly 1 hour later every god damn day and nothing worked. It was living hell. I spent a month of it alone as the wife was away sorting out a new home and I'm amazed I didn't murder the little darling. She also used to do the scream and scream and scream until I'm sick thing when she had a tantrum. Challenging child to say the least. Love her to bits though!
I have had severe sleeping problems for quite a few years, but its getting better now.
Besides some of the things people mention itt, like having a steady routine, reading a book before bedtime etc., what I found the most effective is taking a long and HOT shower right before going to bed. The process of your body cooling off should make you comfortable and sleepy. Make sure to drink a bit of water after the shower and keep your bedroom cool.
Happy sleeping!
Besides some of the things people mention itt, like having a steady routine, reading a book before bedtime etc., what I found the most effective is taking a long and HOT shower right before going to bed. The process of your body cooling off should make you comfortable and sleepy. Make sure to drink a bit of water after the shower and keep your bedroom cool.
Happy sleeping!
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Wildebeest
Member
Who knows. Could be due to your blood sugar or not getting a good enough sleep before waking up. Are you diabetic? Do you drink regularly or midnight snack? I'm not a doctor.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
I'm no med pro, but if you got issues due to covid, sleep on your stomach supposedly helps. My medical friend told me that and also the article says it too.
Sounds counterintuitive to me since sleeping on your stomach sounds like it'd squeeze your lungs and your face might be half mashed into a pillow reducing airflow.
I would had assumed sleeping on your back is the best. Guess not.
www.cnn.com
Sounds counterintuitive to me since sleeping on your stomach sounds like it'd squeeze your lungs and your face might be half mashed into a pillow reducing airflow.
I would had assumed sleeping on your back is the best. Guess not.
‘Such a simple thing to do’: Why positioning Covid-19 patients on their stomachs can save lives | CNN
Critical care specialists say being on the belly seems help people seriously ill with Covid-19 because it allows oxygen to more easily get to the lungs. “It’s such a simple thing to do, and we’ve seen remarkable improvement,” one doctor said.
www.cnn.com
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i tend to eat late at night. not diabetic
happens after i've slept ~6 hours
ForAcademicPurposes
Gold Member
Whiskey.
Wildebeest
Member
You could try eating earlier and giving yourself more time to sleep if you want to experiment.