- regular vigorous exercise - I do this five or six days per week
- no caffeine after about 2 pm
- mostly consistent bedtime
- heating pad, for nights when my lower back is stiff or sore
- white noise in the form of a fan (though I’m going to need something more powerful, as my neighbor has started the lovely habit of watching tv at 330am with no headphones)
- on nights when I’m really having trouble, I have a small stash of chewable 5mg melatonin tablets on my nightstand
I scrolled way too far to find exercise. Not that you’re going to fall asleep within 5 minutes of returning from a run, but it really does work. Among other things, aerobic exercise will help with stress, sleep, some back and joint problems, helps you to eat less and burn more calories.
On another note, I heard something in a podcast or radio show that said that a special type of breathing exercise is as good as exercise for many of these things and will fool your body. Obviously, it won’t build muscle, but it may help with sleep and stress.
got myself a sleep apnea mouth guard. It’s amazing to actually be able to sleep just 7 hours and actually be refreshed instead of even more tired than the evening before.
Monitored the change with an app that records your snoring. and it’s insane what a different it makes
Similar boat, but I had to go full CPAP loooordy it makes a difference, I feel human again with it!
Does it have to be custom-made?
No. Mine is made with Thermo-plast inside, so you just heated it up in water and bite down on it for a decent fit
Having a partner who loves me
4 hours of 30 second videos viewed on a screen held 4 inches away from my face, it never fails 👍
Removing all distractions, which takes a bit of work. Covering every single source of light. Little indicator on my charger? Slapped electrical tape on it. Blackout curtains. Noise machine. The hardest one: Never using the bedroom for anything but sleeping. Not even a little peek at the phone and YouTube for a relaxing video. I have an analogue non-illuminated clock for daytime, and if I need to check the time in the dark, a Timex I can hit the glow button on. If I really can’t sleep, I get up and go into another room to read or listen to something.
Fan for air flow and noise (I’ve got tinnitus). Rub one out. Small glass of cold water. I’ll roll over and pass tf out in seconds.
Highly recommended, but not necessary: Take an edible ~ 2 hours before you wanna go to sleep so you’re in the middle of riding that high when it’s time to crash.
Ear plugs. They are also very effective at keeping the alarm from waking me up though…
A lot of this was already covered but here’s what I have:
- Lights/screens:
- Switching to light sources/bulbs with lower brightness/warmer light temperature (lower Kelvin/K-value) 3 hours before bed. (Light affects our sleep-wake cycle, aka the circadian rhythm. Our brain processes bright light as “the sun is still up so it’s not time to sleep yet”)
- Gradually dimming electronic screens until bedtime. (Computer: using a program like F.lux and lowering the brightness gradually in the graphics card’s control panel. Phone: with a built-in Night/Dark Mode option that you can schedule or by using an app like Twilight). // Don’t take your devices to the bedroom, or keep them far away from the bed and set them on silent/shut them off.
- Use a face mask (or tie some other cloth around your eyes), or sleep in a dark room (closed door, covered windows, covered LED lights on electronics, etc.) (note: if you sleep in a closed room make sure to keep it well-ventilated in all other hours)
- Try not to sleep for more than 8 hours, so you’ll always be tired enough the next night.
- Masking noise:
- Use something that makes a white noise - a loud fan/air purifier, a plugged-in radio that’s not tuned to a working station, a white noise device, etc. (put it next to a window if it’s noisy outside to mask the noise better)
- Additionally (or alternatively) you can use foam earplugs. Just make sure to roll&squeeze them before putting them in and don’t push them too far, otherwise you might get impacted earwax and have difficulty getting them out.
- Food: Have a light meal 3-3.5 hours before bed and light snacks (like crackers) 1.5-2 hours before bed, to not go to sleep hungry and get distracted by that and to not put the body into overdrive by having to digest a heavy meal, or cause heartburn/indigestion.
- If you sleep on your stomach with your head to the side, you can use a thin and narrow side pillow (but firm) along your torso to support your shoulder on the side that your head is pointing to. (you can also use a thin pillow for your head to not strain your neck/spine - there are ones made for kids if needed)
- Lights/screens:
This specific brown noise makes my brain shut down fast. Jason Lewis is a genius.
A pint of stout and earbuds with rain noise.
A pint is great at helping me fall asleep. Unfortunately, it also prevents me from sleeping restfully.
Melatonin and a podcast very quietly, just enough to focus on over the tinnitus
Working way too much until exhaustion takes over.
Masturbation to get things started. CPAP machine to make sure I don’t suffocate in the middle of the night. Ear plugs to muffle out all the little noises.
Pot, and nose strips. I’ve always been terrible at falling asleep, but the last couple years I’ve been so much better rested with this combo.
I do not do anything but sleep in my bedroom. My phone charger stays in the living room. When I feel tired, I lay down and basically turn off for four to five hours. I have no issues getting to sleep, but I can’t stay asleep for a “normal” 6-8 hours. My body won’t do it.
