Let's talk about sleep

[Max Cow Disease]

I'd echo what others have said and suggest some form of routine. Successful sleep seems to very much depend on "tricking" the brain into thinking it's bed time. Preparing at around the same time, beginning to relax/wind down, etc. Staring at Lap Top or tablet screens in the dark, I've read, can simulate a sort of daylight for the brain and prevent it from winding down to the necessary speed.

Sent from my Nexus 7

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I personally have found running helps get me a great night sleep.

Sadly I haven't really done much in the winter. If I'm lazy all day and don't do much my sleep quality is horrible.

Eat right and stay active really do help.

[Azure]

I usually play sports or workout in the evening, which means I drink a lot of fluids, which means I get up at least ONCE per night to go to the washroom, and sometimes twice. This screws up my ability to sleep through the night.

I go to the washroom right before going to bed, and I try cutting back on fluids in the evening, which is rather hard if you play hockey from 8-10PM.

Otherwise I sleep fine. A memory foam is a big help. Except when you can't sleep in your own bed and you're not used to the harder mattress.

[Wise Gamble]

Never use an alarm clock. All my classes aren't til the afternoon. Usually get 8-9 hours of sleep. Knowing you don't have to wake up early is something I take for granted.

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by sa226

There are some Iphone and Android apps out there that work on the "sleep cycle" principle.

Basically, your sleep goes in cycles from deep to light. The length of everybody's cycle is on average between 60-90 mins. The idea is that even if you were asleep for 10 hours if you awake in the middle of the deep part of your sleep cycle you will be groggy and tired, on the flip side of that if you only slept for 3-4 hours as long as you wake during the light part of your cycle, you will feel pretty good.

These apps get mixed reviews because the alarm is supposed to wake you during your light cycle and people are generally stupid so there are reviews stating that they were late for work or woke up way too early.

It could be something to try out on days off or something.

I have been trying one of these for Android called sleepbot. You leave your phone on the mattress near your head and it uses the accelerometer to measure your movements during the night to track your sleep cycles. If you set an alarm it will try to wake you up within a half hour range of the time you set at a point where you are not in deep sleep. It's been surprisingly effective for me so far.
It also provides you with charts of your movements during the night and a bunch of other tools that are neat too. One unexpectedly cool tool for me is that when you wake up it asks you to rate your sleep and you can insert a comment, which I have been using to make records of the dreams I've been having just before I wake up. Super heroes play a surprisingly large role in my subconscious thinking apparently and it is cool just to have a record of this.

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by Wise Gamble

Never use an alarm clock. All my classes aren't til the afternoon. Usually get 8-9 hours of sleep. Knowing you don't have to wake up early is something I take for granted.

This type of thought process would actually fix my insomnia. Going to bed when I'm tired, and waking up when I'm no longer tired would just seem natural. Unfortunately, business hours don't mesh with these times.

[Sr. Mints]

Chronic bad sleeper here.

Took about ten months to get into the sleep clinic at the Foothills hospital.

A few weeks ago my sleep test came back saying I am woken up 25 times per hour by the airway in my troat collapsing or whatever. Sleep apnea. The doc said my results weren't horrible, but not good either. I might benefit from a CPAP machine, but I might not. I am set to go to a store where they'll let me rent one next week.

Essentially, when you're awoken 25 timers per hour, he said, it pulls you out of REM sleep, which is why you wake up never feeling refreshed, which is a problem for me, but not my main problem

Doctor said if 100 people had the test I had done, 25% would have the same results I did. 5% would have above 35 times/hour.

My main problem is falling asleep. It could be my circadian rhythm is out of whack (and I suspect it has been since I was a tyke.) But also, as I've mentioned on this board in the past, neurological pain in my legs from a spine injury. That's the really sucky one. The medication for it sucks and makes me tired all the time, but oddly does nothing for sleeping.

The sleep doctor told me melatonin can be taken kind of as a sleeping pill. 3mg is standard, but you can take up to 10mg an hour before bedtime. I haven't tried that yet.

Sleep doctor also gave me a script for Sublinox. I tried a different sleeping pill years and years ago, but it was terrible: I'd wake up and for the whole day the taste in my mouth was vile. This new stuff came in a box (adding to my theory that when medicine comes in a box, it isn't covered by health plans) and cost a lot of money. 30 pills was $47. Haven't tried these yet, either. I don't really want to be on sleeping pills of any kind, and I made that clear to the doc, but he gave it to me to help get my sleep cycle back on track.

Hmmm... what else do I got...

Propranolol is something I've been given because I'm "a prime candidate for it," says my doctor. Anxiety, etc., etc., supposed to calm me down or something. I don't know if it calms or relaxes me, but I feel...... It's tough to describe..... 10 feet tall and bullet proof? Like I could walk into a knife-fight and not be nervous or scared at all. I don't know.... Doc said there's no harm in taking it, so I'll try it out for a few more months.

That's all I got.

I recommend trying to get into the/a sleep clinic. The one at the foothills hospital was free, but long wait. Another one in Stadium shopping centre was $800 for the sleep test. Ouch. The doctor I saw seemed to now his stuff. I go back in June.

Edit to add:

Oh right! With regards to the circadian rthym, here's what sleep doctor was saying about light from cellphones, TVs, computers, etc. The blue light from these types of devices hits your retina, and your brain send signals (serotonin, I think) to your body to stay awake.

Serotonin inhibits the production of melatonin (the one that tells your body to sleep.)

On the same side of the coin, if you're trying to wake up in the morning, or trying to put your schedule back on track, sitting outside within 30 minutes of waking up, without sunglasses. is beneficial. The sunlight enters your eye, hits your retina, and serotonin is sent.

[JohnnyB]

I also ordered one of those Philips blue light therapy devices and it arrived today. I've always been dramatically affected by daylight and after about 25 minutes of having that thing on next to me while reading I feel like I just took a whole handful of uppers. It's like full on summertime in my head!
I suppose I'm just the type of person for who this thing is suited but I seriously feel great.

[Flames89]

For sleep apnea, you don't neccessarily need a CPAP machine. There are other options, including http://www.proventtherapy.com/ca-en/index.php
You wear them on you nose, and then there is a mouth guard that my Dad uses (don't know name)

[kermitology]

I have a 7 week old daughter. I sleep at most in 4 hour intervals. I expect not to sleep well for another 30 years.

[Sainters7]

Melatonin used to work great for me, but I think I took it too much over the years, if anything it gives me insomnia now. I swear I sleep better taking nothing at all than when I take a melatonin these days. Anyone else get crazy dreams when taking one too? I think 90% of my nightmares come from when I took one. Finally had to retire from them.

[Wormius]

I am not sure if this is a sleep-related problem per se, but when I am laying down (either stomach or side sleeping) there are a few nights when I don't feel like I am able to get a satisfying breath unless it's a yawn. Whenever I try to inhale it just feels incomplete. Has anybody else had this experience and solved it?

[Azure]

ZMA can also benefit light sleepers. Won't help you fall asleep though.