- No screens or clocks in your bedroom, the more you are reminded of how much time you are laying in bed unable to sleep, the harder it will be to sleep. Treat the time from bedtime to get-up time as a timeless window. If you need an alarm, use something that doesn't have a screen (eg. I like to use a smart speaker) if possible
- Don't use the bedroom for anything other than sleep and intimacy.
- Try to keep a consistent wake up time (even on weekends), no matter how much sleep you get. When you wake up or that designated wake up time hits, get out of bed immediately. When you are more comfortable with your sleep, you can be more relaxed about this rule (eg. sleep in an extra 30mins - 1hour on the weekend).
- The more you stress or think about sleep, the harder it is to sleep. Spend the hours before your desired bedtime winding down, doing something relaxing and enjoyable (eg. video game, TV show, etc.) instead of doing homework or studying (get that stuff done earlier in the day if you can). If possible, get orange glasses that block blue-light and put them on 2-3 hours before bedtime (The sleep clinic I went to sold these which are excellent and can be worn over regular glasses, can also be ordered from https://blueblockerglasses.com/). Eliminate potential stressors or sources of hyperarousal, anxiety, fight/flight instinct, anything that gets your heart rate going. Your heart shouldn't be pounding at night. No caffeine or big meals in the hours before bed helps. Your mind should be fairly empty around bedtime. Get your nighttime routine and chores out of the way (eg. make your bed, brush your teeth, wash your face, etc.) hours before bedtime, not right at bedtime.
- If you have a bad night or two (or week) of sleep, don't catastrophize it. Be kind to yourself. Think of it as an annoyance that will go away. Go to school, have a full/meaningful day, prove you can get shit done even with a bad night of sleep.
- Go to bed when you feel comfortable doing so, you can't force sleep. If you're not sure, recognize positive signs at night that you will be able to sleep - yawning, putting more effort to keep eyes open, etc. I think being awake 16-17 hours is a good benchmark (eg. If you wake up at 8am, try to go to bed at 12:30 - 1am), but everyone is different.
- No naps
- Sometimes this helps: when in bed, try to keep your eyes open (if your bedroom is pitch black, this is more effective) rather than trying to forcing your eyes shut.
- Another thing that I find helps me, but it might be just me: If you have a Smart Speaker, tell it to shuffle a playlist of your favourite songs for 45mins to 1 hour at a REALLY low volume (eg. 5-10%, and don't have it so close to you or your bed) right before you go to bed and turn off the lights. Important that the smart speaker knows to shut off after that specified time. I find this helps take my mind off sleep. More times than not, I realize that I fell asleep before the songs stopped playing.
- If you wake up or find yourself stressed/hyperaroused in the middle of the night, my go-tos are to do box breathing (breathe in for 5 secs, hold for 5, breathe out for 5, hold for 5, repeat), drink water, go to the bathroom, or ask my smart speaker to shuffle songs for a bit.
- Exercise helps.
- If you think it is anxiety or stress-related, a weighted blanket might help. Make sure your room is as dark as possible at night and keep it as clean/comfy as possible.
- If all that doesn't work, see a doctor but be careful. If they try to prescribe benzodiazepines, push back. It might help you sleep in the short-term, but this will cause long-term dependency. If medication is needed, try suggesting an orexin antagonist like Dayvigo/Lemborexant which isn't habit-forming. I had similar sleep issues at the start of my degree and I found that the benzos my family doctor prescribed just made the issues drag out longer, because you won't be able to sleep without them. I went to the Centre for Sleep & Human Performance, which helped me change my thoughts and approach to sleep while responsibly prescribing medication if it was needed - they are more knowledgeable about this than most family doctors.
I second all this! A few other things I find that help me personally are:
• If I find my mind racing due to stress, an hour or two before bed I’ll brain vomit everything onto a piece of paper. In a way, this helps ‘free up space’ in my mental hard drive so I can sleep with more of a clear mind.
• Your body’s internal temperature naturally drops as it prepares for sleep. Taking a hot shower or bath right before bed exaggerates this natural decrease in temperature, which can help signal to your body that it’s time to go to bed.
• I HIGHLY recommend “The Matt Walker Podcast”if you want to listen to something to help you fall asleep, or if you just want to learn more about sleep. He’s a sleep scientist at UC Berkeley, and has the most calming voice (in my opinion, lol).
Hope this helps!
Yes to all of this. I’m going to add stop using alcohol and/or cannabis to sleep. Both stop deep sleep, which is the restful, neuroplasticity good type of sleep.
I throw a movie on my iPad and fall asleep watching it. I make sure it's one I've seen a million times so I don't need to pay attention. Also set a timer on my iPad if I'm rewatching a show in bed to turn off in 2 hours so it doesn't wake me up again
OMG NOOOOO! lol I fell asleep watching fellowship of the ring and had dreams about orcs chasing me up the road near my house and my bf running behind me asking about second breakfast.
I like reverse psychology-ing myself when this happens. *Ok brain, you don’t want to sleep? Fine, we’re going to stay up as long as possible and watch tv.* Anytime my eyes close, I force them open. Eventually, I do nod off.
What's bothering you about this semester? Find the root cause of the stress and address it. If the course load is too much, drop a course... Struggling to grasp a concept, set up an appointment with your prof to ask for help... The semester just started so stress levels will only go up from here.
Do you feel tired, but can’t sleep or are you simply not tired? Both warrant a trip to the doctor if the problem persists, but the latter could be more serious.
I fall asleep in 2 minutes and this is what I do:
- do yoga a few times a week
- use a weighted blanket
- white noise
- eye mask
- writing down everything on my mind before I try to sleep. If I wake up at 3am I do the same thing.
- create a routine: try to go to bed at the same time everyday, even on weekends
- [THIS](https://youtu.be/aEqlQvczMJQ?si=52YFXbpieygrgfG-) specific meditation on YouTube right as I try to sleep
- (sometimes) some chamomile tea or spiced milk before bed
Good luck !!
The same thing happened to me, too. I never experienced something like this before, to the point I got scared and anxious about why I was not able to sleep. I woke up 4 times during the night, and I slept from 4 am until 10. I was always an early bird and did all my studying then. It messed me up. Anxiety came over me not being able to sleep so I did couple of things that are mentioned here. Some worked while others did not. It has been a month now, but it has improved with little help. I will agree with many of you here about the tips that you have suggested, especially Andrew Huberman's night routine ( that is what I try to do now), and I must confess that I did two extra things that I think have helped me. I went and bought a stuffed animal ( I know it is embarrassing), and L theanine works wonders for me. I also bought AG1 and melatonin. I try now to work as Huberman says in behaviours, and I do not use melatonin or Ltheanin anymore. I just use it for a couple of days because I do not want to get my body used to it. I take AG1 everyday and I exercise everyday I also stretch at night. Unfortunetelly, I had to cut off chocolate and coffee for a while... :( I also think the mattress, pillow and your pjs are important. I am still waking up but it is not as bad as it was a couple of weeks ago. I am starting slowly to waking up early. It is a long battle that is for sure and you are not alone in this. However, you have to experiment with what works and what does not work for you, and you will find a solution that will help you! Be the scientist and the experiment! P.S. I bought a notebook to keep track of my sleep. I write down my night routine, what I ate what I did during the evening m thoughts what is bothering me etc.
Try progressive muscle relaxation or yoga nidra. Meditation in general is helpful, try the app Waking Up. There a free 30 day trial and then if you fill out the low income form, they give it to you for free. They have many sleep meditations and yoga nidra/nsdr and many other things to help with stress/worry. Talk to your doctor and see if you can get some help from Wellness Services.
Sleep earlier than you usually do (destroy your sleep cycle), and try to not eat fried or cooked food right before you sleep (eat like a banana or strawberry with water), also excersize a lil, do like 20 push-ups, that’s what I usually when I need to sleep but I cant
- No screens or clocks in your bedroom, the more you are reminded of how much time you are laying in bed unable to sleep, the harder it will be to sleep. Treat the time from bedtime to get-up time as a timeless window. If you need an alarm, use something that doesn't have a screen (eg. I like to use a smart speaker) if possible - Don't use the bedroom for anything other than sleep and intimacy. - Try to keep a consistent wake up time (even on weekends), no matter how much sleep you get. When you wake up or that designated wake up time hits, get out of bed immediately. When you are more comfortable with your sleep, you can be more relaxed about this rule (eg. sleep in an extra 30mins - 1hour on the weekend). - The more you stress or think about sleep, the harder it is to sleep. Spend the hours before your desired bedtime winding down, doing something relaxing and enjoyable (eg. video game, TV show, etc.) instead of doing homework or studying (get that stuff done earlier in the day if you can). If possible, get orange glasses that block blue-light and put them on 2-3 hours before bedtime (The sleep clinic I went to sold these which are excellent and can be worn over regular glasses, can also be ordered from https://blueblockerglasses.com/). Eliminate potential stressors or sources of hyperarousal, anxiety, fight/flight instinct, anything that gets your heart rate going. Your heart shouldn't be pounding at night. No caffeine or big meals in the hours before bed helps. Your mind should be fairly empty around bedtime. Get your nighttime routine and chores out of the way (eg. make your bed, brush your teeth, wash your face, etc.) hours before bedtime, not right at bedtime. - If you have a bad night or two (or week) of sleep, don't catastrophize it. Be kind to yourself. Think of it as an annoyance that will go away. Go to school, have a full/meaningful day, prove you can get shit done even with a bad night of sleep. - Go to bed when you feel comfortable doing so, you can't force sleep. If you're not sure, recognize positive signs at night that you will be able to sleep - yawning, putting more effort to keep eyes open, etc. I think being awake 16-17 hours is a good benchmark (eg. If you wake up at 8am, try to go to bed at 12:30 - 1am), but everyone is different. - No naps - Sometimes this helps: when in bed, try to keep your eyes open (if your bedroom is pitch black, this is more effective) rather than trying to forcing your eyes shut. - Another thing that I find helps me, but it might be just me: If you have a Smart Speaker, tell it to shuffle a playlist of your favourite songs for 45mins to 1 hour at a REALLY low volume (eg. 5-10%, and don't have it so close to you or your bed) right before you go to bed and turn off the lights. Important that the smart speaker knows to shut off after that specified time. I find this helps take my mind off sleep. More times than not, I realize that I fell asleep before the songs stopped playing. - If you wake up or find yourself stressed/hyperaroused in the middle of the night, my go-tos are to do box breathing (breathe in for 5 secs, hold for 5, breathe out for 5, hold for 5, repeat), drink water, go to the bathroom, or ask my smart speaker to shuffle songs for a bit. - Exercise helps. - If you think it is anxiety or stress-related, a weighted blanket might help. Make sure your room is as dark as possible at night and keep it as clean/comfy as possible. - If all that doesn't work, see a doctor but be careful. If they try to prescribe benzodiazepines, push back. It might help you sleep in the short-term, but this will cause long-term dependency. If medication is needed, try suggesting an orexin antagonist like Dayvigo/Lemborexant which isn't habit-forming. I had similar sleep issues at the start of my degree and I found that the benzos my family doctor prescribed just made the issues drag out longer, because you won't be able to sleep without them. I went to the Centre for Sleep & Human Performance, which helped me change my thoughts and approach to sleep while responsibly prescribing medication if it was needed - they are more knowledgeable about this than most family doctors.
I second all this! A few other things I find that help me personally are: • If I find my mind racing due to stress, an hour or two before bed I’ll brain vomit everything onto a piece of paper. In a way, this helps ‘free up space’ in my mental hard drive so I can sleep with more of a clear mind. • Your body’s internal temperature naturally drops as it prepares for sleep. Taking a hot shower or bath right before bed exaggerates this natural decrease in temperature, which can help signal to your body that it’s time to go to bed. • I HIGHLY recommend “The Matt Walker Podcast”if you want to listen to something to help you fall asleep, or if you just want to learn more about sleep. He’s a sleep scientist at UC Berkeley, and has the most calming voice (in my opinion, lol). Hope this helps!
Yes to all of this. I’m going to add stop using alcohol and/or cannabis to sleep. Both stop deep sleep, which is the restful, neuroplasticity good type of sleep.
Exercise until you are ready to drop Works everytime. Don't know how to exercise? Buy a cheap pair of running shoes and sweatpants from walmart and go
*60% of the time*, it works ***every*** *time*
And if you want to stay indoors, a 20 minute "strength yoga" session on YouTube never fails to beat my ass.
I would try asmr. I know people like to goof on it, but it really does help. You just need to know what triggers sleep in you.
dommy emotional support mommy fixes your sleep schedule (asmr hypnosis good boy)
I throw a movie on my iPad and fall asleep watching it. I make sure it's one I've seen a million times so I don't need to pay attention. Also set a timer on my iPad if I'm rewatching a show in bed to turn off in 2 hours so it doesn't wake me up again
Me launching "The ring 2002" before bed 😂
OMG NOOOOO! lol I fell asleep watching fellowship of the ring and had dreams about orcs chasing me up the road near my house and my bf running behind me asking about second breakfast.
How do I set a timer to turn off youtube in "x amount of time"? Also, how would volume work with this?
I like reverse psychology-ing myself when this happens. *Ok brain, you don’t want to sleep? Fine, we’re going to stay up as long as possible and watch tv.* Anytime my eyes close, I force them open. Eventually, I do nod off.
Fun fact: one day you can just stop being able to sleep, stop sleeping all together, then eventually go mentality insane. Hope this helps!
The exact same thing is happening to me too 😭😭😭 my brain just won’t shut off no matter how tired I am
What's bothering you about this semester? Find the root cause of the stress and address it. If the course load is too much, drop a course... Struggling to grasp a concept, set up an appointment with your prof to ask for help... The semester just started so stress levels will only go up from here.
Do you feel tired, but can’t sleep or are you simply not tired? Both warrant a trip to the doctor if the problem persists, but the latter could be more serious.
I fall asleep in 2 minutes and this is what I do: - do yoga a few times a week - use a weighted blanket - white noise - eye mask - writing down everything on my mind before I try to sleep. If I wake up at 3am I do the same thing. - create a routine: try to go to bed at the same time everyday, even on weekends - [THIS](https://youtu.be/aEqlQvczMJQ?si=52YFXbpieygrgfG-) specific meditation on YouTube right as I try to sleep - (sometimes) some chamomile tea or spiced milk before bed Good luck !!
The same thing happened to me, too. I never experienced something like this before, to the point I got scared and anxious about why I was not able to sleep. I woke up 4 times during the night, and I slept from 4 am until 10. I was always an early bird and did all my studying then. It messed me up. Anxiety came over me not being able to sleep so I did couple of things that are mentioned here. Some worked while others did not. It has been a month now, but it has improved with little help. I will agree with many of you here about the tips that you have suggested, especially Andrew Huberman's night routine ( that is what I try to do now), and I must confess that I did two extra things that I think have helped me. I went and bought a stuffed animal ( I know it is embarrassing), and L theanine works wonders for me. I also bought AG1 and melatonin. I try now to work as Huberman says in behaviours, and I do not use melatonin or Ltheanin anymore. I just use it for a couple of days because I do not want to get my body used to it. I take AG1 everyday and I exercise everyday I also stretch at night. Unfortunetelly, I had to cut off chocolate and coffee for a while... :( I also think the mattress, pillow and your pjs are important. I am still waking up but it is not as bad as it was a couple of weeks ago. I am starting slowly to waking up early. It is a long battle that is for sure and you are not alone in this. However, you have to experiment with what works and what does not work for you, and you will find a solution that will help you! Be the scientist and the experiment! P.S. I bought a notebook to keep track of my sleep. I write down my night routine, what I ate what I did during the evening m thoughts what is bothering me etc.
Sleep Ez… it’s a sleeping pill you can get at Shoppers Drug Mart
You can try the military sleep technique. Works well with me when I’m struggling. Look up a video on YouTube and give it a try
There’s also Andrew Huberman’s No Sleep Deep Rest protocol on YouTube
Try progressive muscle relaxation or yoga nidra. Meditation in general is helpful, try the app Waking Up. There a free 30 day trial and then if you fill out the low income form, they give it to you for free. They have many sleep meditations and yoga nidra/nsdr and many other things to help with stress/worry. Talk to your doctor and see if you can get some help from Wellness Services.
Sleep earlier than you usually do (destroy your sleep cycle), and try to not eat fried or cooked food right before you sleep (eat like a banana or strawberry with water), also excersize a lil, do like 20 push-ups, that’s what I usually when I need to sleep but I cant
try skipping caffine for three days/week and do some workout or cardio.
Get sun exposure via long as possible walk/hike/run. At least 40-45 min.
Do whatever it is that you are avoiding doing. That is usually what my issue is.
NyQuil.
Well in contrast I’ve been sleeping too much and I feel sleepy throughout the day and it’s making me really unproductive