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Controlling a sleep schedule

Amethyst

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So, I've really found myself to be in a lot of trouble when it comes to setting a sleep schedule. My goal atm is to be able to fall asleep at around 2 am, and then wake up 7-9 hours afterward. I used to be really good at this when I was at school, but with break and everything, I've really messed it up, from I'll get up at around noon, then stay up until about midnight the next day, so I'll be up for 24 hours before I actually 'can' feel tired.

I've recently just tried anything that can tire myself out quickly. I've tried not eating before bed, and exercising at least an hour so that I'll feel tired at night, but I never do. I don't want to stay up all night, and then be tired all day and then stay up that same night.


Does anything help you fall asleep, or set an adequate sleep schedule?
 

erm

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Have you tried avoiding things that shine light in your eyes for at least an hour before sleeping? TV and computers are the usual culprits. It supposedly tricks your hormone cycle into thinking it's daylight and thus pumping hormones out to keep you awake.

Other ideas:
Eat breakfast close to waking up.
Regular physical exercise.
Regular stress relief.
Doing only unenergetic activities close to desired sleep-time. Particularly avoiding exercise or strenuous thinking.

Personally I struggle with the getting up part, not the going to sleep part. I remedy this with a harsh alarm clock (it rolls around the floor), and a very tasty no-hassle breakfast awaiting me nearby.
 

Amethyst

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Hmm...I can't sleep without the TV on, but maybe I've changed. :laugh:

I do need noise to fall asleep though. Usually cars driving around in a city or something really helps me relax, as there are people around me and for whatever reason that makes me feel safe. I can't fall asleep here though, in the country. Mostly in winter, because it's dead silent, and it freaks me out. Maybe I'll try a radio? :yes:

Investing (or just downloading) some classical music or lullabyes may help too, as plain radio pisses me off even when I'm awake. I'll have pissed off dreams lol.

I never heard the breakfast idea, I'll try that too. And yeah, I can't wake up if my life depended on it. I remember times where my mom tried to shake me to wake up, and I didn't, and thus missed school that day. :doh: I thought it was from my iron-deficiency, which I've taken care of with supplements, but it came back again! I went to bed around 2 last night, but I woke up at 4 in the afternoon, slept right through the alarms! I think I really just needed sleep...and now I'm overly energized because of it.
 

Such Irony

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As a P, I find it unnatural to set a regular sleeping schedule. I got to bed when I'm tired and get up when the alarm goes off on work days and sleep in until I'm rested on off days. I do see some value in having a more regular sleep schedule and wish I was better about that. During periods of time where I am more regular, I do feel better all around- physically, mentally, and emotionally. I've also read that a regular sleeping schedule helps the body's metabolism. Sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain.
 

Fan.of.Devin

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I think the most important thing to do is set a specific time to awake, with alarm clocks and such, and stick to it every day without exception.
The reality is, in order to reset your sleep schedule, you'll probably have to spend a day or two being tired, but after a while of waking up at a set time every morning, your bed time will follow suit.

Hope it works out for you.
 

Tiltyred

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You can download various colors of noise from itunes -- white noise, pink noise, gray noise, brown noise -- it's like static or a fan humming, it's background ambient sound -- better than the TV because there's no content to disturb you -- play it all night to mask other noises that could bother you and to give you something to signal "It's Time To Sleep Now." You can buy noise machines too, with waterfalls and bird sounds, etc., but for me, downloading a noise segment from itunes and playing it on a loop works great.
 

Amethyst

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As a P, I find it unnatural to set a regular sleeping schedule. I got to bed when I'm tired and get up when the alarm goes off on work days and sleep in until I'm rested on off days. I do see some value in having a more regular sleep schedule and wish I was better about that. During periods of time where I am more regular, I do feel better all around- physically, mentally, and emotionally. I've also read that a regular sleeping schedule helps the body's metabolism. Sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain.

Haha, as a more extreme P, as do I. I never really had to have one, as I would tire out at times that were acceptable and wouldn't interfere with my schedule, but now I tire out when I shouldn't, and then I generally just don't sleep, which isn't normal for me. There used to be a time long ago (5 years) where I could stay up for days on end and be fine...however I have unfortunately burned out since then and have a lot more trouble with it.

Tehe, maybe that's why I'm gaining weight too. :blush:

I think the most important thing to do is set a specific time to awake, with alarm clocks and such, and stick to it every day without exception.
The reality is, in order to reset your sleep schedule, you'll probably have to spend a day or two being tired, but after a while of waking up at a set time every morning, your bed time will follow suit.

Hope it works out for you.

Thanks. :)

I've tried setting alarms, but I think I set them too early (like around 6 to 7 am), and then I just don't get up. I tried making myself tired for a couple days, I know that used to work before, but maybe I'm not doing it right now. :doh: I'll try it again with all of the other suggestions given.


You can download various colors of noise from itunes -- white noise, pink noise, gray noise, brown noise -- it's like static or a fan humming, it's background ambient sound -- better than the TV because there's no content to disturb you -- play it all night to mask other noises that could bother you and to give you something to signal "It's Time To Sleep Now." You can buy noise machines too, with waterfalls and bird sounds, etc., but for me, downloading a noise segment from itunes and playing it on a loop works great.

Huh...that's interesting. That's probably exactly what I need, too. Just stagnant noise. I didn't know there were different 'colors' of noise. It reminds me of that weird disorder where you taste what you see or you can see sounds. :laugh:
 

Oeufa

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Make yourself get up a few hours earlier than usual for a few days. It'll make you tired enough to want to go to sleep earlier. I've always found it takes about a week to adjust properly to a new sleeping schedule.
 
F

figsfiggyfigs

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I find that I sleep a lot better when Its only 3 hours at night, 3 hours in the afternoon. sometimes I make it 4.
I know its weird.. but lately thats what I've been on.
I wake up right away, not tired

unlike if I slept for 7-9 hours straight, I wake up exhausted and angry. :/
 

Rail Tracer

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A regular sleep schedule is probably the easiest way, but I won't force that on you seeing as I don't always sleep consistently.

I tend to force myself to wake up at some sort of time even though I am tired (for me it is around 8-9:30am.)
From there, I do whatever I can to stay up for the whole day.
When it is near my sleeping schedule, I go to sleep (some time around 11:30pm-1am).
 

LadyJaye

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I find that I sleep a lot better when Its only 3 hours at night, 3 hours in the afternoon. sometimes I make it 4.
I know its weird.. but lately thats what I've been on.
I wake up right away, not tired

unlike if I slept for 7-9 hours straight, I wake up exhausted and angry. :/

My sleep schedule is such a mess - and having a chronic illness, I need a lot more sleep than most people, like 12 hours at least if I want to not feel tired. But, I get what you're saying about the sleeping in short intervals. I can go to bed, sleep about 3 hours, and then pop up, wide awake. It's crazy.
 

southern_lawyer

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My entire life I have not been able to fall asleep in a reasonable time. Even as a youngster, it would take me on average an hour and a half to get to sleep. On top of that, I'm AD/HD and have been on Adderall for quite some time, which made it even more difficult to get to sleep. I just lived with it up until about a year ago when my Doctor prescribed me Elavil. I think it's actually an anti-depressant... It has made my life so much better, and from what I've learned, it is not addictive. I could be wrong, though. Either way, I am finally getting to sleep at a reasonable hour and sleeping all through the night and waking up feeling better. I've never been one to have a really hard time getting up, but I never felt refreshed in the morning. I am usually asleep by 11PM nowadays and up between 6 and 6:30AM. Honestly, I don't like being on a lot of prescription drugs. Fortunately, I very rarely get sick and am not on anything else.
 

Amethyst

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Here's an interesting thing I heard from my professor the other day.

When she was in college, the magic number for sleep was 3. If you got three hours of sleep and got up, you'd feel the same way if you had 6 hours, or 9 when you woke up, possibly because the sleep cycle works in an average span of three hours. Maybe it's why people can feel tired if they only get 7 or 8 hours of sleep as well. :shrug:
 
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