[mattyb]

I've had to start work at 12H00 (midday) this week, finishing at 20H00. I get home at 20H15, eat then I've watched TV until about 23H00/23H30.

Once I get into bed, my mind is racing. The body is tired but the mind is highly active.

Monday night I got out of bed at 01H00 and had a quick blast on the Xbox. Couldn't sleep aftrewards. Last night I tried reading for a bit, still couldn't sleep afterwards.

Ideas on how I can get a decent nights sleep?

[dav]

a melatonin supplement usually works for me when i need to get to sleep (at irregular sleep times). i also make the room as dark and quiet (with the exception of white noise, as in a ceiling fan) as possible.

[mattyb]

I'll look into that, cheers.

[Waragainstsleep]

Read something dull like a dictionary or a bible.

[amazing]

My mother-in-law suggested vacuuming: you decide to get sleepy and go back to bed very quickly!

More to the point: do stuff that calms the mind, not something that's excites the mind (play solitaire rather than Xbox.) Don't watch TV, don't read the news, don't post on facebook, don't call your friends, stuff like that.

In the long run: take up meditation.

[imitchellg5]

Melatonin really helps me as well. I get home very late on some days from school and I have a difficult time settling down. The melatonin just helps give that extra push to make the eyelids heavy enough

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

Read something dull like a dictionary or a bible.

We'll try and keep this out of the Pol louge.

Originally Posted by amazing 

My mother-in-law suggested vacuuming: you decide to get sleepy and go back to bed very quickly!

More to the point: do stuff that calms the mind, not something that's excites the mind (play solitaire rather than Xbox.) Don't watch TV, don't read the news, don't post on facebook, don't call your friends, stuff like that.

In the long run: take up meditation.

Wife and kids would love me to start vacuuming at stupid o'clock in the morning!!!

Meditation might work. Need to reduce the stress levels in my life.

[olePigeon]

I recommend avoiding taking melatonin hormone supplements. Aside from the industry not being regulated by the FDA, there have been no studies showing melatonin to be an effective sleep aid except in one specific application. I'm assuming you don't have a personal nurse and an I.V., so we can rule that out.

I used to have pretty bad insomnia, but I've since worked on training myself to not think at night. You have to teach yourself to contrate on nothing. You'll learn it pretty quick because it'll eventually become second nature to you after a few nights. Whenever your mind starts racing, forcibly think of nothing.

Other things that have helped in the past is to create background noise and concentrate on that. I used to use an oscillating fan, and it helped a lot. I suppose it is a type of meditation. Basically, you need to turn your brain off.

Of course, the best thing for you to do is to see your doctor. He or she can provide mental or physical exercises and, should it be warranted, perhaps a non-habit forming low dose sleep aid.

[Athens]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

We'll try and keep this out of the Pol louge.

Funny, it wasn't Political lounge material until this post.

-------------------

Sleeping problems are a pain in the @ss. You need to find the cause of the problem to really deal with it. Sounds like its just a change in work pattern. Is there any other possible causes besides this like problems with the house, money, people around you. Any other major changes in routines. IF its just the change in work pattern it will sort itself out after a few weeks. If its something else like stress from something, you might be chasing for solutions that will never really work until you solve the stress problem.

When I went caffeine free a few months ago I found I had more control over my sleep problems. Things like turning off the lights, or reducing tempature, kicking the Animals out of my room all would on there own would impact my sleep for the good. Before I went caffeine free, nothing I ever did actually made a difference in sleep.

[amazing]

Originally Posted by Athens 

When I went caffeine free a few months ago I found I had more control over my sleep problems. Things like turning off the lights, or reducing tempature, kicking the Animals out of my room all would on there own would impact my sleep for the good. Before I went caffeine free, nothing I ever did actually made a difference in sleep.

I second the suggestion to reduce caffeine. Have your morning caffeine and nothing thereafter.

[boy8cookie]

Masturbate prior to getting in bed.

[Shaddim]

Make another kid, I sleep more deeply now than I have my entire life.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by dav 

i also make the room as dark and quiet (with the exception of white noise, as in a ceiling fan) as possible.

Same here. I'm not a person who can fall asleep with the TV on, or any sort of background noise that isn't "white noise." Lights bother the heck out of me too, i actually stuck a quarter over my old G4's power button light because when it was sleeping it would pulse very brightly.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by boy8cookie 

Masturbate prior to getting in bed.

"Yes dear I'm watching X-Tube and jerking off so that I can sleep well. Honestly!!"

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Make another kid, I sleep more deeply now than I have my entire life.

2 is enough. You'll see.

[Athens]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

"Yes dear I'm watching X-Tube and jerking off so that I can sleep well. Honestly!!"



2 is enough. You'll see.

Do you really think she would be upset with you, its a valid reason lol.

And 2 is not nearly enough. 5 should be the gold standard.

[Waragainstsleep]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Make another kid, I sleep more deeply now than I have my entire life.

You have a newborn and you sleep well? That doesn't seem right.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

You have a newborn and you sleep well? That doesn't seem right.

It's not that bad, she sleeps with us. If she gets fussy we change her, snuggle, or put her on the booby. A little suckling and she'll go right back to sleep most times. She isn't that much trouble at all, really.

[hyteckit]

I'm like that too. I think my problem is that I have my cellphone and laptop next to my bed at night.

The only thing I find to help me sleep is masturbation and watching late night talk shows.

I just put 120 mins into the sleep timer on my TV.

[gradient]

I recommend just staying up later, to be honest. If I tried to be asleep within 3-4 hours of finishing work, I'd lose the battle every time, too. If you don't have to work until noon, then you can probably go to bed at 01:00 or 02:00 and still get a solid 8 hours of sleep.

[Patrick]

It could have something to do with eating a significant amount of food so soon before bed. You might try going to sleep a bit later.

[mattyb]

I need to take the kids to school before 09H00, so a lie-in isn't an option - wife goes to work at 07H45.

For my 'normal' hours we eat at 19H00, so maybe eating at 20H30 has upset my body clock.

Still didn't sleep well last night. Only one more day to go then the shift changes.

[Athens]

Originally Posted by hyteckit 

I'm like that too. I think my problem is that I have my cellphone and laptop next to my bed at night.

The only thing I find to help me sleep is masturbation and watching late night talk shows.

I just put 120 mins into the sleep timer on my TV.

That's about the same for me. I started having a shower before bed and for a week that really messed up my pattern. It actually kept me up so I do that many hours before bed now.

[RobOnTheCape]

Ganja?

[Dork.]

You may want to try turning off all the backlit screens a half hour or so before you want to go to bed. Some people's minds get tricked by TV's and computer monitors into thinking it's still daylight, and it takes them a while to settle down. Try settling in early and reading a book.