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It has come to my attention that I do not go to sleep at normal times. For example, it's 6:19AM, and I'm about to head to bed after finishing this blog post. I've been keeping sleep logs for the past month or so, and when I have all of my bedtimes for the past few weeks all in one place, it's really humbling to look at.
So! I have become inspired to improve my sleep hygiene starting tomorrow night, 9/25/2011. I will attempt to follow as many sleep hygiene recommendations as possible for an entire month. If you have any suggestions to add to this list, please tell me! 
+ Show Spoiler [Sleep Recommendations] +- 1. Keep to a routine. Eat, sleep, and wake at regular times.
Wake: 7:30AM
Eat: 8:00AM
Eat: 12:30PM
Eat: 5:45PM
Eat: 9:00PM
Sleep: 10:00PM
- 2. Pre-determine a time to stop taking caffeine. This currently doesn't affect me a lot, but I'll be keeping it in mind now.
(Caffeine's bedtime: 5:00PM)
- 3. Exercise's bedtime (excluding sex): 6:00PM
- 4. Stop blue light from entering room before bed.
F.lux takes care of this nicely.
- 5. Turn off computer and tv at least 30 minutes before sleep.
Computer/tv's bedtime: 9:30PM (this one will be the toughest)
- 6. Develop sleep rituals.
I will meditate or read for at least 10 minutes just before bed.
I have been keeping sleep logs since 8/28/2011, and the earliest I went to sleep since then was 12:35AM. Most nights have been closer to 4:00AM, and the average time of my start of rest is 5:08AM. The latest I've gone to sleep is 10:50AM (on a Tuesday, no less!!). These times do not include naps.
+ Show Spoiler [Raddmiral's Sleep Logs] +08/28/2011 3:35AM - 8:10AM...8:30AM
08/29/2011 2:48AM - 11:00AM
08/30/2011 3:14AM - 10:53AM...12:50PM
08/31/2011 2:30AM - 10:30AM...12:40PM
09/01/2011 3:35AM - 8:15AM
09/02/2011 2:48AM - 10:30AM
09/03/2011 3:20AM - 9:15AM
09/04/2011 4:20AM - 12:03PM
09/05/2011 4:40AM - 12:00PM
09/06/2011 3:35AM - 10:35AM
09/07/2011 2:55AM - 10:40AM
09/08/2011 5:12AM - 1:00PM
09/09/2011 1:38AM - 7:03AM
09/10/2011 ?
09/11/2011 ?
09/12/2011 4:35AM - 12:30PM
09/13/2011 6:20AM - 3:00PM
09/14/2011 6:00AM - 1:10PM
09/15/2011 9:00AM - 3:30PM
09/16/2011 4:45AM - 11:30AM
09/17/2011 5:00AM - 3:40PM
09/18/2011 7:02AM - 3:50PM
09/19/2011 6:50AM - 11:27AM
09/20/2011 10:50AM - 3:25PM
09/21/2011 4:00AM - 12:45PM
09/22/2011 12:35AM - 4:00AM, 8:30AM - 2:50PM
09/23/2011 7:11AM - 4:40PM
09/24/2011 Projected: 7:15AM - 11:55AM
I know what you're thinking. Pretty brutal, right? To be honest, I've been taking myself more seriously lately and this sleep log has inspired me to make logs for other areas of my life: namely nutrition, general hygiene, exercise, etc. I'd have to say my sleeping and exercising need work, but my nutrition and general hygiene might not be as good as I would like either, so it will be nice to have the information all out in front of me like I have here.
I'm mainly posting this blog to give myself some kind of accountability for this. I really want to start getting normal sleep, and I think this is the best way for me to reach that goal.
I'll update you guys a couple times during the month to let you know how I'm doing. Even if I don't succeed right away, I'm confident I'll have it all in order by October 25th!
And with that, it's time for me to grab my Zs. Good night everyone!
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how old are you? are you a student?
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Pull an all-nighter to help reset your sleep schedule. Work yourself into the ground everyday, so when it's 10:30pm you can't stay up any longer.
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On September 25 2011 21:31 emperorchampion wrote:
Pull an all-nighter to help reset your sleep schedule. Work yourself into the ground everyday, so when it's 10:30pm you can't stay up any longer.
that's a bad advice. It's better just to go sleep late whn you can but force yourself up early in the morning.
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On September 25 2011 21:31 emperorchampion wrote:
Pull an all-nighter to help reset your sleep schedule. Work yourself into the ground everyday, so when it's 10:30pm you can't stay up any longer.
Fasting for 12 to 16 hours and then eat when you want to wake up is a better way to do it.
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Judging by your sleep schedule it seems you don't have to wake up for anything which is the main problem, why wake up when you don't have to? I don't think waking up for food is a good enough reason either and you ought to find something more important which has a greater impact if you were to miss it. As it stands if you don't wake up and eat you will just wake up and eat at whatever time with pretty much no consequence which isn't what you need or want.
I wish you luck though, once you have something like this down you realise how long a day is and can get so much more done.
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Surely you're not supposed to eat before you go to bed?
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I will join you man. Let's wake up at 7:30am every morning! We can do it!^^
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On September 25 2011 21:55 Brainsurgeon wrote:
Surely you're not supposed to eat before you go to bed?
Well the general guideline is to have your last meal 2-3h before bedtime. If you go past that, you should try to avoid carbohydrates as they can create an insulin response in your body which will result in worse quality of sleep. Eating some long-lasting protein like casein or soy protein before bedtime is perfectly fine though, as it will repair your muscles and last well into the night. But that's more for the serious athletes.
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On September 25 2011 21:41 Piste wrote:Show nested quote +On September 25 2011 21:31 emperorchampion wrote:
Pull an all-nighter to help reset your sleep schedule. Work yourself into the ground everyday, so when it's 10:30pm you can't stay up any longer. that's a bad advice. It's better just to go sleep late whn you can but force yourself up early in the morning.
He'd only be getting two hours of sleep anyways...
On September 25 2011 21:55 Brainsurgeon wrote:
Surely you're not supposed to eat before you go to bed?
This is a myth, there is no reason not to as long as it doesn't disrupt your sleep.
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I'll join. But I'll have a looser schedule, for example I don't see the need to limit sex time, as it usually makes me more tired than I was before and is actually a good thing to do before going to sleep.
+ Show Spoiler [My program] +
Going to bed before midnight.
Waking up between 9 and 10 AM.
Turn off all screens before 11 PM.
Wash and prepare myself for bedtime at around 11:30.
No exercise past 8PM.
Meals:
10AM: breakfast
1PM: lunch
4PM: a glass of juice and a slice of bread
8PM: dinner
This should do.
Edit: BTW I tried to skip a night of sleep to deal with my messed up sleep schedule, but it only made things worse. If you don't have anything to do the following morning you'll just sleep 15 hours straight and wake up with the worse feeling ever.
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Ok. hey all. I'm a registered polysomnograph technologist OR in other words: A sleep tech.
Sleep has a great affect on how healthy you are, but most people take sleep for granted. I'll go over a couple suggestions for better sleep hygiene and will try to elaborate when I can.
1. (This one is an absolute killer for most people) Your bedroom is only for sleeping and sex. Seriously. You have to trick your mind in to knowing that "When I walk into this room, one of two things is going to happen...If there's no girl (or guy) with you then it's bed time" It's like pavlov's response. You train your brain. Move your computer out into the living room or some other place besides your bedroom.
2. Don't exercise within 3 to 4 hours before going to bed. You don't want to 'wake' you're brain up more.
3. You're brain starts to send Melotonin, among other chemicals, to other parts of your brain. Melotonin in itself is not what makes you tired, but it starts the process that gets other parts of your brain ready for sleep. So you'll see melotonin on store shelves and such as pills. I'd recommend not taking them because you're body will produce all it needs once you get into a healthy routine.
4. Don't have a 4 hour SCII fest right before you turn your light off and jump in bed. All those flickering lights stimulate your brain so you won't start producing the melotonin to start your sleep cycle. Read a book or do something non stimulating about 30 minutes before bed.
5. If you lay down in bed and can't go to sleep after 20 minutes, then get up, go do something light that doesn't require too much thought and then lay back down once you're tired again. This kind of goes back to rule 1. Your bedroom is only for sleeping and sex.
6. Get up at the same time every day. You're body is clock. When you start messin with that clock things go out of control. Getting up at the same time everyday trains your body to 'know' when to wake up. You should try to go to bed at the same time every night as well, but that's not 'as' important as getting up at the same time.
7. Most people need 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night, but many forgo sleep to do whatever they want longer. There are short sleepers (those that require 5 to 7 hours) and long sleepers (more then 9 hours) but more average is 8.5 or so hours per night of sleep.
8. You have 4 states of sleep. NREM1, NREM2, NREM3, REM. You normally get around 5% NREM1, 50% NREM2, 25% NREM3, 25% REM. The last two, NREM3 and REM, are the two stages that are your deep sleep. This is where your body restores itself. If you aren't getting the proper amount of deep sleep then you're body can't recover from what it needs and everything starts to go out of whack. Caffeine is a big drawback to these two types of sleep. Alcohol is too. Other drugs mess up your body's rhythm as well. Ambien and such give you a lot of NREM2 and less NREM3 and REM. Sleep Aids are very unhealthy for you.
9. If you're heavier set, sleep on your left or right side. Don't sleep on your back. As you get bigger you're more likely to have sleep apnea. You're going to have your worst sleep apnea while you're on your back in REM thus giving you less REM and less NREM3 as well. You'll get more tired because you're body can't recover from being tired and your metabolism slows down. When your metabolism slows down then you gain more weight and the cycle repeats itself. If you're neck is larger then 17" then you'll more susceptible to getting sleep apnea.
10. Don't eat a huge snack before bed. Try to eat something light if you want to snack. Apples/fruit, granola bar or something. Don't eat a bag of doritos.
Well, I think that's a good start. If I think of anymore. I'll come back and write them down. If you have any questions then let me know and I'll try to answer what I can.
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there is so much bro science in this thread my head hurts.......
Seriously guys? Where is ANY evidence for anything said here about eating before bed?
I eat before bed ALL the time, I'm 6'1" and weight right around 130 lbs. I sleep well (albeit a little cold T.T) I also spend just about ALL my time in my room, whether is be eating, watching something, playing games, or chilling with friends smoking a bowl. My room in my command center, and it seriously has nothing to do with my sleeping habits.
Where do people get these ideas from? The only one that made sense to me was the pull and all nighter and just wear yourself down to the point that at 11:00 or so you just can't go on.
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On September 25 2011 23:20 N3rV[Green] wrote:
there is so much bro science in this thread my head hurts.......
Seriously guys? Where is ANY evidence for anything said here about eating before bed?
I eat before bed ALL the time, I'm 6'1" and weight right around 130 lbs. I sleep well (albeit a little cold T.T) I also spend just about ALL my time in my room, whether is be eating, watching something, playing games, or chilling with friends smoking a bowl. My room in my command center, and it seriously has nothing to do with my sleeping habits.
Where do people get these ideas from? The only one that made sense to me was the pull and all nighter and just wear yourself down to the point that at 11:00 or so you just can't go on.
^^ The sex or sleep in bed is a good conditioning tool. It helps some people, so it is what it is there. I don't necessarily agree or disagree with it, but if people need to think of it that way that works.
I agree with the broscience about eating before bed though. Digestion and sleep are both strongly parasympathetic nervous system activities. If anything, eating correctly before bed improves sleep.
Eating a bunch of fat before bed knocks me out. Medium chain triglycerides are pretty good as well.
I put a bunch of stuff in this topic about sleep as well near the bottom:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=180919
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Your plan seems like way too much sleep. 10:00-7:30 is 9 and a half hours EVERY night, I think that you'll find yourself waking up around 5AM naturally if you keep up going to bed at 10PM.
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On September 26 2011 02:24 Shifft wrote:
Your plan seems like way too much sleep. 10:00-7:30 is 9 and a half hours EVERY night, I think that you'll find yourself waking up around 5AM naturally if you keep up going to bed at 10PM.
9 hours is sooo nice
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On September 25 2011 23:01 SleepTech wrote:
Ok. hey all. I'm a registered polysomnograph technologist OR in other words: A sleep tech.
Sleep has a great affect on how healthy you are, but most people take sleep for granted. I'll go over a couple suggestions for better sleep hygiene and will try to elaborate when I can.
1. (This one is an absolute killer for most people) Your bedroom is only for sleeping and sex. Seriously. You have to trick your mind in to knowing that "When I walk into this room, one of two things is going to happen...If there's no girl (or guy) with you then it's bed time" It's like pavlov's response. You train your brain. Move your computer out into the living room or some other place besides your bedroom.
2. Don't exercise within 3 to 4 hours before going to bed. You don't want to 'wake' you're brain up more.
3. You're brain starts to send Melotonin, among other chemicals, to other parts of your brain. Melotonin in itself is not what makes you tired, but it starts the process that gets other parts of your brain ready for sleep. So you'll see melotonin on store shelves and such as pills. I'd recommend not taking them because you're body will produce all it needs once you get into a healthy routine.
4. Don't have a 4 hour SCII fest right before you turn your light off and jump in bed. All those flickering lights stimulate your brain so you won't start producing the melotonin to start your sleep cycle. Read a book or do something non stimulating about 30 minutes before bed.
5. If you lay down in bed and can't go to sleep after 20 minutes, then get up, go do something light that doesn't require too much thought and then lay back down once you're tired again. This kind of goes back to rule 1. Your bedroom is only for sleeping and sex.
6. Get up at the same time every day. You're body is clock. When you start messin with that clock things go out of control. Getting up at the same time everyday trains your body to 'know' when to wake up. You should try to go to bed at the same time every night as well, but that's not 'as' important as getting up at the same time.
7. Most people need 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night, but many forgo sleep to do whatever they want longer. There are short sleepers (those that require 5 to 7 hours) and long sleepers (more then 9 hours) but more average is 8.5 or so hours per night of sleep.
8. You have 4 states of sleep. NREM1, NREM2, NREM3, REM. You normally get around 5% NREM1, 50% NREM2, 25% NREM3, 25% REM. The last two, NREM3 and REM, are the two stages that are your deep sleep. This is where your body restores itself. If you aren't getting the proper amount of deep sleep then you're body can't recover from what it needs and everything starts to go out of whack. Caffeine is a big drawback to these two types of sleep. Alcohol is too. Other drugs mess up your body's rhythm as well. Ambien and such give you a lot of NREM2 and less NREM3 and REM. Sleep Aids are very unhealthy for you.
9. If you're heavier set, sleep on your left or right side. Don't sleep on your back. As you get bigger you're more likely to have sleep apnea. You're going to have your worst sleep apnea while you're on your back in REM thus giving you less REM and less NREM3 as well. You'll get more tired because you're body can't recover from being tired and your metabolism slows down. When your metabolism slows down then you gain more weight and the cycle repeats itself. If you're neck is larger then 17" then you'll more susceptible to getting sleep apnea.
10. Don't eat a huge snack before bed. Try to eat something light if you want to snack. Apples/fruit, granola bar or something. Don't eat a bag of doritos.
Well, I think that's a good start. If I think of anymore. I'll come back and write them down. If you have any questions then let me know and I'll try to answer what I can.
Wow! Great info! I'm wondering about to things tho: Why is it sometimes easier to fall asleep after wanking? And I heard a cold room is better for your sleep, is this true?
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I'm 22 and a student. Thanks everyone for the encouragement!
On September 25 2011 23:01 SleepTech wrote:
5. If you lay down in bed and can't go to sleep after 20 minutes, then get up, go do something light that doesn't require too much thought and then lay back down once you're tired again. This kind of goes back to rule 1. Your bedroom is only for sleeping and sex.
I've heard this one before but never really took it seriously. It makes sense to train your mind to think that tossing and turning is not for the bedroom. Seems like a good plan.
SleepTech, great info all around buddy, I'm VERY glad to have you on board. I do have a question, though. My dormitory contains one major room. It's kind of a C-shaped room, though, in that my desk (and computer) are on one tip of the C and my bed is near the other tip. To go to the bathroom in my room, I need to walk past my bed and go into the bathroom on the opposite end of the C. Here's a general layout.
Would this setup affect my psychology? I mean, if my brain is wired to think that the room I am in is for sleep only, but also for work and the computer, and also for relaxing and watching tv, can't that be bad? There's no way to move the desk or the bed, either. They're both set into the walls.
On September 26 2011 02:24 Shifft wrote:
Your plan seems like way too much sleep. 10:00-7:30 is 9 and a half hours EVERY night, I think that you'll find yourself waking up around 5AM naturally if you keep up going to bed at 10PM.
Well, I typically sleep 9-10 hours if I allow myself to wake up "naturally" (but it's hard to wake up naturally when you're waking up a couple hours before sunset) -- but if I end up getting to bed at 10:00PM-10:30PM every night for a month, then my sleep requirement might go down. If I start getting up before 7:30, I'll assess whether to shave off the hours at night or in the morning. Thanks for your comment!
On September 26 2011 00:19 eshlow wrote:Show nested quote +On September 25 2011 23:20 N3rV[Green] wrote:
I also spend just about ALL my time in my room, whether is be eating, watching something, playing games, or chilling with friends smoking a bowl. My room in my command center, and it seriously has nothing to do with my sleeping habits.
Where do people get these ideas from? The only one that made sense to me was the pull and all nighter and just wear yourself down to the point that at 11:00 or so you just can't go on. If anything, eating correctly before bed improves sleep. I put a bunch of stuff in this topic about sleep as well near the bottom: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=180919
Big thanks to both of you.
N3rV[Green], maybe it's one of those things where everyone's different? If your command center is in your bedroom, like mine is, then if it doesn't affect your sleeping habits, it shouldn't be affecting mine. I thought about pulling an all nighter last night but I was way too tired, and tomorrow is Monday, so if I was going to bed at 8:30PM-9:00PM / whenever I crashed today, it might have been hard to get up even after 12 hours of sleep.
eshlow, I'm getting differing opinions on the "eating before bed" rule. SleepTech says to not eat anything big before bed, so I'll make a point to have a light snack before bed. It'll probably be something like two bites of a sandwich from earlier that day.
tenacity and Kukaracha, good to have a couple people making the same commitment. I'm sure by October 25th we'll all be better for it!
I'll update you guys on Friday, probably, and I'll be editing the OP to include your suggestions. For now though, it's time to start my day!
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On September 26 2011 07:19 Savagex wrote:Show nested quote +On September 25 2011 23:01 SleepTech wrote:+ Show Spoiler +
Ok. hey all. I'm a registered polysomnograph technologist OR in other words: A sleep tech.
Sleep has a great affect on how healthy you are, but most people take sleep for granted. I'll go over a couple suggestions for better sleep hygiene and will try to elaborate when I can.
1. (This one is an absolute killer for most people) Your bedroom is only for sleeping and sex. Seriously. You have to trick your mind in to knowing that "When I walk into this room, one of two things is going to happen...If there's no girl (or guy) with you then it's bed time" It's like pavlov's response. You train your brain. Move your computer out into the living room or some other place besides your bedroom.
2. Don't exercise within 3 to 4 hours before going to bed. You don't want to 'wake' you're brain up more.
3. You're brain starts to send Melotonin, among other chemicals, to other parts of your brain. Melotonin in itself is not what makes you tired, but it starts the process that gets other parts of your brain ready for sleep. So you'll see melotonin on store shelves and such as pills. I'd recommend not taking them because you're body will produce all it needs once you get into a healthy routine.
4. Don't have a 4 hour SCII fest right before you turn your light off and jump in bed. All those flickering lights stimulate your brain so you won't start producing the melotonin to start your sleep cycle. Read a book or do something non stimulating about 30 minutes before bed.
5. If you lay down in bed and can't go to sleep after 20 minutes, then get up, go do something light that doesn't require too much thought and then lay back down once you're tired again. This kind of goes back to rule 1. Your bedroom is only for sleeping and sex.
6. Get up at the same time every day. You're body is clock. When you start messin with that clock things go out of control. Getting up at the same time everyday trains your body to 'know' when to wake up. You should try to go to bed at the same time every night as well, but that's not 'as' important as getting up at the same time.
7. Most people need 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night, but many forgo sleep to do whatever they want longer. There are short sleepers (those that require 5 to 7 hours) and long sleepers (more then 9 hours) but more average is 8.5 or so hours per night of sleep.
8. You have 4 states of sleep. NREM1, NREM2, NREM3, REM. You normally get around 5% NREM1, 50% NREM2, 25% NREM3, 25% REM. The last two, NREM3 and REM, are the two stages that are your deep sleep. This is where your body restores itself. If you aren't getting the proper amount of deep sleep then you're body can't recover from what it needs and everything starts to go out of whack. Caffeine is a big drawback to these two types of sleep. Alcohol is too. Other drugs mess up your body's rhythm as well. Ambien and such give you a lot of NREM2 and less NREM3 and REM. Sleep Aids are very unhealthy for you.
9. If you're heavier set, sleep on your left or right side. Don't sleep on your back. As you get bigger you're more likely to have sleep apnea. You're going to have your worst sleep apnea while you're on your back in REM thus giving you less REM and less NREM3 as well. You'll get more tired because you're body can't recover from being tired and your metabolism slows down. When your metabolism slows down then you gain more weight and the cycle repeats itself. If you're neck is larger then 17" then you'll more susceptible to getting sleep apnea.
10. Don't eat a huge snack before bed. Try to eat something light if you want to snack. Apples/fruit, granola bar or something. Don't eat a bag of doritos.
Well, I think that's a good start. If I think of anymore. I'll come back and write them down. If you have any questions then let me know and I'll try to answer what I can.
Wow! Great info! I'm wondering about to things tho: Why is it sometimes easier to fall asleep after wanking? And I heard a cold room is better for your sleep, is this true?
It is easier to fall asleep in a cold room. I've heard 65 degrees is the optimal temp but no wife would ever let that happen! I think the rationalization for that is because we are more comfortable under blankets and warm ourselves up naturally rather then having to artifically cool ourselves down.
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On September 26 2011 08:46 hp.Shell wrote:
Would this setup affect my psychology? I mean, if my brain is wired to think that the room I am in is for sleep only, but also for work and the computer, and also for relaxing and watching tv, can't that be bad? There's no way to move the desk or the bed, either. They're both set into the walls.
Well, depending really if all you do is stay in your room then it makes it hard to realize when it's time for bed. Just using the bathroom isn't a big deal but watching tv and working in the same room as your bed is something that may need to be looked into.
This is all general info and people can argue what they think as well, but when you think about it, when you're in your bed at night and you can see the clicker of the monitor/screen saver or hear the fans of your computer then that can have an affect on your brain. It's a stimulation. When you're at your computer you're stimulated. Those sounds happening can cause your brain to be stimulated whether it's a small stimulation or not.
I'm not a end all be all, but a good rule of thumb is to have the room as dark as you can with some ambient noise (an actual fan or noise machine) and to not really do anything stimulating about 30 minutes before bed time.
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As far as I'm aware and believe, everything else is small potatoes compared to just having a routine that gives you enough sleep that you stick to.
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All those sleep recommendations are good.
Also, less stress => less thinking about stuff before falling asleep => falling asleep a bit sooner, and I'd reckon, better dreams/more rest.
For me, the first few days, when I try to get a grip on my sleeping schedule, I seem to sleep longer (~9-11h), then, after that, I sleep normally (~7h). I guess it's an adjustment to change. Might be just a personal quirk though.
What helped me too was slowly rotating the sleeping schedule. I'd go to sleep approximately at the same time every day, but I'd delay/advance it for like 1h.
Anyway, I think the first few days are very important, if you can tough it trough at the start, it should be easier after that. ie. follow the same rules and schedule. (Well, it's pretty much like that with everything, but I just had to stress it, since sleeping isn't so voluntary and direct as other actions.)
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/PBR0I.png)
