| Forum Index > General Forum |
Flicky
England2670 Posts
If you have trouble falling asleep but are fine during the day, then you are simply someone who needs less sleep. Oh man, thank god for that. I don't want to have insomnia. That's probably changed my whole outlook on sleep now and probably stopped me from doing something stupid. | ||
|
Shivaz
Canada1783 Posts
I don't have trouble falling asleep or need alarm clock waking up, however in the morning and afternoon when I am taking the bus to get to my school and back I always dose off during the 1 hour bus ride and probably enter stage1/2 sleep. Do you think I am not getting enough Iron/exercise or are my not getting enough sleep? | ||
micronesia
United States24766 Posts
On June 14 2009 16:07 Uraeus wrote: Great guide ! I have a stressful job (Air-traffic controller) with weird shifts (including night and/or very early morning), so my wake-up time always varies. I guess my occasionnal sleeping problems come from this, as I don't remember having any before. I had already put some of the tips you mention into practice, and they helped me a lot. For example, exercising in the afternoon has proven to be extremely efficient for me. Dimming the lights 1/2H prior to going to sleep helps me a lot to. Naps do me a lot of good, especially after a crappy night, or worse, a night shift. If I keep it short enough (about 1H max.), I wake up rejuvenated and I can still sleep the next night. A few questions though : - I found my dinner to have a tremendous influence on my sleep. IE, eating too much, or too fat, or drinking alcohol causes poor quality sleep, and makes me wake-up very early, even if I don't feel sick from overeating. Any idea where this can come from ? - Having a bedtime routine is supposed to help your brain go into "sleep" mode. Is there any scientific evidence to support this ? 1) Eating definitely can affect your sleep. There isn't much research on this yet, but it has been found that certain foods promote sleep and others inhibit it. Bread, bagels, and crackers are high in complex carbs and have a mild sleep-enhancing effect because they increase serotonin. In contrast, foods such as meat that are high in protein can inhibit sleep by blocking the synthesis of serotonin making us feel more alert. To avoid wake-ups, try a complex carbohydrate snack before bed. On the days where you ate a lot and had sleep problems, ask yourself what type of food you ate a lot of... you generally want to avoid foods high in sugar or refined carbs, foods likely to cause gas, or MSG. 2) Read the section "Tell me about Stimulus-control Techniques (more about Cues)" at the bottom of the second post which says that your mind associates things all the time. If you always go to bed after a certain routine, then performing that routine will trigger your sleep system and you will start becoming tired (similar to how Pavlov's dog started salivating when he heard a bell). CharlieMurphy: Yeah there is quite a bit of light coming from a computer which wakes you up. Yeah ok. The fact that you overuse them isn't dangerous or anything very bad, but it probably isn't that helpful after the first few weeks. However, like I said earlier, it's possible you have a placebo effect going on where taking the pill has become learned cue for sleepiness even though the medicinal effects aren't causing that... if so... do whatever works I guess. Personally, I like the idea of being able to fall asleep without any medical aids... placebo or not. On June 14 2009 18:57 kdog3683 wrote: Few questions to our Mr. Sleep Expert. It's 3 AM right now. I'll probably sleep soon from watching a chess vod. However, my body will wake up @ 9:00. I then say, "hmm, Sunday...nothing going on, I'm going to go back to sleep." I wake up @ 11, do this again, repeat again and finally get up @ 12. Why is it, that I'm not getting enough sleep, and sleeping very late, yet my body still wakes me up @ 9? Most likely your body temperature starts to get higher at that time which triggers your wakefulness system and you awaken. If that's the time that you get up during the week, then you should consider getting up on that time on the weekend also (many people like me can't even wake up on our own on weekends so you are already ahead of the eight ball). If that sounds/feels very unappealing then you should consider not staying up as late on weekends. You can get the same amount of sleep, but make your week better by using the same schedule seven days a week. Of course, it's ok to push it back like an hour on the weekend, especially if you work really early during the week, but anything more than that will interfere with your natural sleep cycle. On June 14 2009 19:07 SmoKing2012 wrote: Nice guide micro. Question: You mention that needing 8 hours of sleep is a myth, and that in fact required sleep time varies from person to person. Can people change how much sleep they need? If you get into a pattern of consistently getting, say, 4 hours of sleep per night, will your body adapt its requirements? This one I'm not sure about. I haven't heard of someone being able to manually force themselves to change their amount of sleep by sleeping only at certain times... What you can do is change your daily habits so that your nutritional needs change, and then that might change your sleep habits, but I haven't learned much about how to go about this. Is there a specific reason why you are interested in this? On June 15 2009 00:10 Shivaz wrote: Hey I have a question regarding this, I don't have trouble falling asleep or need alarm clock waking up, however in the morning and afternoon when I am taking the bus to get to my school and back I always dose off during the 1 hour bus ride and probably enter stage1/2 sleep. Do you think I am not getting enough Iron/exercise or are my not getting enough sleep? How much sleep are you getting between when you fall asleep easily and when you wake up easily? Is it the amount that you think your body needs on a daily basis? If yes, then ask yourself how important it is that you keep awake during the bus ride. If there's no reason why you should stay awake on the bus, then it's hard to blame yourself for dozing off. Are you find after you get to your destination, or do you fall asleep there also? One thing you can do if you want to help prevent this is use bright light (sun or bright light boxes) as soon as you wake up to trigger your wakefulness system and start to increase your body temperature. Also you might want to consider light morning exercise and see how that works for you. But if your current system of napping on the bus doesn't cause a problem for you then you should consider not worrying about it... | ||
|
gLyo
United States2410 Posts
| ||
|
Raithed
China7078 Posts
Yeah ok. The fact that you overuse them isn't dangerous or anything very bad, but it probably isn't that helpful after the first few weeks. However, like I said earlier, it's possible you have a placebo effect going on where taking the pill has become learned cue for sleepiness even though the medicinal effects aren't causing that... if so... do whatever works I guess. Personally, I like the idea of being able to fall asleep without any medical aids... placebo or not. im not sure if its a placebo effect, i mean it takes 2ish +/- hours for me to feel its effects that numbs my whole body, etc. and after awhile ive taken it, i feel tremendous stress to my heart as i already have a heart condition. | ||
|
Macavenger
United States1132 Posts
On June 15 2009 03:14 gLyo wrote: Marijuana is an excellent cure for insomnia. Probably better for you than any sleeping pill and way more effective. There are plenty of sleep aid options that aren't full bore prescription strength stuff that really are not bad for you at all unless you do stupid things with them. Benadryl antihistamine has the same active ingredient as most sleeping pills, but in a much smaller dosage, and it will help you sleep in addition to clearing up allergies. 25mg of that once in a while to help you sleep won't do anything bad to you any more than popping one occasionally during allergy season would. The main reason sleeping pills are bad is the potential for habit formation and inability to sleep without them later. Using OTC doses rarely when you need help sleeping for a particular night or something is really harmless - as long as you stick strictly to the "rarely" part. Certainly won't do anything to you compared to marijuana, not that marijuana is anywhere near as bad for you as its often portrayed in the media either. | ||
|
Archaic
United States4024 Posts
On June 14 2009 18:57 kdog3683 wrote: Few questions to our Mr. Sleep Expert. It's 3 AM right now. I'll probably sleep soon from watching a chess vod. However, my body will wake up @ 9:00. I then say, "hmm, Sunday...nothing going on, I'm going to go back to sleep." I wake up @ 11, do this again, repeat again and finally get up @ 12. Why is it, that I'm not getting enough sleep, and sleeping very late, yet my body still wakes me up @ 9? How often do you do this? And did you recently get back from traveling? When I returned from Taiwan, I wouldn't feel tired until 2-3 AM, and then wake up EVERY DAY at 6 or earlier. I would feel fine until about 3-4 PM when I would crash, and take a nap until 8. And if you don't sleep until 3 every day, it could just be your mental clock waking you up out of habit. Finally, when everything is light, the sleep you get is much weaker so you could just wake up because of that (similar to how it is easier to fall asleep in a pitch black room than one with a lamp on). | ||
|
Marradron
Netherlands1586 Posts
 i should probaply fall asleep reading it.jk nice guide | ||
|
micronesia
United States24766 Posts
On June 15 2009 03:14 gLyo wrote: Marijuana is an excellent cure for insomnia. Probably better for you than any sleeping pill and way more effective. Good joke. Substances are not a cure for insomnia. | ||
|
gLyo
United States2410 Posts
On June 15 2009 04:28 Macavenger wrote: There are plenty of sleep aid options that aren't full bore prescription strength stuff that really are not bad for you at all unless you do stupid things with them. Benadryl antihistamine has the same active ingredient as most sleeping pills, but in a much smaller dosage, and it will help you sleep in addition to clearing up allergies. 25mg of that once in a while to help you sleep won't do anything bad to you any more than popping one occasionally during allergy season would. The main reason sleeping pills are bad is the potential for habit formation and inability to sleep without them later. Using OTC doses rarely when you need help sleeping for a particular night or something is really harmless - as long as you stick strictly to the "rarely" part. Certainly won't do anything to you compared to marijuana, not that marijuana is anywhere near as bad for you as its often portrayed in the media either. Personally, I am lucky if even prescription strength sleeping pills put me to sleep; I imagine there are others out there like me. Marijuana usually lets me to fall asleep within minutes and get a good nights sleep. On June 15 2009 05:02 micronesia wrote: Good joke. Substances are not a cure for insomnia. Maybe "cure" wasn't the right word, but it is far more effective than any other sleeping medication for me. | ||
|
MMC.Lazerflip
United States24 Posts
On June 14 2009 10:35 micronesia wrote: (nobody has ever died from insomnia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=3675223&page=1 On a serious note, cognitive therapy and drug-free treatments can only get you so far. Some people have very real conditions that cannot be treated solely through the peter-pan method (just think a happy thought). Seroquel and Ambien are effective at treating insomnia in patients in which ordinary drug-free methods simply fail to respond, and benzodiazepenes are often necessary for those who have insomnia stemming from anxiety or panic disorders that simply will not respond to treatment. While you clearly have a firm understanding of how the basic sleep cycle works in a normal person, you (erroneously) assume that all people suffering from insomnia are not suffering from a psychiatric condition that requires chemical treatment to restore proper brain function. To make the blanket statement that drugs are not a good treatment for insomnia is to give out potentially dangerous misinformation. | ||
|
micronesia
United States24766 Posts
On June 15 2009 05:09 MMC.Lazerflip wrote: On a serious note, cognitive therapy and drug-free treatments can only get you so far. Some people have very real conditions that cannot be treated solely through the peter-pan method (just think a happy thought). Seroquel and Ambien are effective at treating insomnia in patients in which ordinary drug-free methods simply fail to respond, and benzodiazepenes are often necessary for those who have insomnia stemming from anxiety or panic disorders that simply will not respond to treatment. While you clearly have a firm understanding of how the basic sleep cycle works in a normal person, you (erroneously) assume that all people suffering from insomnia are not suffering from a psychiatric condition that requires chemical treatment to restore proper brain function. To make the blanket statement that drugs are not a good treatment for insomnia is to give out potentially dangerous misinformation. Yes I should be more clear about this. There are definitely times when this guide will not sufficiently treat someone who is suffering from insomnia. It is not the majority of cases though. Also, for people who cannot help themselves with these methods, the goal is generally to treat the physical cause of the insomnia rather than the insomnia itself. If medication is recommended for treating those problems, then sure. However, medication is almost never the long-term solution to the insomnia-aspect of deeper problems. I cannot speak further about medical problems that cause insomnia as I am not qualified to (and I mentioned that in the guide). | ||
|
Husky
United States3362 Posts
This VOD is also guaranteed to put you to sleep. If you can finish all 3 parts without falling asleep or rage quitting then there definitely is no help for you  Edit: I also love the post from the air traffic controller, good stuff! | ||
|
Macavenger
United States1132 Posts
On June 15 2009 05:05 gLyo wrote: Personally, I am lucky if even prescription strength sleeping pills put me to sleep; I imagine there are others out there like me. Marijuana usually lets me to fall asleep within minutes and get a good nights sleep. Are you already tired when you're taking them? No sleeping pill is going to put you to sleep if you aren't already tired - at least, not at any safe dosage level. The active ingredient for many sleep aids, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, only induces mild drowsiness. If you're tired and having trouble falling asleep, it can be enough to push you over the edge and let you actually sleep. Beyond that, I'm sure there are some people that are naturally resistant to the effects for whatever reason, but from my experience it should be pretty rare. Even in such cases, I'm dubious about the idea of a heart rate increasing semi-stimulant as a sleep aid. I'd personally wonder about a possible placebo effect there. | ||
|
micronesia
United States24766 Posts
On June 15 2009 08:02 Macavenger wrote: Are you already tired when you're taking them? No sleeping pill is going to put you to sleep if you aren't already tired - at least, not at any safe dosage level. The active ingredient for many sleep aids, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, only induces mild drowsiness. If you're tired and having trouble falling asleep, it can be enough to push you over the edge and let you actually sleep. Beyond that, I'm sure there are some people that are naturally resistant to the effects for whatever reason, but from my experience it should be pretty rare. Even in such cases, I'm dubious about the idea of a heart rate increasing semi-stimulant as a sleep aid. I'd personally wonder about a possible placebo effect there. Probably true, but also... any substance that you use to solve your insomnia isn't solving it if you always need to use that substance in order to sleep... | ||
|
VIB
Brazil3567 Posts
 | ||
|
micronesia
United States24766 Posts
On June 15 2009 13:53 VIB wrote: Thanks. That was exactly my goal.This guide were way more useful for me than any other from the beta contest! Thanks a lot for putting your time to writing it. No problem. I enjoyed writing it and it helped me better understand the topic (part of the reason why I love writing guides). | ||
|
obesechicken13
United States10467 Posts
| ||
|
micronesia
United States24766 Posts
On June 15 2009 14:38 obesechicken13 wrote: At one point, maybe four years ago I sometimes had insomnia. Obsessively, during one of my great purges of bad habits, I googled insomnia, and got rid of it. I can't read all of that, but it looks helpful. Props. Well obesity and protein (from chicken) are both bad when trying to fall asleep XD | ||
|
gLyo
United States2410 Posts
On June 15 2009 08:02 Macavenger wrote: Are you already tired when you're taking them? No sleeping pill is going to put you to sleep if you aren't already tired - at least, not at any safe dosage level. The active ingredient for many sleep aids, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, only induces mild drowsiness. If you're tired and having trouble falling asleep, it can be enough to push you over the edge and let you actually sleep. Beyond that, I'm sure there are some people that are naturally resistant to the effects for whatever reason, but from my experience it should be pretty rare. Even in such cases, I'm dubious about the idea of a heart rate increasing semi-stimulant as a sleep aid. I'd personally wonder about a possible placebo effect there. Even though marijuana does increase heart rate, it also makes you lazy, slows thought processes, and makes you content enough to just lie there and sleep. | ||
| ||
StarCraft 2 StarCraft: Brood War Dota 2 Super Smash Bros Heroes of the Storm Other Games |
|
PiGosaur Cup
Replay Cast
Afreeca Starleague
BeSt vs Leta
Queen vs Jaedong
Kung Fu Cup
Replay Cast
The PondCast
OSC
RSL Revival
TriGGeR vs Cure
ByuN vs Rogue
Replay Cast
RSL Revival
Maru vs MaxPax
[ Show More ] |
|
|
EPT
