I'm not sure those watches are that accurate in assessing sleep quality, I can't remember which program it was I was watching but they compared it against a proper sleep study and the differences were vast.
Sleeping
- Thread starter cliffy
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I'm not sure those watches are that accurate in assessing sleep quality, I can't remember which program it was I was watching but they compared it against a proper sleep study and the differences were vast.
I work from home at the moment and for a few years, have not been doing any exercise so sleep eluded me.
I do go counter to the 'no screen time' and read in bed (Kindle app on phone), 2 hours of that and my eyes start closing.
Depending on the position I'm in, this can sometimes result in my phone hitting me in the face.
Into bed by 11pm, usually flat out by 1am. Its been working well for the last 2 years and I've done a lot of reading.
In the last 3 months, I've reduced my caffeine intake to 2 cups of tea in the morning only, cut out the snacks and sugar and started playing football once a week in the evening.
Sleep has improved a lot.
I tried putting on white noise "Alexa, play thunderstorms" but that didn't help me although my missus can be flat out in 5 minutes of getting into bed.
I do go counter to the 'no screen time' and read in bed (Kindle app on phone), 2 hours of that and my eyes start closing.
Depending on the position I'm in, this can sometimes result in my phone hitting me in the face.
Into bed by 11pm, usually flat out by 1am. Its been working well for the last 2 years and I've done a lot of reading.
In the last 3 months, I've reduced my caffeine intake to 2 cups of tea in the morning only, cut out the snacks and sugar and started playing football once a week in the evening.
Sleep has improved a lot.
I tried putting on white noise "Alexa, play thunderstorms" but that didn't help me although my missus can be flat out in 5 minutes of getting into bed.
Man of Honour
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Is that because of the chlorine? All I always want to do is sleep when I've been in a pool.
Bang on, I have a supposedly good sleep tracker on my watch but I also sleep with a professional CPAP and they do not match.
Smartwatches have amazing uses but that's not one of them.
Nope
Listen to this professor on the matter, very interesting and helpful. I found the bit about just getting out of bed if you can't sleep particularly useful. Your brain associates awake with bed if you just lie in it looking at the ceiling/your phone. Getting up and doing jobs in the middle of the night soon made me sleepy.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2n...GUO6QffyG1tA&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3p...6jez80Cerd7A&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2n...GUO6QffyG1tA&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3p...6jez80Cerd7A&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1
Exercise plenty but my diet could be better. Once i get to sleep there is no waking me up, it is just getting to sleep. The insomnia pre dates lockdown. MY gran and mum also do not sleep much but it stops sort of insomnia. At its worse i was getting about an hour sleep every couple nights which is what prompted me to go doctors. 4 years later i still take sleeping pills nightly but it is time to stop. Damn brain just refuses to shut off
I record my sleep on my watch which I find very useful, first thing I do when I wake up is see how much sleep I got. Last night I got 6h29m which is very decent. I have a rough idea of my energy levels for today as a result.
A lot of people don't take care of themselves as they should, there's so much going on in the body, so many chemicals being produced that can have a detrimental effect on our health.
The first thing you need if a suitable bed, mattress, pillows and clean sheets. These things can be tailored to your needs.
A healthy diet, no alcohol, caffeine or smoking etc then a reasonable amount of exercise, walking is good enough.
As your doctor for a blood test to check a variety of vitamin levels. Get a massage to get rid of muscle tension and knots.
A lot of people don't take care of themselves as they should, there's so much going on in the body, so many chemicals being produced that can have a detrimental effect on our health.
The first thing you need if a suitable bed, mattress, pillows and clean sheets. These things can be tailored to your needs.
A healthy diet, no alcohol, caffeine or smoking etc then a reasonable amount of exercise, walking is good enough.
As your doctor for a blood test to check a variety of vitamin levels. Get a massage to get rid of muscle tension and knots.
Man of Honour
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Still not accurate, I could sleep for 8 hours but a proper CPAP machine discovered I have a really bad nights sleep, turn your watch APP off.
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- Don't use your phone in bed. In fact, place it far enough away from the bed that you'd need to get up to use it. This will avoid temptation.
- Try not to drink anything for 1-2hrs before going to bed. I find that I'll have to get up at least once to use the toilet otherwise, YMMV.
- Consider "sleep talk down" or "meditation" audio tracks to help you clear your head. Ocean noise or heavy rain is also good, if you prefer more of a "white noise" thing.
- Find a comfortable position and some loose clothing. It's not fun going to sleep with shorts/trousers that turn your sensitive bits to human origami.
- Try going for a short walk after having some food in the evening... this will give your body some exercise and may help the bloated feeling before bed.
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Try some blue light blocking glasses, stick them on 4 hours or so before bed and they may naturally help your circadian rhythm.
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Only been about two months since i've "sorted" it, but a lot of what people said.
1. exercise - I did notice at the start, i had trouble sleeping or trouble staying asleep, but after a while it works wonders.
2. No phone - set alarm and chuck it, no youtube or anything. Get a kindle and just read until tired. This has been the main thing that has helped kick it. Also helps if you cant "switch off" like thinking about stuff, just read til sleep. Better an extra 30 mins to an hour of reading, than three hours of staring at the ceiling overthinking things.
3. Schedule - For me, bed between 12-1, read kindle and asleep before 2. Then up for 8.30. Weekend is key, you'll find after a while you will wake up naturally early, keeping the week day rhythm helps maintain the whole schedule.
Unfortunately life is life, and there will just be times that none of this works. I don't have insomnia, but i have huge issues with switching off when it gets to bed time (Usually stress over work, stress over money or trauma from what i did while drunk). Sometimes, schedule goes out the window and you just have to have a painful day, reset and get back on track.
1. exercise - I did notice at the start, i had trouble sleeping or trouble staying asleep, but after a while it works wonders.
2. No phone - set alarm and chuck it, no youtube or anything. Get a kindle and just read until tired. This has been the main thing that has helped kick it. Also helps if you cant "switch off" like thinking about stuff, just read til sleep. Better an extra 30 mins to an hour of reading, than three hours of staring at the ceiling overthinking things.
3. Schedule - For me, bed between 12-1, read kindle and asleep before 2. Then up for 8.30. Weekend is key, you'll find after a while you will wake up naturally early, keeping the week day rhythm helps maintain the whole schedule.
Unfortunately life is life, and there will just be times that none of this works. I don't have insomnia, but i have huge issues with switching off when it gets to bed time (Usually stress over work, stress over money or trauma from what i did while drunk
). Sometimes, schedule goes out the window and you just have to have a painful day, reset and get back on track.
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Just avoid any form of useless surfing , youtube , tiktoks or whatever you know your poison is. As above , substitute it with some reading and stick to a routine , be militant about it. Good luck!
Explain more, how does a machine tell you that?
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I have Sleep Apnoea so I go to bed with a mask on attached to a dedicated machine that feeds me oxygen when I stop breathing.
The Sleep Nurses can download that information because the machine has a MODEM in it so they know exactly what my sleep pattern is and every 3 months they discuss all the finer details.
A lot of people don't know Sleep Apnoea exists, I certainly didn't until last October and I work with a lot of disciplines in the hospital.
When I went for my first appointment a woman who regularly comes to see my bands was the Nurse so I have a direct line to her now.
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I get the very same issue with my legs had it from as far back as I can remember, on the sleep side of things im always up till around 3-4am and if I try to go to bed at an earlier time I just lay awake and as I said my legs will start hurtning too, and some nights i just get no sleep at all and get back up again, not sure if its got anything to do with the fact I have Coeliac Disease.
I have bouts of insomnia but it’s worse when the clocks go back today and we head into winter. I will hit the gym more, they are turning a former Currys store into a 24 hour gym that’s 5 mins from me. Will join the gym when it opens and hit it late at night.
My sleeping is so fubar there's no hope of a normal night's sleep.
It seems I physically cannot get to sleep before silly o'clock (like 3am), and then I can't wake up much before mid-day.
If I go to bed earlier I just lie there, tossing and awake.
It seems I physically cannot get to sleep before silly o'clock (like 3am), and then I can't wake up much before mid-day.
If I go to bed earlier I just lie there, tossing and awake.
Always drop off really easily, read kindle then out like a light but did then wake up multiple times, as ive said in mental health thread im on mirtazapine now so out like a light and sleep through plus sleep longer (my broken sleep was seen as a symtom of me not handling some issues well)
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The 2 tricks I use to fall asleep are:
1. If awake after 20 minutes get up and watch something really boring on TV until I feel tired, then go back to bed. Doing this resets the sleep cue of going to bet.
2. When in bed do long slow breaths. When breathing out, imagine that you are falling. One moment you are thinking about the breaths and the next zzzzzzzz.
Another thing I've been doing recently is a cold shower about 8:30pm (bed at 10.15 pm) and sit afterwards only wearing shorts. I think this helps getting to sleep as being cool is apparently another sleep cue.
1. If awake after 20 minutes get up and watch something really boring on TV until I feel tired, then go back to bed. Doing this resets the sleep cue of going to bet.
2. When in bed do long slow breaths. When breathing out, imagine that you are falling. One moment you are thinking about the breaths and the next zzzzzzzz.
Another thing I've been doing recently is a cold shower about 8:30pm (bed at 10.15 pm) and sit afterwards only wearing shorts. I think this helps getting to sleep as being cool is apparently another sleep cue.