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Anyone got any tips? I get to sleep without much trouble but invariably wake up way too early. My body aches like a very achey thing today and I swear it's just lack of sleep.
Really envy people who just go out like a light. Been watching a video from some science guy who says you need to get sunlight onto your eyes as early as poss (when the sun's coming up) and then again as it's going down, to get your circadian rhythm back on track. Doesn't seem very practical with life/jobs etc.
I’ve started finding if I have one or two beers I’ll always wake up in the middle of the night. Either means I can’t drink or I have to drink more and deal with the consequences.
Usually I have a camomile tea every day about 8:30pm before heading to bed circa 10pm and reading a bit. No science backs this but seems to work until baby Belga says otherwise!
I was talking about humans . Seriously though an underactive thyroid means medication for life hence free prescriptions but not for an overactive one.
I mentioned it only because the medication he was on for the first 7 years was actually exactly the same one as was used for humans back then! So I assume the condition in the two species is not dissimilar.
Anyway, the various solutions on the thread all go to show that different things work for different people, so the OP just needs to try them out till he finds one or more that work for him as an individual.
as a shift worker i can report my sleep is horrendous.
lay awake for hours thinking about what jobs need doing on the house, trying to plan everything in, thinking about the kids, ITFC on loop in the brain....
as a shift worker i can report my sleep is horrendous.
lay awake for hours thinking about what jobs need doing on the house, trying to plan everything in, thinking about the kids, ITFC on loop in the brain....
good fun this getting older lark
[Post edited 5 Nov 2021 23:02]
I did the night shift for 31 years. Definitely not good for you.
Sounds like a new mattress (and possibly topper) will do a nice job for you.
The most likely reason for a bad nights sleep is a poor mattress, certainly fits in with you being achy. Most the good ones will give you 100 days to test it so there is no harm in ordering one and then returning it if it hasn't helped.
By the time you're an adult the circadian rhythm is pretty much sorted, it shouldn't change that quickly with light stimulus. As you get older it tends to shift so you go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. It's normal - we are just getting old.
SB
[Post edited 5 Nov 2021 21:26]
Yeah, I was going to suggest this too.
I feel like bad posture affects sleep. Nothing scientific, just personal experience.
Submit your 1-24 league prediction here -https://www.twtd.co.uk/forum/514096/page:1 - for the opportunity to get a free Ipswich top.
Sounds like a new mattress (and possibly topper) will do a nice job for you.
The most likely reason for a bad nights sleep is a poor mattress, certainly fits in with you being achy. Most the good ones will give you 100 days to test it so there is no harm in ordering one and then returning it if it hasn't helped.
By the time you're an adult the circadian rhythm is pretty much sorted, it shouldn't change that quickly with light stimulus. As you get older it tends to shift so you go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. It's normal - we are just getting old.
SB
[Post edited 5 Nov 2021 21:26]
"The most likely reason for a bad nights sleep is a poor mattress."
I find this statement a little hard to believe to be honest. There are multiple reasons why people have insomnia.
Nevertheless, we have a fairly new mattress (less than 2 years old) and memory foam, so it's a pretty decent one. The aching I referred to was more like when you have flu - that kind of aching. Feel a lot better today after a sleep, funnily enough!
In the same programme there was something about a technique taught to the US military, it's about relaxing your body a bit at a time, starts with your tongue or jaw I think.
I'll try and find a link, believe it was 5 live.
The warm bath thing is definitely a thing I've heard but rarely tried. Will have to try that again.
I used to be a great sleeper until my little ones came along. That screwed it for obvious reasons and I’ve never been a good sleeper since, even on the rare occasions they’re with grandparents or I’m away with work etc.
Since I've started running lots of marathons and ultra marathons I've found it much harder to sleep. Some nights I only get 3-4 hours sleep. At best 6-7.
Apparently this is quite common for very high mileage runners.
I find ear plugs, podcasts and reading help me rest but I might not necessarily be asleep.
I do run most mornings, albeit only around 6k. You'd have thought exercise would make you tireder later on!
I have looked into this a fair bit over the last year or so and can offer the following advice.
Caffeine and alcohol are big sleep disruptors, many people believe they sleep fine after an evening or afternoon coffee but science shows that for the majority of us our sleep quality is affected by caffeine even if we don't realize it. Not sure if you drink much tea or coffee but if possible try and have a no caffeine after midday rule, this will help massively. Try and avoid alcohol in the evenings as well whenever possible.
Blue light affects our ability to feel sleepy by tricking the brain into thinking it is still daytime, I find it really helps to have a cut off point after which all phones,laptops etc. are switched off and i then read for a while in a dimly lit room. When doing this I find I feel quite sleepy after half an hour or so. Blue light glasses might also be worth trying as well as blue light reduction apps for your phone and laptop.
Try to get into a regular sleep pattern if possible, going to bed and getting up at the same time really helps as your body/brain will soon get used to this and respond accordingly. Try to allow yourself an 8 hour sleep opportunity which should guarantee at least 7 hours sleep.
keep your room at a cool temperature, the ideal is about 19 degrees C, any warmer than this and it will take your body longer to cool down to the temperature which initiates sleep. If you are lucky enough to share your bed with a lovely lady this can be a big problem as I am sure they operate at a completely different temperature to men!
Eat your evening meal as early as possible and try not to have large high carb meals in the evening as this will also hinder your ability to get to sleep.
Finally, this one may seem a bit odd but I have found it an absolute game changer. Try applying a small piece of tape over your lips which will result in you breathing only through your nose and not your mouth. this will pretty much eliminate snoring and will aid sleep quality no end. I now wake up feeling so much more rested and refreshed than I ever used to. It feels a little strange at first but you soon get used to it. Obviously you need the right sort of tape as you don't want to pull half the skin off your lips the next morning!
More info on this below if you are interested. Hope this helps.
100% this on the sleep tape thing. I started to do this after listening to this interview with James Nestor the author of 'Breath'. He talks about it quite early on.
A year later and I can vouch for the resulting improved sleep and feeling refreshed in the morning.Breathing through the nose helps prevent snoring and helps with Sleep Apnea, so often the reason for poor sleep.
It's a matter of training yourself to breathe through the nose. Using micro tape means if you switch to mouth while sleeping the tape just breaks so it's all completely safe.
For the first few weeks I often woke with the tape broken but I've now trained my breathing and I wake with it in place.
100% this on the sleep tape thing. I started to do this after listening to this interview with James Nestor the author of 'Breath'. He talks about it quite early on.
A year later and I can vouch for the resulting improved sleep and feeling refreshed in the morning.Breathing through the nose helps prevent snoring and helps with Sleep Apnea, so often the reason for poor sleep.
It's a matter of training yourself to breathe through the nose. Using micro tape means if you switch to mouth while sleeping the tape just breaks so it's all completely safe.
For the first few weeks I often woke with the tape broken but I've now trained my breathing and I wake with it in place.
Quite amazing ...
[Post edited 6 Nov 2021 11:02]
Very interesting, thanks. I'm not working next week so I'm going to try a few of the ideas in this thread (not that I expect any to work right away).
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. Seriously though an underactive thyroid means medication for life hence free prescriptions but not for an overactive one. 
