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Let's talk about all things SLEEP related.....I've always been curious about SLEEP.
I think what studies have shown about the importance of sleep is very interesting....how restorative it is to the body, cells and health....and how the lack of it can really be detrimental -- very much so. It's amazing.
- How much sleep to you want? Do you actually get?
- Can you fall asleep easily? Do you need any special conditions or atmosphere?
- Do you notice how sleep -- getting more -- or not getting enough -- affects you health for better or worse?
- Are you particular about where and how you sleep?
- Do you or any one you know -- nod off every time you sit still for 10 mins?
- Do you have any sleep conditions?
- Have you ever taken part in a sleep study? Tell us about that. I'm curious. I think it's interesting.
- How important is getting enough sleep for you?
Me:
I've always loved to sleep. I want at least 8 hours. Would prefer 9 hours. But during the work week usually only get about 7 hours. Weekends I sleep all I want. No alarm those days!
I HATE dragging myself out of bed, waking up exhausted and forcing myself out of bed.
That's why I want 8-9 hours,....when I'm well-rested I don't mind getting up.
Once in bed for the night I can usually drop right off. (I am usually pretty tired by the time I go to bed.)
Very rarely, I can't sleep (Just can't turn main brain off about work stress.)
I can sleep in any bed, or on any couch. (Some people say they "can't sleep in a hotel or away from home.)
Love a very firm (not hard) mattress. Two pillows.
(I don't fall asleep the second I sit down. Just saying that when it's time to sleep I can sleep on a couch if need be. I had a cousin who if he sat still for 10 mins he'd nod off. Of course he was in the military and got up before 5a...so maybe that's why when he sat down at 8p he was out like a light.)
Half of my bed is my command center.
Papers, my phone, my computer on the other side.
I will eat in bed, work in bed...stay in bed most of the day sometimes.
My sister and BIL recently bought a more than 10K mack-daddy Sleep Number bed -- Cadillac version, all the bells and whistles -- any position you want, temp control mattress, etc. This bed is a spaceship And they LOVE it!
- How much sleep to you want? Do you actually get? I want a minimum of 5 hours of "productive" sleep, no more than 9 hours of it. I actually get between 6.5 and 7.5, which is perfect.
- Can you fall asleep easily? Do you need any special conditions or atmosphere? I need dark, no interruptions, no sudden sounds, I need to be "tucked in" at the feet with something covering my body up to my chin, and a fairly firm, fairly flat pillow. I can only fall asleep easily when I'm medicated. I've been a chronic insomniac since high school.
- Do you notice how sleep -- getting more -- or not getting enough -- affects you health for better or worse? Yes, I noticed. Oversleeping is a little disorienting to me. I don't like waiting to get out of bed until 10 in the morning. I much prefer to get out of bed around 7:30-8:30. I'm in bed for the night usually by 11pm and asleep usually before 11:30.
- Are you particular about where and how you sleep? No. If I'm just taking a nap, I can nap anywhere. If I'm trying to sleep for the night, a bed is preferred, a futon is fine, the hard ground in a sleeping bag is acceptable, with a couch being my last choice.
- Do you or any one you know -- nod off every time you sit still for 10 mins? No.
- Do you have any sleep conditions? Chronic insomnia caused by ADD. The part of the brain that makes your thoughts become quiet at sleeptime don't work for me. So no matter how tired I am, I just can't "shut the sound off." Medication fixes that.
- Have you ever taken part in a sleep study? Tell us about that. I'm curious. I think it's interesting. Yes. I didn't have to do an overnight because it was obvious to the doctor after we went through the 100-question questionnaire that my sleep disorder was the direct result of my ADD. Since I don't medicate for the ADD, I have to medicate for the sleep disorder.
- How important is getting enough sleep for you? Phenomenally important. Significantly, profoundly, completely important. I value productive sleep with every waking moment. I thank the pharmaceutical company for inventing Ambien, without which I would be a living zombie
Guess I'm lucky. Sleep has rarely been much of a concern. There have certainly been periods when I was unusually stressed out over something to the point I had trouble turning my brain off enough to sleep, but I've never resorted to medication other than some short acting or OTC sleep aid on a case by case basis.
Of course, I don't do the usual no-nos like stare at a phone/computer screen until all hours, I'm not at a phone's beck and call 24/7/365, don't overeat too late, never been a caffeine addict, don't indulge in strenuous exercise at some stupidly late hour, I manage life so I can get to bed at reasonable hours, acknowledge/accept when I'm tired and do what needs to be done, and pretty much learned to disrupt hamster wheel thinking years ago. I also don't give in to the temptation to make up for lack of sleep by sleeping to some unholy late hour on a weekend. I don't nap during the day unless I am too sick to do anything else.
I know I prefer sleeping in a fairly cold room as opposed to a warm one. I also like it dark which can be a challenge up here in AK during the summer. So, I use blackout drapes. I also know I'm fortunate to live in a relatively quiet area so noise doesn't keep me awake.
I am sure part of the reason why sleep has rarely been an issue is because I don't work myself into a snit over every minute of it I might or might not be getting. Talk about hamster wheel thinking! Some mornings I wake up after 5 hours of sleep and do fine. Other times I end up getting 7 hours and do fine. Sometimes just the opposite. I do not keep a running tally of every night's sleep deficit or surplus and then worry about it. I suspect sleep and fretting about it are closely connected.
Last edited by Parnassia; 09-09-2023 at 02:18 PM..
I generally need around 7-8 hours of sleep each night and have no problem falling asleep, although if and when I wake up at maybe 3 or 4 in the morning it can take some time falling asleep again.
A few years ago I started getting what is known as 'night-terrors' once every few months. Night-terrors are a 'dream-like' state except that they occur during non-REM sleep and involve, at least as it manifests with me, being menaced or threatened by either an animal, a person, or in at least one episode, by a fantom. And I can't defend myself against the threat of being attacked though I never am actually attacked. When having a night-terror the person may scream or yell as well kick and flail around and I have thrown myself out of bed onto the floor.
I had a night-terror last Thursday night, but it was different this time because as soon as it started I knew what it was. Much like with a lucid dream in which you know that you are dreaming, I knew I was having a night-terror and decided not to try to defend myself and the episode resolved calmly. The person who was menacing me with a knife just faded away after a few moments and I woke up.
Sometimes it's easier to fall asleep during the day-time than at night.
I generally need around 7-8 hours of sleep each night and have no problem falling asleep, although if and when I wake up at maybe 3 or 4 in the morning it can take some time falling asleep again.
I've had nights when that happens too. I've found that just lying there gazing at the ceiling doesn't help, so I change things up. Ironically, I've found if I get out of bed and shuffle to the living room sofa (sometimes even turning the TV on to some boring late night/early morning talking head show with the sound off) alters conditions just enough that I nod off again. Next thing I know its daylight.
One thing I've always done after going to bed or before getting up in the morning is work on a mental novel in my head. A sort of focused daydream I've edited and re-edited since grade school. There's always some plot change, character change, adjustments to scenery or settings, concepts I want the novel to suggest to an imaginary reader that could use some adjustment, often incorporating new material from movies, TV, books, or life into it. Its a living, ever changing creative project that will probably never see a printed page. Lying comfortably in bed in the dark is a great time to do that work and I usually drift away peacefully in the process. It's enjoyable and it also effectively gets my mind off frustrations that might keep me awake.
Last edited by Parnassia; 09-12-2023 at 12:39 PM..
I've been taking Magnesium Glycinate for about a week now. Prior to that I had started taking Magnesium Citrate (powder form). Been sleeping like a baby. When I wake up, I go right back to sleep instead of being awake for 1-3 hours.
Glycinate and Citrate perform different functions. There are YT videos and other documents about which magnesium is used (optimal) for which issue. I take Citrate in the morning and Glycinate an hour before bed (it's good for sleep).
I'd like to get 8 hours. Perhaps do, though interrupted by bathroom needs.
Love hotel beds. Not a night person so I can fall asleep anywhere
Let's talk about all things SLEEP related.....I've always been curious about SLEEP.
I think what studies have shown about the importance of sleep is very interesting....how restorative it is to the body, cells and health....and how the lack of it can really be detrimental -- very much so. It's amazing.
- How much sleep to you want? Do you actually get?
- Can you fall asleep easily? Do you need any special conditions or atmosphere?
- Do you notice how sleep -- getting more -- or not getting enough -- affects you health for better or worse?
- Are you particular about where and how you sleep?
- Do you or any one you know -- nod off every time you sit still for 10 mins?
- Do you have any sleep conditions?
- Have you ever taken part in a sleep study? Tell us about that. I'm curious. I think it's interesting.
- How important is getting enough sleep for you?
Me:
I've always loved to sleep. I want at least 8 hours. Would prefer 9 hours. But during the work week usually only get about 7 hours. Weekends I sleep all I want. No alarm those days!
I HATE dragging myself out of bed, waking up exhausted and forcing myself out of bed.
That's why I want 8-9 hours,....when I'm well-rested I don't mind getting up.
Once in bed for the night I can usually drop right off. (I am usually pretty tired by the time I go to bed.)
Very rarely, I can't sleep (Just can't turn main brain off about work stress.)
I can sleep in any bed, or on any couch. (Some people say they "can't sleep in a hotel or away from home.)
Love a very firm (not hard) mattress. Two pillows.
(I don't fall asleep the second I sit down. Just saying that when it's time to sleep I can sleep on a couch if need be. I had a cousin who if he sat still for 10 mins he'd nod off. Of course he was in the military and got up before 5a...so maybe that's why when he sat down at 8p he was out like a light.)
Half of my bed is my command center.
Papers, my phone, my computer on the other side.
I will eat in bed, work in bed...stay in bed most of the day sometimes.
My sister and BIL recently bought a more than 10K mack-daddy Sleep Number bed -- Cadillac version, all the bells and whistles -- any position you want, temp control mattress, etc. This bed is a spaceship And they LOVE it!
I would love to sleep till death. I only get a few hours a nite. I die out around 9pm and go right to sleep and wake up around 2 or 3 and that is it i am done and wired up.
The absolute best hotel bed I ever slept on was at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. The mattress was nice, but it was all about the pillows and linens. I felt like I was laying in a cloud! That was in 2012 and I still think about it. I took pictures of the tags on the pillows and bedspread, but never did find where or how to purchase them.
In the past year I've intentionally set my work schedule so I can wake up naturally in the morning without an alarm. Being jolted awake like that every damn day was causing me so much anxiety, almost like a trigger announcing the dread I was about to face for the day. I'm lucky to be self employed now, and I wake up naturally during the 6 o'clock hour every morning so I can have stress-free time to prepare for the day. I moved my bed under a window that gets the morning light which helps to wake me up gently.
I've had some crazy bouts with insomnia where I couldn't fall asleep until 3 or 4 AM--and sometimes not even then. Awful. Some full moon nights are the worst (am I a werewolf??)
Now I've started taking melatonin (3mg) 2 hrs before bed, drinking some Sleepytime tea--and listening to a CD with relaxation music. I've got a couple with the sound of rain...
Puts me right to sleep for a full night of 7-9 hours.
What a relief!
Also, I turn off all screens at least 2 hours before bed and read a book--a book with paper pages...
Oh, I know what you mean about great beds and linens in hotels--don't know how they do it but they're great (most of the time!) Some airbnb's not so great though--I'm not a fan of non-cotton linens--the feel and heat factor. And many rentals are using these "linens" now. Wish they wouldn't.
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