It seems like everyone is on a journey here. For me, it was first admitting that sleep needed to be a priority, then a combination of things mentioned in the article (light, regular schedule, avoid coffee in the afternoon, earplugs (I have found that Bose sleep buds work best for me). Finally, exercise during the day is beneficial for so many things but most importantly for me....to help sleep. If I haven't exercised, I find I don't get to sleep as fast or sleep as well. Pick some tools, experiment, and find what works best for you.
I'm a retired MD who has a history of waking at 2-3 AM, unable to stop ruminating, since age 8. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia has helped, but taking 1-2 grams of Inositol, which increases serotonin levels, is safe and effective in my experience.
Coffee seems to have no effect on how well I do or don't sleep. The things that seem to have worked the best for me--doing some kind of exercise during the day (ideally going for a good walk), minimizing brightly lit rooms in the evenings, regular bed time, and probably light in the morning
This is a perfect article for this week. I listened to a podcast on intuitive eating and realized I was also terrible and Intuitively sleeping. Always read one chapter more if I feel tired but it isn’t “late enough”.
I’m one of those people where stopping caffeine had ZERO effect on improving my sleep, and I still have insomnia bouts when I don’t consume caffeine. I have sleep apnea and use a cpap, which does help with my insomnia to a certain degree. For a lot of people, insomnia could be a sign of sleep apnea. Sleep has been a never ending fight for me, and it def has been more challenging the older I have become.
I've always had trouble sleeping, and as a result have always been a heavy coffee drinker. However, even when I avoided caffeine after 3 pm, I still had a lot of trouble sleeping.
I learned that some of us are "slow metabolizers" of caffeine, and should avoid it for 10-12 hours prior to bedtime. That was unwelcome news for me, but once I started doing that my insomnia pretty much disappeared.
Sleep comes and lies with me and gently guides me into a serene slumber … until 2 a.m. when her jealous ex comes and bashes my body with a sledgehammer. That’s been my sleep cycle for about a year now.
Great article. One of my Health Systems I am employing this year is to try and get an average sleep score of 80 or higher (using my Garmin). Each and every one of the suggestions Emily outlined is part of my daily routine. And they work. I would add that cutting back on when you eat bed is also helpful, with the occasional sprinkle of a melatonin supplement on nights where I am overexcited (football playoffs).
One other layer that is proving to be fascinating is I am recording how I feel each day to track the impact on my well being. It is startling. As someone who really didn’t pay much attention to sleep prior, it’s amazing how much better the body works when it is given a chance to work under optimal conditions. And it’s only been 3 weeks.
Prioritizing my sleep over the last year or two has been really eye-opening and maybe the biggest single improvement in my life.
For me the big things were no caffeine after noon or so (I try to be asleep around 10pm) and setting a fairly regular bed and wakeup time even on off days.
It seems like everyone is on a journey here. For me, it was first admitting that sleep needed to be a priority, then a combination of things mentioned in the article (light, regular schedule, avoid coffee in the afternoon, earplugs (I have found that Bose sleep buds work best for me). Finally, exercise during the day is beneficial for so many things but most importantly for me....to help sleep. If I haven't exercised, I find I don't get to sleep as fast or sleep as well. Pick some tools, experiment, and find what works best for you.
I'm a retired MD who has a history of waking at 2-3 AM, unable to stop ruminating, since age 8. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia has helped, but taking 1-2 grams of Inositol, which increases serotonin levels, is safe and effective in my experience.
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-299/inositol
Coffee seems to have no effect on how well I do or don't sleep. The things that seem to have worked the best for me--doing some kind of exercise during the day (ideally going for a good walk), minimizing brightly lit rooms in the evenings, regular bed time, and probably light in the morning
This is a perfect article for this week. I listened to a podcast on intuitive eating and realized I was also terrible and Intuitively sleeping. Always read one chapter more if I feel tired but it isn’t “late enough”.
Taking a daily dose of magnesium right before bedtime helps me avoid waking up at 3 AM and also seems to improve my sleep quality.
I’m one of those people where stopping caffeine had ZERO effect on improving my sleep, and I still have insomnia bouts when I don’t consume caffeine. I have sleep apnea and use a cpap, which does help with my insomnia to a certain degree. For a lot of people, insomnia could be a sign of sleep apnea. Sleep has been a never ending fight for me, and it def has been more challenging the older I have become.
I've always had trouble sleeping, and as a result have always been a heavy coffee drinker. However, even when I avoided caffeine after 3 pm, I still had a lot of trouble sleeping.
I learned that some of us are "slow metabolizers" of caffeine, and should avoid it for 10-12 hours prior to bedtime. That was unwelcome news for me, but once I started doing that my insomnia pretty much disappeared.
Yes! I think the average half life of caffeine is 12 hours. But for some people it can take longer. Others metabolize it faster.
One interesting finding is that smokers metabolize caffeine much faster.
Sleep comes and lies with me and gently guides me into a serene slumber … until 2 a.m. when her jealous ex comes and bashes my body with a sledgehammer. That’s been my sleep cycle for about a year now.
Great article. One of my Health Systems I am employing this year is to try and get an average sleep score of 80 or higher (using my Garmin). Each and every one of the suggestions Emily outlined is part of my daily routine. And they work. I would add that cutting back on when you eat bed is also helpful, with the occasional sprinkle of a melatonin supplement on nights where I am overexcited (football playoffs).
One other layer that is proving to be fascinating is I am recording how I feel each day to track the impact on my well being. It is startling. As someone who really didn’t pay much attention to sleep prior, it’s amazing how much better the body works when it is given a chance to work under optimal conditions. And it’s only been 3 weeks.
Prioritizing my sleep over the last year or two has been really eye-opening and maybe the biggest single improvement in my life.
For me the big things were no caffeine after noon or so (I try to be asleep around 10pm) and setting a fairly regular bed and wakeup time even on off days.