Why does it have to always hit me so randomly? Some nights I beg my brain to stay awake past 9 and then there’s nights like this where I’m wide awake for no reason

  • @iarigby@lemmy.world
    21•1 year ago

    My rules to have a higher chance of falling asleep at 11-12

    • always wake up early, even after I went to bed late, otherwise I won’t be able to fall asleep on time
    • no active brain work (studying, working) after 8pm
    • no food after 7-8pm
    • no ceiling lights after 8-9 pm, only yellow dim lamps
    • no staying in bed if I couldn’t fall asleep. get up, go to another room, try again in 15-20 minutes
    • @Mrs_deWinter@feddit.de
      16•1 year ago

      To add:

      • No visible clocks. If possible don’t check the time at all while trying to sleep. Doing math at night (aka “oh no only 4 hours left”) only makes you angry or sad.
      • No alcohol. If unavoidable, try to be sober by the time you want to fall asleep. (Dring sooner, if at all.)
      • No coffee after midday. Some bodies suck at metabolising it.
      • Bedroom should be as dark and silent and comfy as possible. If there’s any way you can add comfort, do it.
      • For persisting sleep problems: Change position or location. (E.g. turn completely around in your bed, feet at the headrest, or sleep on the couch if comfortable.) Brains are very good at linking a location with a state of mind, and changing things around can help if the thought of your bed stresses you out already.

      For severe problems it’s probably always wise to check with a physician, or if there’s specific stuff in your head that keeps you awake to consider telling a friend or therapist about it. To distance yourself from your thoughts is something everybody can learn and it can be tremendously helpful with stuff like that.

      • @iarigby@lemmy.world
        2•1 year ago

        yes, all of that are very important as well. Sometimes I think about how exhausting it is to follow all these, and try my best to forget about the fear of not falling asleep when going to bed. I’ve noticed that overcoming that psychological “surrender” had a big impact on nights where I experience some problems - it’s important to keep calm and not spiral. But damn, it’s hard living like this.

    • @iarigby@lemmy.world
      4•1 year ago

      one more thing: I have to limit the amount of stress inducing activities throughout a day/days so my brain is not in alert mode for too long. I have social anxiety so this mostly means spending enough time at home, not going to more than 2 different places during one day, etc.