Quote:
Originally Posted by greenfrog
"Getting out of bed and doing something else when you have insomnia is a good idea. ie: Don't lay in bed for hours when trying to go to sleep. ie: Try to fall asleep for 30 minutes and then go read (or sit) in your living room for a while if you have trouble falling asleep, and then go try to fall asleep again."
I know this last suggestion is common advice (and may be good advice for most people), but for some reason it hasn't worked well for me. My brain seems happier when I stay in bed and eventually (sometimes after quite a while) go back to sleep. Conversely, if I get up and read and then go back to bed after 30 or 60 or 90 mins, I tend to feel worse when I get up in the morning. It's almost as though my brain "knows" that my sleep has been disrupted and responds accordingly.
I now try to stay in bed throughout the night, even if I'm awake for a while here and there. Over time my insomnia has lessened and I'm now sleeping better (although this may be the result of my doing better generally as much as this habit).
Other things that I think have helped: a consistent sleep routine (in bed around 10:15 or 10:30 every night, same time as my partner), dark room, fairly cool temp, quiet (slight background noise from the fridge), comfortable bed.
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Dr. Nedley encouraged us to stay in bed and stay still with our eyes closed. Even if you don't feel like you are asleep, you may in fact be able to get some stage 1 sleep in this state and perhaps drift off into deeper stages.
He also provided us with a light-blocking eye mask. I have been using that with earplugs and I do find it harder to tell if I'm awake or asleep in the middle of the night
Also, to help reset your circadian rhythm: get 20 minutes of bright blue light exposure between 5-7 AM (sunlight works or use a blue therapy light if you can't get sunlight). Go to bed between 8-10 PM. If you aren't sleepy by 9 PM after a week of this, add 20 minutes of blue light therapy between 2-4 PM.
Make sure you have adequate levels of vitamin D and calcium. Your brain needs these to produce melatonin.
Another thing that can help is not eating after 3 PM. That also helps your body produce melatonin better throughout the night.