Lately I’ve gotten into a bad habit of falling asleep during the evening. Not every night, and it’s more likely to happen while watching TV. I can of course have a couple of cups of coffee at 8 PM and I’m sure that there will be no problem that night. But I don’t think I’d sleep that well.
Does anyone have any suggestions on caffeine free ways of staying awake? I’m thinking of things like cold showers, standing rather than sitting, ice cubes down the back of my shirt, etc.
I have heard that if you can’t sit down without falling asleep, it means you’re not getting enough sleep. Is it possible that you have sleep apnea, or are otherwise just not getting enough sleep at night? Maybe you could sleep later to stay up later?
Instead of watching television in the evening, procure a secret identity and masked costume and go out into the city to fight crime.
I think Ike has it. But rather than the dangerous practice of fighting crime, when you feel a bit tired, why not do a little exercise? I’ve found that even say 10 minutes of doing sets of pushups and situps renews my energy for quite some time.
Would it be a problem if you just went to sleep on evenings when you’re that sleepy?
Generally, if I’m just a little sleepy I can combat it with vigorous activity of some sort. But if I’m REALLY sleepy, I need to sleep or I’ll start feeling ill.
I’m not sure, but hasn’t that been done before?
As opposed to watching TV with the kids, which is really original.
Big problem. It’s hard enough to find things that my adolescents and I like to do, so if I agree to watch a movie or The Wire on DVD, that’s a major screwup and broken promise, when I fall asleep on them.
Both my fiancee and I find that if we’ve done NO cardio activity during the day, we’ll get sluggish and sleepy at night. I’m not saying you need to go for a marathon run or anything, but maybe a nice stroll through the neighbourhood after dinner will get your blood flowing and nicely oxygenated, so you’ll be reinvigorated.
Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. When I used to play racquetball in the evening as a general rule I couldn’t fall asleep for three hours after I stopped playing. And thanks to jsgoddess for similar suggestion
Is falling asleep like this something that happens a couple of hours after dinner? Do you feel overcome by sleep, as though a switch in you has just been turned?
If so, and in all seriousness, you might want to consider getting screened for diabetes. I’m what my doctor calls a “well controlled” diabetic, but I can always tell when my blood sugar levels aren’t what they should be when I have that post-meal crash that isn’t explainable by general fatigue or poor sleep the night before.
I agree with the crime fighting idea. If you find that Captain Amazing has already cleaned up your city, find a different hobby, but still something that engages both your mind and your hands. TV does neither. I find that if I spend the night painting or playing music, not only can I stay up indefinitely, I sometimes have trouble falling asleep.
Damn, fell asleep 30 minutes into The Wire again last night. It is just soooo comfortable. I promise, absolutely promise to run for 30 minutes at 8 PM tonight.
I frequently do the same thing. I sometimes joke that I have “TV narcolepsy.”
Do you have anything alcoholic to drink in the evenings? I thought this might be a factor in my case, as I am a fairly regular drinker - often I’ve had a couple of glasses of wine or the equivalent by 8 pm.
Unfortunately, I tried cutting out the alcohol and it had no effect on my falling asleep. I still think it is a good theory though, and if you DO have any alcoholic beverages, I’d at least try eliminating them and seeing what happens.
It could be sleep apnea. Not to be too personal, but do you generally sleep with somebody? If so, ask them to occasionally watch you sleep and see if you stop breathing occasionally.
It is no secret that Ms. Plan B and I sleep in the same bed. She has never noticed anything. But I’ll ask her to check again.
I really think the whole thing is mostly psychological/behavioral. As I said in an above post it is just so relaxing before I doze off.
No I rarely drink, maybe two or three drinks per week on average. If anything, it maybe makes it a litle more likely that I’ll doze off.
In addition to the above suggestions, check what you’ve eaten for dinner on nights when you get the sleepies. High-carb meals can really put a whammy on your metabolism. Try switching to higher protein, lower carb meals for a while, and see what happens.
I’m 55 and do better with an afternoon nap.
Otherwise I too will fall asleep in front of the TV in my reclining chair.
Exercise (a brisk 30 minute walk at my age 
) wakes me up, a heavy meal does the reverse.
I was going to ask what he’s eating for breakfast and lunch? If you have protein for breakfast & lunch, you oughta have decent energy in the evening. Also, try getting some exercise around 5pm.
I almost always fall asleep if I am watching TV after about 10:30. I always have, no matter what my sleep / diet / exercise schedule might look like (and it has varied widely over the years). I have just accepted it as the truth. My parents are the same way, it must run in the family.
If I simply must stay awake watching TV after 10:30, I find a desperately uncomfortable place to sit, consume caffeine or sugar (which has other side effects I find unpleasant), and/or find something to do while watching. Even that doesn’t always work.