I have a horrible time getting to sleep and always have. I need at least an hour or so to drift off usually. Sometimes I don’t at all, and I just think, ‘Okay, this coming night I’ll sleep.’ But that doesn’t always happen either. I feel exhausted all the freakin’ time, but my brain will not shut the fuck up.
Or sometimes I’ll fall asleep just fine at 11 pm or so, only to wake up at 3 am. I get up at 4:30 am, so I just lay there cursing fate until then.
Oh I’ve tried doctors. They told me to suck it up. I fucking hate doctors.
I need to read to fall asleep. If I have only my thoughts to drift off to, I won’t fall asleep.
With that being said, it takes me a few minutes to fall asleep. Sometime I won’t even make it through a few sentences.
If I wake up thorough the night it depends on the time of month. Sometimes I can fall back to sleep while reading, sometimes I’ll read until I have to get up anyway.
The older I get the harder it is to fall back to sleep once I’m awake. I assume it’s some part of the menopause process, so I accept it for what it is and go with it.
Most nights it’ll take about an hour or so, sometimes longer. Once I get to sleep though, then I rarely wake up til morning.
It’s not ideal, but better than it used to be; often I’d be getting just an hour or two a night, several nights in a row, then finally crash out for 12 hours or more.
Ok, now I’m looking for the link that says “Would you like to know more?” Most nights I’m out in just a couple of minutes, especially if I’ve kept to the end o’ day routine. Used to drive my then wife-to-be crazy when we were first together. What is this sleep deficiency thingy I have?
“Sleep specialists say that one of the telltale signs of sleep deprivation is feeling drowsy during the day. In fact, even if a task is boring, you should stay alert during it if you are not sleep-deprived. Also, if you frequently fall asleep within five minutes of lying down, then you likely have severe sleep deprivation.”
Apparently not. I never thought there was anything wrong with it, it’s perfectly normal to me, but then again I’m no “sleep scientist” or neurologist or whatever.
I am usually out in about 20-30 mins from when I go to bed. I can sleep when I want to. The important thing for me is finding the correct ingredients for proper sleep hygiene. For me the room needs to be dark, quiet, and cool, and the covers/blankets cannot be tucked-in. I also need space to roll from side-to-side (I am a side-sleeper), a thin pillow for my head, and I need a 2nd pillow (my wife calls the ‘hug’ pillow) to rest my arm. Everyone is different - you may require some light, white noise, and a different temperature from me, a fatter pillow, etc. If you are having trouble falling asleep, try adjusting one thing in your environment at a time until you find what works. Also, no caffeine after noon.
About 2 or 3 minutes for me. I’m not sure if this makes a difference, but I go to bed about 1:30 AM ( due to a long-lived work schedule ).
I get between 8 and 9 hours a night. I might wake to use the bathroom or take a swig of water, but like another poster stated, getting back to sleep then can be hit-or-miss, but I do pretty good. I’m much better rested then most of my friends and co-workers.
Like others here, I’m a bit ritualistic as far as bedding and room conditions:
I like it cool…cool as I can get it. Room darkening shades ( I rise between 10 and 10:30 AM ), white noise machine, air conditioning ( or heat turned very low in the winter ), Sleep on my side in semi-fetal position with one pillow to rest the head…one to use as a “hug pillow” arm-sling, one pillow to cover my eyes ( nose and mouth exposed ), a small couch type pillow to put between my knees and bedding wadded up between my feet/ankles ( I hate the bone-to-bone feeling ) and a small fan ( I like the feeling of drafts/air moving ). Ear plugs at the ready for when the douchebags who mow some neighboring lawns at 7:30 AM with those infernal “zero turn” riding mowers that sound like a turboprop commuter airliner ( and are just as loud ).
Sleep is so weird. I havn’t been able to unlock it’s mysteries. My whole life l have had to fight it. As recently as the last 2 years I have decided to quit the war. As a result I have had a small improvement. In the course of a week I may get 2 good nights. I can go a full 48hrs with no appreciable loss of mental or physical capacity. Or none that I notice. I’m not doing brain surgery or rocket science so not much is needed for me to feel successful in my life. If I stress about not sleeping, I sleep less. Vicious cycle.
I keep a memo pad and pen on the bedside table. When my mind is racing, I write down the stuff that’s keeping me awake. I find it helps to put things out of my mind and fall asleep more easily.