How getting a Fitbit revealed my sleep problem - Remedies needed!
Do you ever wake up feeling completely exhausted, even though you've been in bed for 8 hours or more?
For the past 2 years or so this has been my life. At Christmas I got a fitbit and started tracking my sleep.
As it turned out, I have only been sleeping around 4 to 5 hours per night on average. That includes light sleep, deep sleep and REM. Sometimes I manage to sleep a little longer, and sometimes a little less.
Knowing that i'm not actually getting adequate amounts of sleep somehow makes me feel a little better as it gives a reason for my constant feeling of tiredness. It helps label it.
This struggle with sleep is kind of taking me over and I think also contributing to some memory loss perhaps? Some people can survive on 4-5 hours per night, but for me I really need 8 hours and want to try and find a way of getting back there. I love to sleep and I don't want to wrestle with it anymore.
I thought I would throw it out there to the steemit community, since I have seen a lot of people helping each other with various health ailments, but first it might be key to know some things about my health and my sleep habits.
My life is what I would consider pretty busy and also moderately active. Having my own business often means working longer hours than I would have done in the past, but I really enjoy it. I also have a bunch of side jobs and also charity projects i'm involved in - all out of choice. I work around 12 - 14 hours per day, usually 6 days per week, work-out at a high intensity around 3-4 days per week and eat a vegetarian / pescatarian diet.
I love to be busy and in fact, the more I have on, the more I can find I get done (Parkinson's Rule).
They say 'if you need something done, ask a busy woman'.
The downside to this is, even though I flop into bed mentally and physically exhausted most days, I still struggle with sleep. I find it hard to switch off my mind before bed.
Here's what I've already tried:
Meditation
I used to meditate often, but it's been a while since I was in the rythmn of it and find it hard getting back into it. I find myself frustrated when I can't meditate for very long. I've also tried mindfulness and have the app Headspace. Perhaps some of you have tips on how I can get back into meditating?
Lavender Oil
I've put it on my pillow, under my pillow, on my body, on my pjs. YOU NAME IT. It makes me feel calm, but doesn't help me sleep. Same goes for various deep sleep sprays too.
Showering before bed
I always go to bed clean because I find it helps relax me.. plus I like keeping my bed a clean place. But it hasn't seemed to help in getting me to actually fall asleep.
Not going to bed until i'm exhausted
Since getting my Fitbit and realising that i'm WASTING a bunch of time in bed when i'm not sleeping, i've started to going to bed much later, around 1am or 2am. As a result i'm still sleeping around 4-5 hours until I need to wake up, but the sleep is a little more solid.
Tea concoctions
I drink cider vinegar, with honey and pepermint tea before bed (thanks Tim Ferris) and sometimes it really works, but if I miss the sleep cycle and don't get to sleep fast enough then that's it! Game over. Awake for another 3 hours.
The problem seems to be actually switching off my mind and feeling completely relaxed.
Ideally i'm looking for natural remedies or anything that has worked for you / helps you sleep. Any ideas?
Much appreciated!
Yasmine
Ok, for my method to work, you have to switch off a few minutes after your head touches the pillow. Ask @deborism how many times she has to leave her sentences hanging when we're chatting in bed. Well, at least it doesn't happen in other instances when the head touched the pillow. :)
I set my alarm to multiples of 90 minutes, so it's either 1.5 hours, 3 hours, 4.5, 6, 7.5 or 9. Normally, I do well with 6. I hardly ever remember my dreams, since my days as a monk. BTW, I used to flip around in bed a lot before sleeping, and meditation during my monkhood training fixed that.
Our sleep cycle works in intervals or multiples of 90 minutes. Which means if you wake up at 5 hours (or 8 hours), you're kinda waking up in the middle of the cycle, hence the drowsiness. Of course sometimes you do sleep 8 hours and wake up feeling great, which is probably because if you clock your sleep with your fitbit, it would probably register 7.5 hours.
A trick I used to play with, was to visualise the time I want to wake up, just a few moments before I sleep. I learned this during my monkhood training too, coz we weren't allowed alarm clocks. And sure enough, I would sleep off easier, and wake up energized right on the dot! The power of the mind is scary!
During the daytime, I take short power naps too, but only in 30 minute intervals. I usually set mine at 27 minutes as I felt odd numbers registers better with the subsconscious. When I wake up and feel that I need more sleep, I'll sleep for another 27 minutes.
Hope these help!
This really helps! I guess that goes back to meditation and the power of the mind. I need to work on that! Naps! Ah man I love naps, but i'm not usually at home during the day time. Maybe I can find a way to make that happen.. at least on weekends!
I am a good sleeper but a friend of mine swears by magnesium oil. Hope you find a solution soon. Luckily the Fitbit notified you of the issue.
Oh wow!! I've never even heard of that. I'm going to buy some! Thanks Amy!
Hmm as I was reading your post, I was thinking about all the things you have already tried.
I heard that going for a short 15-20min walk and getting some fresh air might help your brain get more oxygen which should relax you. Alla has tried teas, I’ve tried Headspace which always worked well for me.
I also always have cold fresh air in my room but guess that’s hard when you live in SE Asia? Lol
I’ve recently noticed that I take much much longer to fall asleep as well (regardless of whether I’m more tired or not) - the trick is to lie it out and not get distracted by your phone.
Have you tried not using your phone or laptop 50 min before you go to bed? Try reading a paperback book maybe? Tryna see if I can think of anything else 🤔
All good suggestions there, Ings. I'm going to to try the walking thing and maybe I need to get back into reading more before bed! Thank you!
Not using smartphones/laptops/screens 2 hours prior to going to sleep helps, but that is very hard especially if you are an entrepreneur.
Exercise of course, meditation, aroma-therapy with lavender-oil...
Supplements that might help:
1./ L-theanine (it actually works surprisingly well)
2./Magnesium (mega-dose)
3./Ashwaganda (it doesn't make you so sleepy but the sleep you get seam to be more refreshing)
4./avoid coffee after 6 PM
If all this hippie stuff doesn't work talk to your doctor and he/she might be able to help you get a good prescription for a real sleep-aid.
Chronic insomnia is not a joke, and should be taken seriously.
Best of luck!
@friendly-fenix, this is so helpful. Thank you! I am having a little more luck now, but haven't tried 1. or 3. so i'm going to add those in and i'll let you know how it goes. REALLY appreciate you bothering to reach out and leaving such a useful comment!
anytime @yasminep!
I have the issue of not waking up refreshed. My upper back muscles feel quite stiff and achy sometimes. I’m not really sure why this happens but perhaps monitoring my sleep, similar to how you have done, will help me find the root of the problem.
Hopefully you can find a way to help improve the quality of your sleep soon! I know I would love to
Oh no that's not good. Perhaps your bed? I find if I have too many pillows it messes up my back. Or perhaps your sleeping position? Check back here in a couple of days.. maybe there will be some suggestions for you here.
Hey, friend! Struggling with sleep is such a pain, I've definitely been there... I also get plenty of exercise and keep a healthy diet, and though I have felt tired at night I've also encountered trouble sleeping. I worked with a nutrition specialist awhile back since I was out of ideas, so here are some techniques he suggested that have been game-changers for me:
Supplements: Astragalus extract and Beta 1,3/1,6 -D Glucan. I take these in the morning.
2oz of TART (not regular, must be labelled tart) cherry juice before bed - it helps boost melatonin levels in your body which helps regulate sleep.
Make your shower before bed a COLD shower. Get in the shower, turn it as cold as it can go, and let it run over you for 60 seconds. This is AWFUL while it's happening, but embrace it and don't try to hop around in there or avoid it - once the 60 sec is up, jump in bed and turn off the light. Lowering your body's core temp helps you to fall asleep and sleep more deeply, plus it feels so good to get into your cozy bed!
Lastly, I use an app called SleepCycle - it not only tracks your sleep patterns with easy to read graphs and compiles your statistics nicely, you can also use it to set an alarm that wakes you at your point of lightest sleep during the half hour window in which you need to wake up... Perhaps that would help you feel more energized if you're not being pulled up from super deep sleep when your alarm goes off? This is just something I've used for awhile that I enjoy, but I would attribute less of my improvement in energy levels to this than the other techniques.
I hope some of this helps! Following you now - please keep us updated!
Xoxo
@annemariemay this is so unbelievably helpful!!! I've heard of sleepcycle, but the rest are totally new to me. I will be trying all of them. I've only been having hot showers, so that might be where i'm going wrong. Seriously, seriously appreciated!
Oh but what happens when you don't force yourself to go to bed but stay awake until you get very very tired, and then sleep until you wake up without any alarm clock. And turn if your phone, tv, everything that stimulates your brain more after 12 pm. And then just go for a walk, take a bath, do some work out, read a book or whatever until you are very tired.
I am also awake until 1pm or 2pm almost every night, because that's my work time. And than I wake up around 9 am when my toddler wakes up. What I do in the morning to not feel tired is to jump up and down 50 times (at least), drinking a lot of luke warm water with lemon or apple vinegar, sing, dance and open the window for fresh air. That helps me a lot! ❤🌱🌱Hope people here can help you somehow sweetheart!
It's a great idea to think of other things I can do besides being on my phone, when i'm preparing to sleep. Really useful info. Thank you!
You are welcome sweetheart! Wish you all the best sleep you can get!❤❤🎆
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thats quite interesting and thoughtful. i've a small startup and even thou if i don't do much physically all day I get that mentally tired feel almost every evenings. Even in bed i find myself surrounded by so many thoughts, sometimes the things i missed to something not to be missed.
1 remedy i use is that I take a break and travel once a month. Its like rebooting myself and I feel i would just collapse if i stop doing so.
That's so true! Thank you for that. At the moment I do travel once or twice a month, but it's usually work related. Perhaps that's not good..
Take a break. Importantly travel solo. I realize people we travel with influence our thinking while when you are solo you tend to be more open to talking and learning.
Good stuff, I actually have lavender oil too and shower and do all these and they don’t help sleeping! Try not using social media 30 min before bed and read a boring book that puts me to sleep. Also try the breathing techniques, 20 times long through nose and out through mouth like in yoga and you should calm the brain and fall asleep.
Trying this tonight! Thanks Alla! Taming a busy mind is so hard.. you of all people would know! :-)