Best way to get into a good sleeping routine.

[hawkal]

I know about becoming an early riser and that by making getting up to your alarm a subconscious action prevents laying in bed and promotes instant action.

I have a problem with getting into a good routine in the first place though. At the moment I am sleeping between around 2:00am and 9:00am but I want to push this back to 11:00pm to 7:00am. I have tried getting up early so that I am more tired but this doesn't make much difference, I still don't end up going to sleep much earlier. Something else I don't understand is that at the moment I get up after waking up naturally (no alarm) which should suggest that I've had enough sleep yet I still feel really tired throughout the day. I don't have problems getting to sleep because I know my current pattern I just can't understand why it is that I feel really tired daily yet can't get into a good routine.

How can I push my sleeping time 2-3 hours back in the most effective way?

[Zukin]

Do you drink anything with caffeine? Do you do anything stimulating (like watching TV, playing video games, or surfing the internet) before you go to bed?

All of those things can interfere with your sleep schedule.

[JimOfferman]

Have you tried deliberately going to bed earlier? I.e. instead of waiting until you tire, just head to bed at 11pm. You need to condition your brain into thinking that 11pm is your natural go-to-bed time.

[hawkal]

Thanks for replying. No I don't drink or do anything stimulating. I usually turn off my computer about an hour before I go to bed.

Thanks for the suggestion Jim I'll have to try that.

[elastigirl]

i started being an early riser today,i figured getting up early was easier and less stress than feelking frustrated all day.I just booted myself outta my bed,softened the blow with a bath to warm and awake to.



best of luck,realy the advice i would give is

go to sleep when you are tired and get up at an early time regardless,you can always have a nap later in the day?

[amkumar00]

this is the best info wht i found on net

First you must go to sleep and awaken the same time each and every day regardless of how little you slept the night before. This will reset your sleep clock.For three hours before your bedtime stay away from chocolate,tea,coffee,caffeine,pepsi,coke and exercise as these interfer with a good sleep.Try deep breathing exercises and relaxation techniqes before sleep.Try mellow music.Make sure the room temp is to your liking.If you twist and turn do it for no more than 20 minutes.After that get up and go into a different room and do something boring..We all suggest reading something,if you find yourself nodding or getting sleepy again,immediately go into the bedroom,this will retrain the brain into thinking the bedroom is for a goodnights sleep.Do not nap during the day for longer than 20 min,as this interferes with nightime sleep,no naps after 3pm.30 minutes before sleep take a hot bath this will get the body ready to have its temp lowering before bedtime.The old saying a glass of milk before bed is true.Milk when heated contains a natural sleep inducer amino acid called tryptophan,so a warm glass l5 min.before bed may help.If you take any prescription med alert your md as insomnia is usually a side effect of most drugs and an adjustment in dosage maybe all thats neededTry thee tips for 4-6 weeks religiously and you will see changes,if not you might want to consider an evaluation of your sleep at a sleep center.For great info on sleep as well as sleep centers go to sleepnet.com,click on disorders then sleep.Hope this helps ,feel free to email again.karel

[JeffS]

Ditto the comment above on exercise. It really helps to tire you out, especially if you do it early in the day.

What really helps me is to have a concrete goal for what I will do when I get up. Your goal, I would imagine, is really more about being awake and functional at 7am than it is being asleep at 11pm (of course they go hand in hand, but you know what I mean) ...and every day you sleep past 7, it's harder to accomplish that.

So, set a goal for what to do once you're up at 7. Preferably it's something that isn't too hard, and that you value. For me, it has to be something almost automatic--if it requires too much thinking, I'll lie in bed thinking about it and never get started. But if you can do that for a couple of weeks running, you'll be up at 7 no problem.

[eblight]

The advice that Amkumar00 gave about sleeping is very helpful. I'm curious as to why you are so tired during the day Hawkal. Is it just that you don't have a regular sleep routine? Are you in good physical health? What part does stress play in your life? There are all sorts of reasons why a person is having sleep problems. If it continues and you have tried all the advice offeed to you it may be worth having yourself checked out by a health professional. Just a suggestion.

[webhelper]

I've always found that reading a book really help to get me in the mood to go to bed. I would recommend that you try reading for about 30 minutes before the time you want to go to sleep and it should work. pretty soon you will have a new routine.

[dcristo]

Try not to drink caffeine after lunch and have a more active lifestyle. When you hit the sack, you would be that exhausted that you will fall asleep straight away.

[martin]

I find that not eating before bed helps me sleep.

[Phil Parkinson]

Originally Posted by hawkal

I know about becoming an early riser and that by making getting up to your alarm a subconscious action prevents laying in bed and promotes instant action.

I have a problem with getting into a good routine in the first place though. At the moment I am sleeping between around 2:00am and 9:00am but I want to push this back to 11:00pm to 7:00am. I have tried getting up early so that I am more tired but this doesn't make much difference, I still don't end up going to sleep much earlier. Something else I don't understand is that at the moment I get up after waking up naturally (no alarm) which should suggest that I've had enough sleep yet I still feel really tired throughout the day. I don't have problems getting to sleep because I know my current pattern I just can't understand why it is that I feel really tired daily yet can't get into a good routine.

How can I push my sleeping time 2-3 hours back in the most effective way?

This can be a real problem for some people.

It's like you need to reset your body clock...

Do you have dark curtains to block out all light?
Do you do any exercise?
What time do you eat at night?

Phil x

[Jim11]

I haven't read most of the posts, but it seems pretty clear what you need to do.

Set your alarm at the desired wakeup time and just stick with it. 30 day trial, 20 day trial... whatever. If you are finding yourself staying up late for the first while I guarantee it will catch up to you quickly and you'll just start crashing earlier.

Being tired for awhile to get used to the new routine may be difficult... so maybe do it when you don't have anything too important to be alert for. Late night habits die hard.... you will have to go more than a few days to break it. But I guarantee if you just stick with it you will adjust fine

you could always go half way for 30 days to make it easier as well.

[hawkal]

Thank you everyone for your excellent advice.

Originally Posted by eblight

The advice that Amkumar00 gave about sleeping is very helpful. I'm curious as to why you are so tired during the day Hawkal. Is it just that you don't have a regular sleep routine? Are you in good physical health? What part does stress play in your life? There are all sorts of reasons why a person is having sleep problems. If it continues and you have tried all the advice offeed to you it may be worth having yourself checked out by a health professional. Just a suggestion.

I think that the fact I'm not in a regular routine plays a large part in my being tired, I find stress does effect me but that's because I am lazy and don't do anything to progress in life. Generally I'm in good health, I haven't exercised in a long time though and want to get back into it when I'm in a good routine.

[DrMartinRussell]

Originally Posted by hawkal

How can I push my sleeping time 2-3 hours back in the most effective way?

You don't quite say what you have already tried, so all the advice here is fine.

Our natural body clocks are designed for a 25 hour day ie to stay up late.

So as a rule-of thumb - if you want to sleep later then you can move up to about an hour a night later. If you want to sleep earlier however then you can only move a maximum of a half hour earlier per night.

What this means is that what you are trying to do is equivalent to someone trying to stay up 4 hours later each night. Tough work.

You will need to have enough of a pattern / discipline for at least 4 nights either as half an hour earlier each night or all 2 hours at once and then 4 nights to adjust. Then you need time for the new circadian sleep cycle to settle in place. Most people get impatient when they try to shift their sleep back, because they think it can be done in a couple of nights.

Hope this helps with knowing what to expect.

[Freelancer]

If you manage to wake up at 7 am. excellent but don't forget to go to bed if your tired. So pay attention to yourself in the evening, if you feel yourself getting tired GET TO BED.