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I can't get a good nights sleep

The older I get, I'm finding that its more and more difficult to sleep throughout the night and feel refreshed in the morning. Its happened so gradually over the years that I didn't really notice until one day when I was talking about it to my GF and realized that I cant remember the last time that I felt like I got all the sleep that I needed or woke up not feeling exhausted. Also, I feel like I'm much more prone to being woken up just by random noises and shit throughout the night (car passing outside, pets moving around at night, etc.). On weekends I will stay up till 1-2am but I will still wake up at 7am and wont be able to go back to sleep.

I've tried sleeping pills (in moderate amounts) and weed but they make me feel shittier in the morning. I've tried going to bed earlier. Taking a break from screens for a few hours before bed. Exercising. New mattress. None of it seems to make a difference. I havent gone to a doctor for it since I feel like they will just try to prescribe me drugs which I do not want. What do you guys do to get good sleep?
 

GymWolf

Member
tenor.gif
 
Rub one out before going to bed, it’s like a knockout drug.
True. I can attest to this.

But seriously, this seems like a modern times problem. When I was doing office work, I found myself lacking a good night sleep. After work I was drained mentally but my body wasn't tired.
When I started doing blue collar work aka physical work, I have no problems with sleep. I sleep like a god damn baby.
 
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Things I do to sleep better:

Have an expensive mattress.
Have a pillow of buckwheat seed thingies (this is great)
Use a cpap machine (this improved my sleep a thousandfold)
Go to bed when tired (luxury)
Use earplugs.
Use camel-hair cover thing (dunno the english word, the thing to keep ya warm).
When warm, only use sheet for cover.
Sleep alone :/
Get proper airflow in bedroom.
Take a good leak before sleeping so no interruptions to pee.
Drink at least 400ml water right before sleep.
Get in shape (this is a good idea anyway).

If you snore, try a cpap machine it will change your life. I'm more in the apnea camp sadly.
 
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MaestroMike

Gold Member
load up with food during the day. block any light coming in the windows with thick curtains/blankets and turn on my sleep machine with nature sounds. also make sure its cool. maybe turn on fans.
 

Vyse1800

Member
Get some nice cool cotton sheets and a fresh pillow case. Take a quick warm shower, towel off and hit the sheets nude. In the past I used to drink a milk cup of vodka before going to bed. This worked really well but not recommended for long term health.
 
Things I do to sleep better:

Have an expensive mattress.
Have a pillow of buckwheat seed thingies (this is great)
Use a cpap machine (this improved my sleep a thousandfold)
Go to bed when tired (luxury)
Use earplugs.
Use camel-hair cover thing (dunno the english word, the thing to keep ya warm).
When warm, only use sheet for cover.
Sleep alone :/
Get proper airflow in bedroom.
Take a good leak before sleeping so no interruptions to pee.
Drink at least 400ml water right before sleep.
Get in shape (this is a good idea anyway).

If you snore, try a cpap machine it will change your life. I'm more in the apnea camp sadly.
TLDR : Be rich.
 

bigsnack

Member
Do you drink coffee / ingest caffeine at all during the day / night? Not even necessarily close to bedtime, but at any time? My sleep quality has always been affected by caffeine, regardless if I ingest it early in the day or late. You could try getting off of caffeine for a month and see if it helps you.

Also, do you know if you breathe through your nose at night while you are sleeping? if you are a mouth breather at night, that can cause apnea, etc. If you typically can breathe through your nose, they have these sleep strips that you can buy that will help keep your mouth closed. Breathing through your nose will likely help too.
 

CrapSandwich

former Navy SEAL
Half life of caffeine in your body is like 5 hours, so if you're hitting the coffee in the morning, energy drinks through the day, you're still probably caffeinated at bedtime which makes it harder to get to sleep, makes your sleep less restful, and is probably going to have you in caffeine withdrawal by the time you wake up. The other thing that can make you feel like shit when waking is oxygen deprivation, so try the breathe right strips. Basically everything bigsnack just said.
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
I feel the same as you OP. It's like the older I get, the harder it is to go to sleep and stay sleep throughout the night.
 

Jtibh

Banned
The older I get, I'm finding that its more and more difficult to sleep throughout the night and feel refreshed in the morning. Its happened so gradually over the years that I didn't really notice until one day when I was talking about it to my GF and realized that I cant remember the last time that I felt like I got all the sleep that I needed or woke up not feeling exhausted. Also, I feel like I'm much more prone to being woken up just by random noises and shit throughout the night (car passing outside, pets moving around at night, etc.). On weekends I will stay up till 1-2am but I will still wake up at 7am and wont be able to go back to sleep.

I've tried sleeping pills (in moderate amounts) and weed but they make me feel shittier in the morning. I've tried going to bed earlier. Taking a break from screens for a few hours before bed. Exercising. New mattress. None of it seems to make a difference. I havent gone to a doctor for it since I feel like they will just try to prescribe me drugs which I do not want. What do you guys do to get good sleep?
Gummies , edibles.
You said weed but thata not the same
 

Meowzers

Member
go to your local mma gym and pay the biggest guy there to knock yo ass out
That should work. But with my membership I have to do the induction first. So basically they threaten to punch me into next week. But I need to know specific days as my work schedule is hectic.
 

Kadayi

Banned
The older I get, I'm finding that its more and more difficult to sleep throughout the night and feel refreshed in the morning. Its happened so gradually over the years that I didn't really notice until one day when I was talking about it to my GF and realized that I cant remember the last time that I felt like I got all the sleep that I needed or woke up not feeling exhausted. Also, I feel like I'm much more prone to being woken up just by random noises and shit throughout the night (car passing outside, pets moving around at night, etc.). On weekends I will stay up till 1-2am but I will still wake up at 7am and wont be able to go back to sleep.

I've tried sleeping pills (in moderate amounts) and weed but they make me feel shittier in the morning. I've tried going to bed earlier. Taking a break from screens for a few hours before bed. Exercising. New mattress. None of it seems to make a difference. I havent gone to a doctor for it since I feel like they will just try to prescribe me drugs which I do not want. What do you guys do to get good sleep?

Couple of book recommendations: -




Night school is a bit simple and straight forward where as Why We Sleep is a bit more in-depth and gets into the benefits of good sleep in high detail..

A recommend reading either book, however one instant recommendation: -

Get a light blocking sleep mask . Amazon sell them, they're not super expensive and you can get ones that are formed so that they don't press onto your eyes. These are a godsend. One of the biggest issues of the modern age is trying to sleep when light pollution at night is a real issue. Any form of blue light from a device (mobile/tablet) or outside will negatively impact your ability to sleep. You want to minimise your exposure to it as much as possible, especially when winding down for the night. If on the computer or phone look at installing night mode as that will change screen luminosity which will help, but generally you want to lay off screens a good 20 minutes before going to bed if possible.

Also our sleep operates on cycles that encompass roughly 1.5 hours of light, REM and deep sleep then back again and most people need 4 - 5 cycles a night (6 - 7.5 hours with an addition half hour to settle). A good way to determine your sleep cycle is to just go to bed at a set time and not set your alarm, and just make a record of when you wake up (when you are on holiday is a good time to try this out) once you know whether you're in the 6.5 or 8 hour camp, you can figure out based on when you need to get up, what time to go to bed. Personally I'm a 4 cycles kind of guy, so if for instance I was having to get up at 6 in the morning, then I'd probably look to wind down around 11.00 and get into bed by 11.30 (with sleep-mask). Ideally you should find that you're in very light sleep when your alarm goes off .

Also try and avoid hitting the snooze. Problem with the snooze is, your body is dumb and if it thinks that you're going back for another cycle it's chemically prepping for it, so when you yank it awake again after 10 minutes you disrupt the system and you do yourself no favours (compounded if you do it multiple times). It's half the reason people are bleary most of the time on a morning. So set the alarm across from the bed rather than next to it so you have to physically get up to turn it off. It's not a guarantee that you won't just crawl back under the covers but it's got more chance of working versus having it on your night stand.
 
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Devilich

Member
Scientifically proven things that improve sleep:

- Exercise regularly/daily movement (not only hitting the weights at least 2-3 times a week but also at least 5x a week cardio or some form of physical low intensity work)
- Sunlight: get your albino ass into the sun. Daily! (1 hours preferable) or take a vitamin D supplement if you have no sun
- Eat clean and get enough calories (get your healthy carbs in, especially before bed very helpful - pls no junk!)
- Stretch your body before going to bed or meditate (mindful breathing)
- Take a warm bath /shower before sleep
- Have sex before bed or wank one out if nothing else helps
- Keep your room dark
- Ensure a proper airflow
- Use earplug if you wake up easily
- Read a book before bed
- Avoid blue light (screens etc) or get a light filter app for your phone/PC
- Upgrade your sleeping gear (good mattress, bed sheets, pillow etc.
- Sleep alone
- Don't drink to much or to little
- Avoid alcohol or other drugs
- On weekends go to bed at the same time as in the week
- Make your room more comfy/cozy looking
- Try to keep any work out of your bedroom

Hope any of that helps you man
 

notseqi

Member
I could only get to sleep in dead quiet - but that's not realistically attainable.
Went for some white noise I enjoyed as a child/teen and landed on... rain. Go look up 10hour rain videos on youtube, pop one on and set the volume as quiet as possible.
I use 'youtube vanced' on my androids so I can turn the screen off without the video halting.

Sleeping like a baby, when I wake up in the morning it usually takes me until after my shower to notice that the rain in the video is still going.
 

GreatnessRD

Member
I can sleep under any circumstances. Could be talking one minute and gone the next. (Thankfully)

But I'd say take a nice shower or bath before going to sleep. It's the most god like feeling in the world. That should help. And a nice mattress as stated numerous times in the thread.
 

Kev Kev

Member
you have to start physically exhausting yourself (in healthy way of course). im sure your going to get an over laod of info. but i would say to just simplify all that down to three things.

tl; dr
Have a bed time and get up on time, same times, everyday (10pm and 6am is pretty standard i think)***
Exercise more than you are now, a lot more (lots of cardio)
Maintain a healthy, sem-routine diet (eat more plants)

try to go to sleep and wake up about the same time every night/morning. even if you don't get all that sleep, just keep your eyes closed and try. getting up and being active for a half hour or so can help too, but typically if youre at this point, its because you havent exhausted your body enough, so you have bigger problems...

so, start exercising 5 days a week. even if it's just 30-45min workouts. you need to start exhausting your energy routinely or youre never going to get enough quality sleep. testosterone is highest in the morning, and starting early like that is a great kickstart for your day and its a great way to start conditioning your brain/body into a new routine. however, some prefer afternoon or evening so they are tired when they get home.

and have a healthy diet and food routine. you dont have to eat the same thing everyday but keep the ingredients raw and simple. feed your body all the nutrients it wants so it can function regularly. stick to the outside walls at the grocery store (bakery, produce, dairy, meat) and, in general, avoid the center aisles (bagged and boxed, processed, etc)

and just try to stay busy and keep moving all day. you gotta expend tat energy! or else it just sits in you and when you try to sleep... well it just aint gonna happaen. if you do all that i promise youll be ready for bed by the end of that day.

good luck OP

***also, i believe 6 hours is plenty of sleep. everyone wants 8, but i trained my body to get used to 6 hours and discovered its plenty. so if you want to do a 12am - 6am schedule, thatd b perfect. plus, maybe losing that two hours will make you more tired and even more ready for sleep later.
 

Mossybrew

Banned
White noise is my friend. I have a rain app and a fan going every night. Aside from that small crutch I sleep pretty good, I don't stay up very late even on weekends and usually get a solid 9 hours in each night.
 

notseqi

Member
White noise is my friend. I have a rain app and a fan going every night. Aside from that small crutch I sleep pretty good, I don't stay up very late even on weekends and usually get a solid 9 hours in each night.
Didn't know there was an app for that. Can you give me the name?
 

Mossybrew

Banned
Didn't know there was an app for that. Can you give me the name?

Well it's on my ipad at home, I want to say it's just called Nature Sounds? There are actually quite a few apps like that that offer a variety of rain and other sounds. I have annoying birds on there as my alarm.
 

anab0lic36

Member
Consider having a fan running in your room the whole time you are a sleep, the low humming sound will drown out a lot of other noises that could be disturbing sleep.
 

Tesseract

Banned
Scientifically proven things that improve sleep:

- Exercise regularly/daily movement (not only hitting the weights at least 2-3 times a week but also at least 5x a week cardio or some form of physical low intensity work)
- Sunlight: get your albino ass into the sun. Daily! (1 hours preferable) or take a vitamin D supplement if you have no sun
- Eat clean and get enough calories (get your healthy carbs in, especially before bed very helpful - pls no junk!)
- Stretch your body before going to bed or meditate (mindful breathing)
- Take a warm bath /shower before sleep
- Have sex before bed or wank one out if nothing else helps
- Keep your room dark
- Ensure a proper airflow
- Use earplug if you wake up easily
- Read a book before bed
- Avoid blue light (screens etc) or get a light filter app for your phone/PC
- Upgrade your sleeping gear (good mattress, bed sheets, pillow etc.
- Sleep alone
- Don't drink to much or to little
- Avoid alcohol or other drugs
- On weekends go to bed at the same time as in the week
- Make your room more comfy/cozy looking
- Try to keep any work out of your bedroom

Hope any of that helps you man
source.gif
 

God Enel

Member
I have the same issues. Only time I can fully relax and sleep like a baby is when I’m on vacation and somewhere where I’m not at home and don’t have my daily trot.
where the mind is freed from all the problems and daily worries and struggles, where you can just .. be. That’s where my sleep is 10/10.
May home it doesn’t matter when I go to sleep. Almost always I’m awake between 5 and 8pm depending on where I’m going to bed.
Imo it’s the mind that dictates your sleep.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
Me neither, after that fucking surgery, I sleep like 4 hours per day, it's shit.
 

JayK47

Member
Here are some things I have tried:

Valerian Root. I try not to take it every day, just when needed.
Remove or cover any lights, such as alarm clocks or small LED lights, so it is pitch dark when you are sleeping.
Spend 15 to 30 minutes reading a paperback magazine or book in bed.
Stick to a routine time for going to bed and getting up.
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
Go to a sleep clinic and get hooked up with a take home sleep test kit. I have always had horrible sleep and snore lots, finally went and got it done, and found out that I have pretty extreme sleep apnoea. Bought a CPAP machine and while it takes a bit to get used to (for me I needed to get one that covers the mouth as well as nose), it has made a night and day difference.
 

StonedRider

Member
A bunch of good advises from other posters here.

I usually go to bed at 22:30 and wake up at 7 (8 on weekends) and for me the best sleeping time in terms of value-per-hour is hour before midnight and hour after. Rarely I can wake up from unusual noises too and sometimes can not fall asleep for several hours afterwards. My advises:

- Don't drink tea after 20:00 (I don't drink coffee at all), don't eat heavy food after 20:00.
- Don't check messages/emails in bed, don't use your smartphone at all.
- Don't take exercise or any sport activities two hours before sleep.
- Ventilate your bedroom and keep it cold.
- Make you schedule and go to sleep at the same time, even on weekends.
- When you are in bed, try not to think about important matters, turn off your brain.
- If you woke up in the middle of the night don't check current time :)
- Don't sleep during day time, even if you feel sleepy.

Also:
 
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