How much sleep are you getting?

patoffaly1971

I've gone from 6.5 hours to 5 hours on average all this week. Going to bed at 11, alarm at 8am, no food or drinks after 8pm and no screens after 10. Difficult getting to sleep then waking around 6am. Don't know what I'm doing wrong.

sugarman20

During the week I usually get around 7 hours and 8 hours at the weekend. I've had similar issues as yourself in the past and if you need a recommendation for a really good sleep therapist send me a PM.

One thing you could try is wait until 12 before you go to bed and see if that helps at all. The problem is that now there is a association with bed and restlessness which doesn't help. Bed should equal sleep or (if you are lucky) sex but that's it.

patoffaly1971

Yes please forward on!

I have 3 cups of coffee each day before 1pm so I'm going to stop that for the next few days to see if it helps. Exercising each day as usual so can't make sense of it. Taking magnesium at 6pm each day but it's not helping

Pissy Missy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120101527#Comment_120101527

Do you have a good diet in general? Chocolate has caffeine in it so that may not help. Also be mindful of lighting as that can confuse melatonin levels

Could pickup some melatonin from the chemist. Might need a prescription though cos this country is weird haha.

j2

Sleep is king, particularly if you're regularly doing something physical during the day. I'm a reformed night owl, used to stay up until 3 am as standard but I had no choice at the time as I was setting up a business and that's how long it took. Now I generally get 9 hr a night and the difference is incredible. I'd say the key factors for me when improving my sleep were cutting out coffee after about 2 pm, creating a relaxing bedtime routine to sort of wind down, getting out in daylight as much as possible (even at this time of year it still helps physiologically for sleep). I'm running and lifting so the fatigue from that generally gets me tired enough to sleep by about ten, providing I'm not interfering with my sleep routine. There's a good podcast by Andrew Huberman on YouTube regarding sleep, lots of common sense stuff but good advice. Sleep hygiene is worth looking up too, it's not what it sounds like!

Dslatt

About 4 hours but its fairly broken, been going on about 5 years. Life is hell, coffee is good. All the mindfullness, lavander, diet changes etc in the world have made no difference.

Strumms

About 7 hours a night. More is rare, less is the same.

no alcohol, plenty of exercise, and zero stress really is a super aid to regular good sleep.

cj maxx

Varies. Bouts of insomnia followed by a reset of my clock. No physical activity during the day doesn’t help.

ZX7R

7 hours with me also.

That is if my son special needs decides to stay asleep. He didn't last night.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

About 6 hours every night. every now and again, noting at all, but I don't have a 9-5 job (which is more than likely the cause) so it's not too much of an issue as I can get an hour or two in the afternoon.

If I really need to sleep but can't I smoke weed with a vapouriser. Never fails. Really good quality sleep too. I don't do it every night, though.

Gregor Samsa

I have to admit, I sleep like a baby.

So for about two hours, then I wake up crying, hungry and covered in my own shít.

sugarman20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120103204#Comment_120103204

Weed would usually have the opposite effect with me but maybe that's down to the strain.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120103231#Comment_120103231

The THC strains can be stimulating (I'm told) - the CBD ones are the ones to use.

Mrcaramelchoc

about 12 hrs a night sometimes 13 but still feel tired during the day.

Dslatt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120103397#Comment_120103397

I would see a doctor

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120103397#Comment_120103397

Oversleeping (hypersomnia) is an issue in itself.

SortingYouOut

Varies between 6 - 8 hours. I find once I get into a routine of going to bed and waking at the same time, i'll lean toward the 8. If I sleep in too much, or get a bad night's sleep that throws me out of sync, it can take a week or more to get myself back.

Read some of Dr Matthew Walkers stuff on sleep and it scared me into taking giving sleep the respect it deserves. Being conscious of my sleep pattern has me more aware of the difference even an hour less has on my day.

Caffeine after lunch and i'll take an hour or more longer to fall asleep. so definitely worth looking into that. Some are more sensitive to it than others. I'll echo the other posters point on getting out into natural light during the day and also avoiding blue light too close to bed, this is massive.

Gregor Samsa

My wife suffers from insomnia (her problem is waking at 5 and not being able to get back to sleep).Torturous.

I'm lucky in that I sleep very well. I don't go to bet until 12, but I'm out like a light. Wake up at 7 when the alarm goes off. Without the alarm, I'd wake a bit before 8. I never, ever look at my phone in the bedroom, and if I wake up during the night (which we all do) I never look at the time or even open my eyes. I just lie like I am asleep until I am asleep. I don't drink coffee at all, but I can have tea no bother even just before bed. When I get into bed at night, I get in to a comfortable position, close my eyes (and the room is in complete darkness), and I just let any thoughts that come into my head drift by. I don't concentrate on anything, I don't think about what happened during the day or what I have to do tomorrow. You can't empty your mind, but I just stand back as a passive, neutral observer and thoughts just float by. I'm not saying any of these things are fixes or advice, but over the years I've put effort into training myself to do this. I used to sleep poorly, and I used to spend a lot of time thinking before I went to sleep. I switch off now.

Just before Christmas, I got one of the illnesses going around with the aches and high temperature, and was in bed for 2 days. When I recovered from the symptoms, I found that I had lost my sleep abilities - I could not get to sleep at all until well into the morning. I tried a few days of being up and very active, but I was still awake most of the night. Absolutely horrible feeling, and to be honest, it scared me. Luckily the sleep came back to normal over the course of about a week.

I do find that if I sleep in at the weekend (past 9) that I feel horrible and get awful headaches. I don't drink much, but I do find that I can get to sleep ok if I've had a drink, but the quality of sleep is definitely adversely affected.

odyssey06

Get ready for bed - brush teeth, pyjamas, put on alarm etc

If I'm on the couch feeling drowsy, I find if I have to do those steps that wakes me up a bit.

Watch TV until you feel like you could sleep, and \ OR, in bed, listen to a short 15 minute podcast like the BBC book at bedtime which has a single narrator, no loud explosions etc.

I'm often asleep before the end of the podcast.

If that fails, I have a 30 minute playlist of gentle acoustic and instrumental songs I put on. I rarely get to the end of the playlist.

If you fully awaken in the middle of the night, and can't get comfortable \ back to slumber - get out of the bed and go to the toilet or wash your hands or something. Then go back to bed. You need to reset.

Make sure you don't need to put on a full bright light for any of the above, a night light or dimmer lamp or put one of these in the bathroom

https://www.woodies.ie/ultralight-3-pack-stick-and-click-led-lights-te8026-1037842?gclid=Cj0KCQiAn4SeBhCwARIsANeF9DKRChZrl6ztHucudaxLeTA5sg_sxggiviOQTJaEARqLgL3wj5-2wlIaAu9sEALw_wcB

I get 8 hours sleep a night and don’t feel right if I get less. Have to get up for an odd piss these days which isn’t great. Use one of those sunlight alarm clocks to wake up as well.

SAMTALK

Dont know when I last has a goods nights sleep. Go to be wrecked and fall asleep within 5/10m mins. An hour later i'm wide awake .

Eventually go back asleep only for the same thing 3/4 times during the night . Wake between 5/6 before alarm can even think of going off !

I yearn for the teenage years where I could sleep for 12/13 hours a day

sammye333

Google sleep hygiene.

I'm normally in bed by 22.00 and wake at 05.45. I don't sleep the whole way through.

My sleep is getting better though . I don't drink caffeine after 12.00

yourdeadwright

About 8 to 7 hours every day ,

Sleep before 11 up by 7 pretty much every day of the year ,

In bed by 11 is stretched maybe twice a month but the waking before 7 is non negotiable ,

Oh exercise & very very low sugar consumption is key to sleeping for me ,

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120103294#Comment_120103294

for the record

its thc it’s “weed” if it’s CBD it’s just called CBD.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058279438/how-much-sleep-are-you-getting

7½ to 8 hours here.

If I were you, I'd get more exercise and fresh air every day.

erlichbachman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058279438/how-much-sleep-are-you-getting

I've had an Oura ring for best part of a year now which gives a breakdown of your sleep with deep, rem, restfulness, total sleep etc, interested to know how you are calculating your sleep?

miamee

I'm jealous of all of you getting 8 hours, would love that. I don't usually have trouble getting to sleep but often wake up at 5 or 5.30am long before the alarm and can't get back to sleep. Of course after a while of 'not going back to sleep', I pick up the phone and start scrolling or reading an e-book. It's an awful habit, phones in bed are a bad idea. I have the blue light filter on at least. Awake since 4.30 this morning 🙄

Sgt Hartman

I usually go to bed at 10.30pm on weekdays. I'm up at 5.05am. I try and catch up on sleep at the weekends, going to bed at approx 12am on Friday and Saturday night and getting up at approx 9am.

gazzer

I cut out alcohol and coffee in late 2021 and since then my routine is bed at 10.30pm, wake at 6am. Even at weekends I stick to that pattern. It has massively improved my sleep though I am at that age now where I usually wake up around 3am for a wee 😁

Neames

I get between 7 and 9 hours sleep a night. That works for me.

As it 's After Hours I'll throw in a bad joke.

Civil Servant: Doctor, I'm having trouble sleeping.

Doctor: Well what seems to be the trouble?

Civil Servant: Well night and morning is fine but I'm having fierce problems drifting off in the afternoon.

I'll get me coat.

Andrea B.

For anyone waking too early, do not rule out sleep apnoea.

My issue was apnoea sending heart rate though roof and then a resultant adrenalin overload.

Battled for 5 years until diagnosed, as I was not aware of what just woke me.

At the very least do a pulse rate monitoring on yourself over your sleep time and results may give you direction.

Dazler97

I drink 8 cups of tea a day on average last one at half 10 then can be 5am getting to sleep then get up around 2pm, I'm also on sleep meds

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120112142#Comment_120112142

why are you on sleep meds if you drink so much tea I suspect that’s why you’re not sleeping 😅

sugarman20

I doubt the 8 cups of tea are helping with the aul sleep. I cut out caffeine from 1pm.

tritriagain

1 good nights sleep every 10 days or so usually because I'm shattered from not sleeping the previous nights. tried everything. but when I wake up I'm wide awake. went to sleep at 11.30 last night and got up at 2.30 am after being awake for half an hour. I'm never asleep after 6.00 am.

Dazler97

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120112607#Comment_120112607

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120112607#Comment_120112607

I have insomnia without tea so

dahat

Bed approx 10.30pm weekdays & up at 6am each day.

Weekends maybe 11pm & up at 7am each morning.

Bar the odd occasion I’m asleep within 25mins for going to bed.

Train 7 days a week to a good level so happy to have a balance for now.

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120113085#Comment_120113085

I'd be the exact same in terms of times going to bed and getting up. I have to get that training session in each morning otherwise I don't feel right.

Cluedo Monopoly

8 hours minimum every night and I need it.

I never have had a TV in bedroom and leave phone off downstairs before heading to bed.

dahat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120113112#Comment_120113112

Do all my training late evening (6pm) so it’s tricky getting it all right on terms of sleep & grub.

Hippodrome Song Owl

3-5 hours on week nights. 7-9 hours at weekends. Not enough unfortunately.

I struggle to fall asleep due to a weird issue with hypnagogic hallucinations, which cause me to jump up and scream in terror several times before I properly fall asleep. It comes and goes over the last 15 years, but it has been particularly bad for the past few months to the point I'm putting off going to bed over it. Once I'm fully asleep I'm fine but it's a struggle to get asleep. It's also incredibly disruptive to anyone else in the house too.

🦉🦉🦉

Graces7

I have heard it opined that worrying about not sleeping causes insomnia, and of course we are all different.

Sleepy

4 to 7 hours. I stay up way too late and am subsequently utterly useless in the mornings.

DM_2092

7 and a half hours a night approx. Sometimes 7, sometimes 8.

HalloweenJack

I usually sleep between 1am and 7am during the week. I work from 8 to 3 and I have a 15-30min nap when I get home.

At the weekends I might stay up a bit later and would wake up between eight and nine and also have a longer nap after lunch.