Sleep Habits

This morning, while searching for things to do in the morning when everyone else is still asleep, I ran across this article I thought I would share: 17 Ways to Wake Up Feeling Fresh in the Morning.

Yes, it has a long name, but it made me realize (even more) the importance of having a regular schedule and healthy habits.

I would love to hear your thoughts about any/all of these and any other suggestions that have worked for you to have a restful sleep and wake up feeling good.

May the Force be with you all!

I've had sleep issues for many years now. I'm a light sleeper and I frequently awaken during the night. On top of that I am also a heavy snorer (my fiancee loves this) and suffer from sleep apnea. The fact that I have to get up at 5 am doesn't help either. So I'm usually always tired to some extent.

Nobody should underestimate what a good night's rest could do for you. It's not only beneficial physically but emotionally and mentally as well.

Thanks for posting this. I hope some of these can prove helpful to me.

That's a good article and there are a few pointers I definitely need to be better at:

1) Get up straight away (no snoozing)

2) Go to bed and get up at the same times each day (something I'm failing at as I type this, haha)

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On the other hand, I am definitely a night exerciser; if I exercise in the morning, it seriously tires me out the rest of the day. I exercise at night and am usually exhausted and fall right to sleep.

Anyway, thanks for posting the article!

I think I'm going to bed now, haha.

MTFBWY,
LTK

The other person in the bed can be a distraction if they toss and turn. We tried getting rid of the big mattress but kept its base and got 2 single mattresses onto the larger base... and it was enough difference to not notice the other person rolling around. Pillow top mattresses seem to make the edge borders, which would otherwise stuck up in the middle, almost unnoticeable - so its just as big, but better buffered being technically separate. Works good!

PS: King base + 2 Long-size Single mattresses fit perfectly, so 2 long singles beds next to each other must be the same as a King size bed but probably cheaper!!

What about sleep number beds? That's what I have. It's a king and it's on the ground on the bases.. There are two bases..?

That's a really good idea Adder. I'm a fitful sleeper, constantly kicking and tossing and turning. I think my fiancée would like the idea of two separate mattresses on one frame.

Yes your right Reliah, the King is on two seperate frames, but we have the little hook thing connecting them so a it tends to behave like a single unit. Its also really easy to move the bed if you move houses!!!! Sorry for the confusion. I hadn't seen sleep numbers, looks interesting thanks.

I've always had trouble sleeping, there are times where I lay in bed and can't feel tired or even drift into sleep at all, or constantly awaken. Then there are days in which I sleep perfectly, wish I could pinpoint whats going on. But I might have to look into changing up my sleep habits even if it might be a tad difficult

There's an app I got on my HTC called SleepBot and basically it tracks how long you sleep for each night and then shows how much debt you have. So if you need to sleep more or less. Its been really useful recently

I like it >

Jerriko i just re-read your post and would recomend getting something like sleepbot as i had similar issues to you and its helped me a lot

Adder wrote: Yes your right Reliah, the King is on two seperate frames, but we have the little hook thing connecting them so a it tends to behave like a single unit. Its also really easy to move the bed if you move houses!!!! Sorry for the confusion. I hadn't seen sleep numbers, looks interesting thanks.

I appreciate that. No worries about the late reply, I didn't see it until now anyway.. that's how good I am at following even my own threads...

I think mindset contributes a lot to sleep, and not just in the obvious "if you're stressed it's harder to sleep" way. Two years ago I went to China for 5 weeks to study, and my sleeping style immediately changed. Before China: slept in a kind of semi-fetal position- on my side/belly with one leg jacked up to my chest and my hands kept tight to my body. Lots of turning over and adjusting. During China: slept on my back with my limbs splayed out. Didn't move during sleep (as evidenced by my lack of crazy morning hair!)

It was weird. Once I returned to the U.S my sleeping style reverted to how it was before. My thought is that your mindset has an unconscious affect on what your body prefers. At home I could run away from problems- and it was easy to find ways to remain my comfort zone and not do anything about what was stressing me. In China I had to be more confident in order to thrive, or else I literally wouldn't eat, have company, and overall accomplish what needed to get done. I think those different mindsets (evasive versus confrontational) affected how I slept. Slightly off-topic, but I think it's interesting food for thought.

Some of these I find are absolutely true for me and some don't seem to have much effect on me at all. I guess it just depends on the individual person.

Particularly useful
4. Don't eat dinner right before bed - this is something that I've always thought to be very important. You need time to digest!
6. Go to the toilet
7. Not too hot, not too cold - if I go to sleep either to hot or too cold I can pretty much guarantee that I will wake up during the night.
8. Get up straight away - I always find that the sooner I get up after waking, the easier it is and the more alert I am for the rest of the day.

No noticeable effect
1. Avoid chocolate the night before - last night I ate a mountain of chocolate just after I got into bed and moments before going to sleep. I also often drink hot chocolate right before bed. It certainly doesn't seem to have a detrimental effect and I actually usually seem to sleep better and wake up feeling more rested if I have chocolate before bed.
8. Keep the window open - not the sort of thing you try very often in the UK, unless you want to freeze! When I do have the window open in summer I usually sleep less well anyway.
9. Keep your sleep consistent - my sleep is wildly erratic, in terms of how long I sleep for and between what hours I get the sleep. As long as I get over 8 hours it doesn't seem to matter how much I get or what time I go to bed.