Getting sleepless from work. Can only hang out at EEvblog. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: JXstaystonight
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 04:11:02 am
content: What do people use to get themselves to sleep with insomnia? Going to try and sleep after posting this.

author: pqass
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 04:40:45 am
content: Put on someBig Clive* in the background and you'll be out in no time.* Recommended by Big Clive listeners.He's mentioned it several times that his listeners use his videos to fall asleep to and he doesn't mind that at all. It's the voice; low, soothing tones, that holds your attention enough to distract from your workday anxiety. That's when the sleep fairy comes with the mallet to knock you out.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 04:47:22 am
content: These resources might give better advice:https://pages.clevelandclinic.org/sleep-disorders-index.html?https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355173https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2019/insomnia.html?https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/peanuts/images/d/d1/LucyBooth.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180802125938

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 05:04:13 am
content: Melatonin.

author: antenna
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 05:21:06 am
content: If you don't mess up your natural rhythm with bright lights (especially these UV/blue computer monitors) late at night, you wouldn't need the melatonin. Lights mess with the body's natural melatonin cycle. When you wake up, wait at least an hour before having that first shot of caffeine, give it up by 1pm, and get the lights turned off by 8pm. Another thing that can make it much easier to fall asleep is dropping the temperature in the room. When I was in the joint, 5 tiers of coffee-fueled inmates would quickly go silent when they kicked on those big fans and pulled in cold air from outside. 10-15°C drop within 5 minutes should do it.

author: BrianHG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 05:43:54 am
content: Get an addblocker and put on this youtube channel:https://www.youtube.com/@isaacarthurSFIAYou will have access to hundreds of videos with outlandish mega science and space projects of the future, each episode ~30 minutes...He kept a ~64 episodes per year for the last ~7 years nonstop.(Actually, if you get too interested, it might keep you up all night....)

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 06:01:22 am
content: I always found reading a technical manual I really wanted to read did it for me. For about 3 months I kept the HC11 manual by my bed and made a point of not reading it during the day, so I'd get about 2 pages in every night before I dropped off.

author: Sredni
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 09:34:06 am
content: I use episodes of Murdoch Mysteries (a Canadian tv series). I find them relaxing.Episodes I have already seen, of course, since I do not have to be alert and follow a new storyline...

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 09:48:21 am
content: Try to reduce your use of computer or phone 1hr before bed. Overstimulation makes it harder to sleep.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 10:04:59 am
content: Yes, cut down your screen time before bed, cut the Caffeine. I find that having the radio on quietly - light drama/comedy with a 1hr sleep timer works very well. Repeat as necessary if you become sleepless during the night.cuddling up to your significant other also works but they may not find this helpful, especially if you snore!

author: guenthert
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 11:11:13 am
content: Quote from: antenna on January 25, 2024, 05:21:06 amNow that's a teaser. More so, as the rest of the comment seemed more reasonable, educated and well meaning than most around here.

author: bookaboo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 04:44:57 pm
content: It's a huge topic for well being.Scare yourself by reading:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-We-Sleep-Science-Dreams/dp/0141983760For science based advice I can recommend.https://www.hubermanlab.com/topics/sleep-hygieneI've been sleeping better since implementing that advice, but in short.- Get daylight early in morning.- Avoid bright lights in evening, overhead and blue are worst.- Don't supplement Melatonin, does more harm than good.

author: hans
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 05:34:29 pm
content: I used to have insomnia multiple times a week.. went for overnight stay in hospital and with EEG tests etc. Came up clean. I followed some "sleep hygiene" tips quite religiously, which includes:- Don't drink coffee past 3pm or so. Others may prefer even earlier times.- Don't drink energy drinks or other crap, at all.- Exercise.- Get daylight within first hour of waking up, and in many cases, this requires going outside. "1000Lux" is hardly daylight, whereas 10000Lux+ probably is. This is hard to do in winter, though. Getting daylight early forces your body clock to move to earlier onto the day. E.g. if you were to do the opposite, such as keeping curtains closed all morning, your body clock wont wake up which can make it drift towards later in the day. For many people, their natural body rhythm can be longer than 24hrs. Likewise, try to also get some sunlight at the end of the day as well...- Take frequent breaks during the day.- Avoid doing any intense work/activity in the evening/night (including recreational hobbies such as electronics, programming or intense video games) especially if stressed. I stop any recreational activity usually at 9pm, so I have a few (3-4) hrs to wind down.- Block the news and other sources of drama. Not worth the time/energy. I tend to do this periodically, because I still think its useful to keep up with some general stuff.. but things about wars, crisis and other infuriating topics are the first ones I will skip.- Don't check your work e-mail in the evening.- Be careful with melatonin. In many cases you can get it OTC, but I would rather consult a doctor (preferably somnologist) first before taking such an important hormone first. The timing and dosing can be quite crucial in this, and its easier to screw up even more.- Eat healthy and check your nutrition. Shortages of certain vitamins or minerals can make sleeping difficult.- Have I said exercise already?/s Same with recreational stuff.. schedule carefully. Going for an intense workout at e.g. 8PM probably isn't the best idea..- Drink a cup of warm milk before going to bed (or if sleeping is hard).- Get out of bed and do something else if sleeping won't work for 30mins or so.- Sleep restriction, but better consult a doctor on that one.And if all that doesn't work.. bad luck. Sometimes I've these nights where no matter what I do it doesn't work. One of the worst things to do is checking the time while in bedJudging by OP's topic title... try to resolve the problems at work, whatever they are. Sometimes trying to fix side effects is of little use if the root cause is not fixed.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 06:03:13 pm
content: Quote from: hans on January 25, 2024, 05:34:29 pm..with a teaspoon of liquid non-pasterized honey.Cancel your Netflix TV subscription, or whatever other provider you have.Read a chapter from a novel book after going to bed.

author: Miti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 06:45:29 pm
content: In 2012 I went through hell and back from some benzodiazepines that I was prescribed for a misdiagnosed anxiety. According to the medical literature I should be dead ten times now, but I’m still here to tell my story. I’m pretty much recovered now but it took many years to get to something manageable. My sleep is still sensitive to fighting with the wife, to digestive issues, to stress, etc. During the hardest time I tried everything non pharma that one can find on the internet and nothing worked. Now, things like dark and cool bedroom, no coffee, no late dinner, avoiding screen before bed, seems to work a bit but not always.The only pharma thing that works, when things go haywire is an older generation OTC antihistamine pill that I won’t mention as I think is illegal and I’m not a medical professional, even though I lost confidence in the pros. I’m just telling you my experience. Luckily this happens very rarely now and I avoid pills as much as I can, but just knowing that I have something that helps me when I need it is reassuring. Just the anticipation of another sleepless night was mind twisting for me.Cheers,Miti

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2024, 11:34:56 pm
content: Quote from: antenna on January 25, 2024, 05:21:06 amYes and no, there are various reasons for taking melatonin even if you have perfect sleep hygiene:- Natural reduction in productionas you age- People that need to work late around bright lights, or live in areas with little sunlight- Genetic linkedsleep disordersBut I agree, focus on hygiene first, exercise outdoors, set temperature low at night. So many people screw themselves over by getting poor sleep. It causes so many health issues, increases chances of infection, etc.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 26, 2024, 02:00:38 am
content: Weekdays, I am up at 4:45 to get to the gym by 5 for an hour workout. Caffeine is only at breakfast. I try to eat healthy, balanced meals and stay hydrated. By 9:00 I am yawning and in bed by 9:30. I am rarely awake by the time SWMBO comes to bed at 10:00. I am up a little longer on Fridays and Saturdays but still up by 6:30-7:00. At 67, I don't seem to need as much sleep as I used to. Using my CPAP machine every night as I have moderate to severe sleep apnea helps and the machine is whisper quiet so it doesn't bother either one of us. Before the CPAP, I slept poorly and snored enough to annoy SWMBO.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2024, 03:20:14 am
content: https://www.hubermanlab.com/topics/sleep-hygienehttps://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/267-kingdom-sleep

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2024, 03:58:10 am
content: Pretty common in retirement homes to use a single gravol.

author: Dan123456
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2024, 05:14:19 am
content: A steady mix of pills and spiritsNa jksSeriously please don’t do that!I feel you though! I have always been a hard wired night owl so barely sleep during the week then make up for it by sleeping all weekendA few serious recommendations would be aggressive blue filters on screens at night (I watch movies in bed till I fall asleep as the “no screens” thing just doesn’t work for me and just leaves me staring at the roof while I get more and more frustrated that I can’t sleep which in turn makes it harder to fall asleep - it’s a vicious cycle), light exercise (even a half hour walk) in the evening if possible and most importantly for me to let yourself go to sleep as soon as you feel tired (even if it is only 8pm or whatever).That last one usually gets me 1 proper nights sleep every ~fortnight or so which is always welcome

author: DavidAlfa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2024, 05:16:24 am
content: Been there.... skip caffeine after lunch. Drink lots of water to clear it up.Asianometry videos are pretty relaxing!

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2024, 05:47:44 am
content: you can prep food in the evening to tire yourself out in the kitchen for the next day. Cleaning wakes me up though so be sure to use a dish washer, or be very careful about exposure to cold water. Obviously only works if your not starving. This could realistically get you two good nights of sleep per week. Something time consuming like french onion soup, risoto, separating fresh herbs leaf by leaf, properly pan frying food in small portions for correct cooking (not over loading the pan so you need to stand there longer), grinding your own meat, flour, making pasta, doughs, meat balls (actually pan sear small meat balls and finish the next day in a sauce) etc.. so you need to do fairly comprehensive labor for a while. Requires some prep for rapid cooling of partially cooked food and knowledge of the kitchen. Time consuming but it does make you tired.fast time saving cooking is obviously the opposite of what you want... try it without hacks. There is always a trade off between quality and time, even something as simple as making your own powdered sugar or maintaining freshness in the kitchen (keep track of vegetables in the fridge, flip lettuces to avoid compression/soaking, etc). Add a few minutes to every step improving quality with labor and two hours of fairly tiring work passes by rapidly. Its also cheap if you have the tools and sustains you, unlike medication...getting warm lights in the kitchen helps too.

author: c64
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2024, 07:17:56 am
content: I always fall asleep watching youtube. Documentaries, electronics, history, retro computing. If person speaks too fast, I find it helpful to run it at 75% speed.

author: Yuu
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2024, 01:41:31 pm
content: I've had insomnia for 5 years. One of the reasons I decided not to finish my PhD.I've yet to find a fix. Strong medicines like benzos are really the only thing that can put me to sleep but even then those don't work all the time.Medications are not a good long-term fix though so that's not viable.I don't know what to tell you haha. I just suffer with it.

author: Shay
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2024, 05:36:21 pm
content: I find that one of the most important thing for me in order to fall asleep is going to sleep at the exact same time and waking up at the exact same time (on weekends you can push the limits here).