STAY UP ALL NIGHT... when you get tired at 3 AM, force yourself to stay up. You will feel fine all morning, then you will hit a wall at 12 noon. Stay awake. find something to preoccupy yourself during the afternoon. Believe me, you will have no problem falling asleep at 9 or 10 pm
I have to echo the poster who told you to stay out of your bed and out of your bedroom as much as possible. Don't lie awake in your bed. Teach yourself that you are only in bed when you are asleep so your body and mind will associate your bed and bedroom with sleep and getting in bed will trigger a sleep response.
Another suggestion that has worked for me. Read something that's difficult to get through. Read some philosophy that's translated from some other language and read it painstakingly, or get on the Supreme Court website and print off some judicial opinions (don't read them off the screen) and read them even if you don't know what they're talking about. Before long you won't be able to keep your eyes open.
I agree with this as well. I, too, have trouble sleeping, and I have found this works quite well. I've been reading Dickens' Bleak House for a couple of months now because I usually can't get through more than ten pages without dozing off.Good luck--it sucks bad when you can't sleep. I'm currently in a cycle of waking up at 2:00 am and not being able to fall back asleep.
the413miler wrote:
Another suggestion that has worked for me. Read something that's difficult to get through. Read some philosophy that's translated from some other language and read it painstakingly, or get on the Supreme Court website and print off some judicial opinions (don't read them off the screen) and read them even if you don't know what they're talking about. Before long you won't be able to keep your eyes open.
The Scarlet Letter is a real sleep-inducer. And, if you can stay awake, it's actually a great book. So you win either way.
There are other books in this category, but this is the one that comes to mind.
I occasionally pop a magnesium tablet about 30 minutes before I lay down. 95% of the time it helps me fall asleep. I have used it when I wake up in the middle of the night and it helps me fall back to sleep.
Also try wearing foam ear plugs to bed
xfghfgsh wrote: STAY UP ALL NIGHT... when you get tired at 3 AM, force yourself to stay up. You will feel fine all morning, then you will hit a wall at 12 noon. Stay awake. find something to preoccupy yourself during the afternoon. Believe me, you will have no problem falling asleep at 9 or 10 pm
Yeah, this usually works for me though it can be a little hellish getting through the next day. Sometimes I've combined it with melatonin before bed to reinforce "this is sleep time" to my body.
Or another thought: some people reportedly do well with a short night's sleep plus a brief late afternoon nap. Of course a danger here is that the nap might just make it that much tougher to fall asleep at night. Or not. I like to sneak in a ten or fifteen minute nap somewhere between morning and evening runs when I can.
you'll get over it
learn how to meditate, if you cant sleep then get your rest and rejuvination from meditating, if you make a good effort at learning how to meditate, you will learn to shut off your brain, then you will be able to shut it off. Treat the meditation like running and train yourself to be able to do it. If you're not into that, i used to try actively relaxing my body, you lie ther in bed, start at your toes and visualize the muscles tensing up when you breath in through your nose and relaxing like jello when you breath out through your mouth. breath all the way to the bottom of your stomach. Do some yoga or at least deep breathing.
good luck,
i don't see why you're complaining. i'd kill to be able to do that... minus the crappy running... but i could get over that.
While working a night shift and trying to sleep during the day, I would take a Benadryl a couple of hours before going to sleep. Wouldn't make me fall asleep, but it would keep me asleep once I did.
try melatonin. It is a supplement that you can get at any store.
"Melatonin is the all-natural nightcap. It's secreted by the pineal gland, a pea-size structure at the center of the brain, as our eyes register the fall of darkness.
"At night melatonin is produced to help our bodies regulate our sleep-wake cycles. The amount of it produced by our body seems to lessen as we get older. Scientists believe this may be why young people have less problem sleeping than older people.
"Studies suggest that... supplements can hasten sleep and ease jet lag, without the hazards or side effects of prescription sleeping pills."
It may have many other uses and has been reported to make people feel better, strengthen the immune system, and reduce free radicals in the body. Current research is underway to determine it's effect as an anti-oxidant, immno-modulator in cancer, delayed sleep-phase disorders, and jet lag. Tests are still under way so there is much to still be learned about it and its effects on the human body. Travelers and people suffering from mild sleep disorders.
According to the article, a typical comment from discussion groups on the Internet is, "'Folks, I've tried it and it's great. It has ...restored my sleep cycle, given me lots of energy.'" (6 Nov. 1995, p. 60-63)
Maybe your thinking too much about your morning run and that you need to get some sleep to perform in training.
Perhaps you should start evening training which will tire you out and therefore you will sleep naturally as your exhausted.
Relax- running is not your life- think of other things.
Dedication to running is one thing but not to the detrement of your health and happiness.
Train hard and smart
Good luck and dont give in man!
learn how to meditate
I'm sure that's good advice but it also reminds me, here's a simple technique that's worked really well for me a few times. Close eyes, visualize numbers counting down from 99; the numbers appear at like 45 degrees above horizontal - i.e. with your eyes rolled up. It might sound kinda stoopid but somehow the combination of physically having your eyes pointed up and I guess giving your brain a little something to gnaw on shuts out the other noise, and has put me right out more than once.
Have some children. I guarantee you'll be asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, only problem is them waking up three times during the night.
Symptoms of a Thyroid disorder commonly called Graves Disease.
Also a common symptom of being Manic.
Doctors will give you better advice than we can.
Suggest you go see one.
I too think it might be connected to knowing you need to get up so early. That in your mind may put the pressure of I MUST GET SOME SLEEP!! into your head and that becomes self-defeating.
I had problems sleeping recently and cut ALL caffeinated drinks out. This has made a huge difference.
About the getting up and going to bed at the same time thing, I'm not sure if I agree with it. At the weekend if you have a late night and you get to sleep at 3, are you meant to get up at 7? To me it doesn't make much sense for your body, more sense would be always to get up after 8 hours, for example.