Sleep - and TV/devices before bed.

JustAnotherSaver

I'm wondering if anyone reading this thread has actually given this a good go and can say what their experience was.

I'm wanting to sort out my sleep as to be honest, it's pretty terrible.

I know about the advice of no mobiles in bed, the blue light (have that bed time setting turned on on the phone where it yellows the screen a bit - forget the name) at night troubles and they say about TV before bed.

I'd not watched TV for years but then we got Netflix and i generally watch an episode of something each night as when i'm at work (currently on hol) it's a way for me to switch off and escape everything, where my mind isn't 100mph. Only issue is by the time I get home, have tea, shower, do what needs doing, it's 8pm at the earliest and can be anything up to 9pm. I have to get up at (depending) 5:00am or 5:30am for work.

Advice is 7-8 hrs sleep so if i go to bed at 9pm and immediately fall asleep (obviously impossible) there's 8hrs.

So to follow all these advices, i'd likely have to do without any TV time from 8pm onwards.

So i'm just wondering if anyone has gone from late bed times, TV right before bed, and made a conscious effort to go to bed earlier and do without TV/computer/laptop/mobile phone time a good amount before bed ... and experienced significant positive change due to it?

For years I would go to bed say 11:00-11:30pm, be up say 5:30am-6:00am and i'd be shattered. I've started going to bed 9:30am-10:00am, up at 5:00am-5:30am and still just as shattered.

elsien

I do still watch TV but downstairs, not in my bedroom. I have a no devices in my bedroom rule so when I go to bed the whole lot stays downstairs. 

I have found that no phone/laptop/tablet after 9 pm has helped a lot with my sleep - my usual alarm time is 7.15 am. Now I watch TV for a bit (usually don’t sit down till after 8 pm either) then a read for a bit to wind down. 

Does have the downside that I find it hard to put a good book down so have had the occasional “read till 2am then massively regret it” but scrolling on a phone just fries my brain even without the whole blue light thing. 
When I stick to it then yes it helps 

Floss

I do have a TV in my bedroom, but it's rarely on & is switched off at the plug. I have a blue light filter on my phone which comes on automatically and try to not use my phone after 9.30ish. It also has a 'do not disturb' which means no random texts / calls during the night.

Another thing to consider is whether you are having a drink as part of your evening  - alcohol doesn't help good sleep. If you google "sleep hygiene" you may find some ideas.

My routine is generally to be in bed around 10pm, read for 10-30 minutes, light off & settle down. I sleep with a window open as I find a cooler room equals better sleep. My alarm goes off at 6.30am and I am usually awake shortly before then.

JustAnotherSaver

I don't really drink alcohol to be honest. Once in a blue moon and even then it'll be 1 bottle of cider on a Saturday night, maybe 2 if I want to 'live a little'

Caffeine may be a thing though.

A typical day will start with me having a Nespresso coffee - 230ml generally. So that'll have caffeine. Then at work I'll have 1 litre of coffee throughout the day (3 drinks) but this is decaf instant & i measure up a good size heaped teaspoon (none of that half a teaspoon and then bang some off for good measure nonsense, lol).

Then when i'm home i'll have either juice or water with my tea and my next coffee is actual coffee beans that I grind myself (night time is about 20grams) which I do in a Mokka pot and will drink perhaps 8pm.

I know my water intake is poor. It's something I forever mean to improve but never do. Easy in summer but I find it so difficult in winter when i'm just not thirsty.

Two main reasons I've been going to bed so late for so many years is

1) I tend to go when i'm actually quite tired so I know i'll fall asleep quick enough. I get so frustrated if i don't fall asleep relatively quickly (10-15mins).

2) The thought of getting up at 5am, going to work, getting home at 6pm at the very very earliest, 7pm-7:15pm if i go to the gym, doing tasks that need doing (basics - make tea, wash up etc) and then finally sitting down to relax about 8:30pm to only then get 30-60mins of ME time (yes I appreciate the hour at gym can be called me time but i'm not relaxed, so we'll call it relaxation time) before I go to bed and do it all again I actually find quite depressing.

Yes I appreciate many others are in the same boat. Many others have kids so have no me time. Many others have it worse, but I'm not many others, I'm me with my situation, not theirs and I find this thought quite depressing.

I work most Saturday's so basically there's only Sunday to get anything done & by that point I'm fairly knackered & don't actually feel like doing what needs doing.

So I tend to stay up later just to get some extra relaxation time but this then obviously eats in to sleep time and the cycle continues.

Though lately i've been reading about the long term impact on health regards lack of sleep which is where I'm coming from with this thread.

elsien

With regards to the water, try having a glass of water with every meal. You can have your normal drinks as well but that forms a habit to help keep you hydrated. 

And I do get what you’re saying about the “me” time, I feel the same even if I’ve been out swimming or whatever. Need that half an hour just to sit and chill. Although I’m now trying to swap the TV/phone for reading or listening to music instead - too many nights of watching bad TV I’m really not interested in because I CBA getting up and going to bed. 

Floss

Have you considered whether reducing your evening caffeine intake may help? I find that if I have caffeine after 3pm I don't sleep well...

Vegastare

I love a decent coffee or two and was told years back when I went through a bad patch which disturbed my sleep that I should try herbal or caffeine free drinks after 1 pm....which sadly include tea, also no warm hot choccy drink at night as that has caffeine too.  As mention no devices in bedroom.
good advice mentioned was to look uo good sleep hygiene - might have some tips.

coffeehound

Sounds like your evening coffee is the main culprit.  Have you tried using decaff beans?  The CO2 or Swiss water method ones are free from the nasty chemicals they used in olden times for decaffeination.  

Suggest  https://ravecoffee.co.uk/collections/decaf-coffee-beans?page=1

JustAnotherSaver

elsien said:

With regards to the water, try having a glass of water with every meal. You can have your normal drinks as well but that forms a habit to help keep you hydrated. 

And I do get what you’re saying about the “me” time, I feel the same even if I’ve been out swimming or whatever. Need that half an hour just to sit and chill. Although I’m now trying to swap the TV/phone for reading or listening to music instead - too many nights of watching bad TV I’m really not interested in because I CBA getting up and going to bed. 

The water through the day is quite difficult for me to get in the habit of, which sounds so silly as what's hard about drinking water, right? I just find it hard to form that habit at work (& i even take a water bottle for just in case purposes (as the water at work is absolute rank!)).

I would find it easier to do at home with having a glass with my tea that's for sure.

I get you on the me time. I would often look back and question myself - what did you do? You just stayed up an hour or two beyond the time you should've gone to bed, you watched YouTube videos you don't particularly care about, you went link hopping on Wikipedia, you basically did nothing worthwhile.

But I find even if i'm doing nothing worthwhile, i'm still doing something that ticks the box of being able to do something if you get me.

It sounds so silly I know.

Honestly, if we got a guaranteed weekend off like my wife does, things would be much simpler.

Floss said:

Have you considered whether reducing your evening caffeine intake may help? I find that if I have caffeine after 3pm I don't sleep well...

I don't know if caffeine affects me to be honest. It might do, i'm not going to say it doesn't (or that it does).

I know some complain about tiredness so they have a coffee to wake themselves up. In the past i've (stupidly) taken caffeine pills. Not weak pro-plus but caffeine pills. I've drank numerous cups of coffee throughout the day. Instant, bean, coffee shop, i feel absolutely no different. It doesn't 'perk me up', it doesn't make me tired.

My wife on the other hand, if she drinks too much caffeine (& that's not even a lot) she gets a bad stomach.

But yes to answer your question I have considered it and it probably is something i should at the very least trial out. I'm currently off work for a little while so not much point in trying it yet as I get to wake when I want to wake but when I'm back at work it'll be worth a shot.

coffeehound said:

Sounds like your evening coffee is the main culprit.  Have you tried using decaff beans?  The CO2 or Swiss water method ones are free from the nasty chemicals they used in olden times for decaffeination.  

Suggest  https://ravecoffee.co.uk/collections/decaf-coffee-beans?page=1

Nope I have to say I haven't tried decaf beans. I've tried decaf Nespresso, I only drink decaf instant but I've not tried decaf beans. The beans I buy are (imo) pretty dear from a local coffee roaster. I'll rarely buy beans from the supermarket. They do do a decaf blend though.

Floss

Personally, I have learnt that going to bed early & getting into (and keeping to) a good sleep hygiene routine IS worthwhile and is beneficial to me by improving my health and mental well-being.

wort

I sound like you.  Half the week I work getting up at 5.30 then a couple of days I start later working till 10pm . Working sat and Sunday every other week . I find it impossible to get a good sleep routine , I don’t get off to sleep easily, then being of a certain age I wake repeatedly with hot sweats !!
i drink only water after tea time, but wish there was a magic pill that would ease me to 😴 sleep.