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Posted by Paul on April 18, 2002 at 12:25:38:In Reply to: Not sleepy at night posted by Taylor on April 18, 2002 at 08:54:58:
Hi Taylor-
I was the same way as you for many years...well, I'm 25 now, but in high school and college I would sleep in all the time for half the day and nothing could seem to wake me up or get me out of bed. I slept like a rock and it caused all sorts of problems with tardies and absences in school. I got screwed by about every attendance policy in existence because of my sleeping problems!
Just a warning...the problems you are having now (not feeling tired at bedtime and sleeping in or for too long) led me to a most miserable state of pure chronic insomnia for four years every night. My complete insomnia started at around 22...I am just now fixing it by changing these bad sleep habits now at nearly 26. Basically, you'll have to stop sleeping in and for too long or it will come back to get you in time as it did with me.
By the way, I know what you mean when you said oversleeping makes you feel terrible the next day. I used to have that problem when I would sleep for 10 hours+ in college. Please read my post down the page a little ways entitled "Do you recognize yourslef in my story?" and see if you see any of the same behaviors I had that led to my insomnia.
The most important thing is not going to bed at the same time every day, but getting up at the same time every day, even on weekends. You can't let yourself sleep in or you won't be tired the next night when it comes bedtime. This pattern of oversleeping and keeping irregular hours is very likely to lead to horrific insomnia in time...in my case, I couldn't sleep for days on end. It was so incredibly frustrating and it was absolutely relentless! Nothing could put me to sleep, not even prescription medications...until I really did sleep restriction; not as a temporary fix, but as a permanant change in my behaviors, habits, and thinking. I have been able to pull myself out of that terrible rut via sleep restriction and dietary changes, but I fear you are headed there too unless you really commit to keeping regular hours, no matter what...even if it took you hours to fall asleep. Once again, the most important factor in keeping a regular schedule is getting up at the same time every day no matter how poorly you slept!
A few notes on exercise...I go out first thing in the morning (after breakfast) and go jogging, biking, or walking. Not only does it help me wake up, but it also helps me get sunlight. If you expose yourself to sunlight early in the day, you will find it easier to fall asleep that night. It's like "resetting" your circadian rhythms...people even use light therapy to combat jetlag when travelling. Overall, walking outside in the morning is a very fulfilling activity and part of a healthy lifestyle that is conducive to good sleep.
About the alarm clock...if you are habitual about getting up at the same time every day, eventually you will find that you wake up at the time your alarm is set or even a few minutes before it goes off. It's much easier getting out of bed if you've slept well, and wake up naturally rather than being jolted out of REM sleep by some obnoxious alarm!
It helps me to lower the lights in my apartment for about an hour before bedtime and do relaxing activities. Sometimes, I just sit and watch TV in the dark. I find that even if I was really wound up before I started my routine, I am fighting sleep off before the hour is up. This is taking advantage of the light issue again...you want exposure to light in the morning hours to help with falling asleep, and darkness before bedtime to help you get there. It's like the lighting in nature, when the sun goes down you're supposed to go to sleep. When it comes up, you wake up. This happens if you ever go camping or backpacking...you start getting really tired just after sundown and wake up at sunrise. Unfortunately, modern electricity messes with this cycle and causes problems with sleep as a result.
One last thought, excercising at night always caused me problems as well...I would do it in the morning or afternoon. I prefer morning because it helps wake me up without caffeine and helps get my energy up for the day.
I know these lifestyle changes are hard to fit into a college schedule...believe me I know because I've done both undergraduate and graduate school. However, I just wanted to let you know that I recognized a lot of the same behaviors in you that led me to four years of terrible insomnia that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Many others on this forum had insomnia start because of the college lifestyle and hours...Joanna, AJM to name a few.
Wishing you well!
Paul
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