One of the most complicated things that I had to tackle after graduation was sleep. Before that, I never had to worry about it. Little did I know that it will go on to become a major issue in my life.
It all started from experiencing insomnia at my first job. Here today 4 years down the lane, it is something that I have yet to figure out. Yet to master. I have read so many researches and articles on fixing your sleep yet none of those would apply to me.
Here is my personal learning on the issue, hope it could help someone:
1- Not everyone is a morning person and I learnt this the hard way. So instead of beating yourself up, accept this fact and move on with life.
2- To me, sleep time does not matter. As long as I’m getting sleep at any time of the day I’m good.
3- The ideal duration for adults is 6 hours at least. I know. But this just does not happen for some of us. Personally I get going with only 4 hours of sleep myself. Be content with what you get and keep going.
4- It really is a blessing. Now that I remember the times when sleep was a non issue. Those were probably the best times only if I realized this then.
5- Previously when I could not sleep, I would stay there in bed. Let negative thoughts keep running and beating myself up as to why I had this problem. Now I have shifted to reading a book, putting some background music (search for this on youtube), counting backwards and hitting the gym when I cannot ?.
Mind you hitting the gym at 7 am requires super hero powers. And I truly feel like a superhero when I manage to do this.
6- Medication: It did help me when I was on it. But do you want to rely on medicine for sleep your entire life? Do you?
7- As cliche as it may sound, keep yourself occupied the entire day. This will increase the likeness of getting sleep.
8- Research as much as you can. Knowledge is power ✊?
Feel free to add more in comments ?
It took years to understand that my insomnia was caused by stress. What helps reduce stress is exercise. All I usually need is 20 minutes of a brisk walk in the late afternoon/early evening. Another thing that helps is to get off the computer an hour before bedtime unless I’m reading an eBook. Reading before bed also helps me fall asleep. So does keeping to a bed-time routine. This tells my brain it’s time to sleep. I don’t like most sleep meds. They make me feel like I was half asleep all night and I’m hung over in the morning. There are good sleep meds but those need a Rx. Hoping you sleep good tonight. ?
Thank you so much for your kind words ?
I also have sleep problem but not always. It happens most especially if there’s another person in the same room where I am sleeping. The worst time is when I am on the road. I really can’ t sleep while travelling. I also can’t sleep long during the day. But life goes on…
Thanks for sharing your experience ?
Hello there, i have sleeping disorder, by my own choice, but when i will decide to go back to normal, i think medication is not the solution, if i can’t sleep i just get up and i do something useful until i feel tired enough to sleep?
Hey there. That’s actually productive of you buddy ??
?♀️
I’ve worked the night shift for 24 years. I totally agree you need to just grab sleep whenever you can. No matter what time of day/night.
And I’m starting a night job next week. What a co-incidence!
I hope you enjoy it! The first time I was assigned to the night shift was in 1986. I thought I’d hate it. I ended up loving it!
I hope it turns out the same for me!