Restless Sleep

[Matt Berardi]

I've been struggling in my current apartment - first I had a bad neighbor above me that was up all hours of the night due to working the night shift. I got over this by using earplugs and noise machines / fans. Now I am able to get to sleep but I am tossing and turning all night many nights, to the point that even if I pass out at 10:30 and wake up at 7:00 AM, I am still tired. Baggy eyes, feeling tired all day, it stinks. I work out every night at around 6:30 PM high intensity and have a large meal right after usually I'm done eating by 9:30 and try to sleep by 10:30. I know this probably doesn't help but I don't know how else to do it since I don't get home from work until 6. I think the main problem is my apartment. I lived in a suburban quiet area of CT previously, and now I live in the busiest area in the country. Whenever I am on vacation, or sleeping anywhere but my apartment I get so much better sleep.

I've been using the following sleep aids:
Phillips goLITE blu light therapy
ZMA
Earplugs
Noise Machine / Fans
Sleeptracker watch - going to try to figure out at what hour trouble occurs
No Caffeine

Does anyone out there have advice for getting over restless sleep? (Where you fall asleep but wake up many times in the night) I'm a little crazy about this because if you've suffered from sleep loss, it really eats away at you. So, I'm willing to try just about anything. Anyone have suggestions from blackout curtains? lol

Thanks guys,

Matt

[Steven Low]

Earplugs are good. Noise = not good

ZMA doesn't work for some.

If you can blackout your room that's extremely good.

Um, don't know too much about blu light therapy... but any light touching the skin during sleep is generally not good.


Basically, try to blackout your room totally (and/or wear a sleep mask) + earplugs (NO SOUND) + very few electronic devices if possible + MAYBE ZMA if it's working for you

[Matt Berardi]

Originally Posted by Steven Low

Earplugs are good. Noise = not good

ZMA doesn't work for some.

If you can blackout your room that's extremely good.

Um, don't know too much about blu light therapy... but any light touching the skin during sleep is generally not good.


Basically, try to blackout your room totally (and/or wear a sleep mask) + earplugs (NO SOUND) + very few electronic devices if possible + MAYBE ZMA if it's working for you

I've found the earplugs have been the best thing so far. ZMA seemed to help me a lot in the beginning, now I can't really tell if it is doing anything. I may take a break and see if there's any change. Originally, sleep felt more restful, muscles felt better in the morning.

Thanks for the tip on blocking out light. Do you use any type of blackout curtains at home? I want to get something but can't find a product I can decide on. I've read about how light touching the skin (not just the eyes) is bad for sleep, and haven't had luck with sleep masks. I do have a bunch of electronic devices sitting right next to me but they are all off when I sleep and I duck tape any lights that emit light. The curtains in my apartment are minimal and don't do a good job of blocking the street light.

The Light therapy device is intended to reset your sleep cycle. It's used within 90 minutes of waking up to tell your body to "wake up" has to do with the circadian rhythm. www.lighttherapy.com [wfs] if you're interested

[Steven Low]

Ah.

I'm gonna try to blackout my room. Probably gonna get a lot of black contruction paper and tape it together and put it front of the window or something along those lines.

You could probably google some other good suggestions

[Rene Forestier]

Originally Posted by Steven Low

Ah.

I'm gonna try to blackout my room. Probably gonna get a lot of black contruction paper and tape it together and put it front of the window or something along those lines.

You could probably google some other good suggestions

Try tinfoil over the windows...looks a little trailer-park, but it works well. Use painter's tape so its easy to remove if required.

To the OP, I use fans for white noise. When I travel I use a white noise app for my iPhone.

[Jay Cohen]

Check your library for the book: Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival
Good read.
J

[Ed Walto]

I worked midnights for years and the blackout curtains rock. Check out JCPenney's web site. The curtains are heavy and remind me of good curtains in a hotel. The kind that make you feel that its 2 in the morning when its really 9 in the morning. They make the shades too that go with them and trust me, it'll be dark. They're a bit pricey, but worth every penny.

[Matt Berardi]

Originally Posted by Steven Low

Ah.

I'm gonna try to blackout my room. Probably gonna get a lot of black contruction paper and tape it together and put it front of the window or something along those lines.

You could probably google some other good suggestions

That's a good idea, maybe use cardboard, it would be easy to put up and take down and it would definitely block all the light. Only trick would be getting it to fit around the edges. Thanks, this is my new project!

Originally Posted by Rene Forestier

Try tinfoil over the windows...looks a little trailer-park, but it works well. Use painter's tape so its easy to remove if required.

To the OP, I use fans for white noise. When I travel I use a white noise app for my iPhone.

LOL I actually did the tin foil thing. Super said I had to take it down because it was a "fire hazard" BS he just didn't want people to think I'm afraid of aliens attacking. Tin Foil works great, annoying thing is you can never open your window unless you have it rigged right, even then it still messes up. I'm trying to think of a more elegant solution, cardboard may be good!

[Matt Berardi]

Originally Posted by Jay Cohen

Check your library for the book: Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival
Good read.
J

Great book, I'm still reading now. It's actually the reason I'm trying to make my bedroom "my cave"

Originally Posted by Ed Walto

I worked midnights for years and the blackout curtains rock. Check out JCPenney's web site. The curtains are heavy and remind me of good curtains in a hotel. The kind that make you feel that its 2 in the morning when its really 9 in the morning. They make the shades too that go with them and trust me, it'll be dark. They're a bit pricey, but worth every penny.

JCPenny eh? Cool I'm checking it out now. Is there any specific name to look for or just "blackout"? Thanks!