Building Healthy Habits

Join

Summer of Sleep

24567…11

Replies

  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,514 Member
    7 hours 40 minutes. Not bad, since I went to bed annoyed. ;)
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,218 Member
    6 hours 45 minutes with 51 minutes awake. It took me longer to fall asleep last night because I dozed a bit before officially turning in and that made me less tired when I finally went to sleep. I’ve got to watch that. Limit the pre-bedtime snoozing.
  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
    A rough night last night. 6 hrs 26 min with 114 minutes of restlessness.

    Last night as I was winding down and getting ready for bed there was breaking news of a child being abused by a daycare provider. WIthout warning a video of her harming this poor child was aired. I shut the tv off as fast as I could but what I saw haunts me. I can not shake the images of her deliberately hurting this child. I cried off and on during the night for this child. Said many prayers and just could not get the image out of my head. I woke up at 3 am on my yoga mat. When I can not sleep due to pain I often get on my mat and stretch or meditate. I think I was praying and meditating and must have fallen asleep.

    I am still bothered by this.

  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,218 Member
    PinkyPan1 wrote: »
    A rough night last night. 6 hrs 26 min with 114 minutes of restlessness.

    Last night as I was winding down and getting ready for bed there was breaking news of a child being abused by a daycare provider. WIthout warning a video of her harming this poor child was aired. I shut the tv off as fast as I could but what I saw haunts me. I can not shake the images of her deliberately hurting this child. I cried off and on during the night for this child. Said many prayers and just could not get the image out of my head. I woke up at 3 am on my yoga mat. When I can not sleep due to pain I often get on my mat and stretch or meditate. I think I was praying and meditating and must have fallen asleep.

    I am still bothered by this.

    I am so sorry to hear this, @PinkyPan1. That is terrible news and it’s natural that your sleep was impacted. Wishing you a better nights sleep tonight.
  • prgirl39mfp
    prgirl39mfp Posts: 3,154 Member
    @PinkyPan1 I am so sorry. How awful. I cannot watch the news before bed for that same reason. Hope today is a better day!

    Last night was 4 hrs and 30 minutes. Had another tough conversation with my husband. It was my fault, so it took me a while to fall asleep. This time I did not win. Guess we cannot win them all.
  • MmamabearR
    MmamabearR Posts: 234 Member
    themedalist wrote: »
    Because sleep is so essential but also not something we can completely control, I thought it made sense to make this a two week challenge. We will have a new challenge starting on Monday, but those of us who are committed to getting better sleep let’s continue this challenge next week as well.

    Sounds like a good plan :)
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,514 Member
    7 hours and 7 minutes. So not as good as I have been doing.

    What works for me:
    Cool bedroom (difficult in summer months - I sleep much better in the winter months).
    Spending more time in bed (this is so hard - I try to be in bed for a clear 8 hours, but I often don't succeed).
    A evening Qigong routine (sometimes I struggle between balancing doing the relaxation routine or just going to bed)
  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
    6 hrs and 1 min with 58 minutes of restlessness.
  • Bethebestmeforme
    Bethebestmeforme Posts: 96 Member
    Not today as I had to get up at 5:45 for work! Will be better tomorrow 5 hr and 42 minutes 33 minutes restless
  • prgirl39mfp
    prgirl39mfp Posts: 3,154 Member
    6 hrs. 2 deep sleep and 4 light sleep.

    I do not use my phone or Ipad in bed but I do watch tv because that is the only time I have. One hour tops. Cool room as well. Naked or very light clothing due to hot flashes and no eating at least 3 hrs before bed.
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,218 Member
    MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »
    Sleep.
    I was put back on a few weeks of meds that caused insomnia & am now back to low dosage. I’ve been told it will take a week or so for the medications to decrease in my body.

    I think too little sleep is my biggest issue atm. My eating is very healthy, I exercise daily at the highest level in a decade, but I’ve learned that lack of sleep inhibits the body from using the nutrients to build proteins (muscles, tissues, etc.)

    I never knew that. This is a Big Deal.

    So, I’m making this my top priority. I do well on 7 hrs. Lately (meds) I’ve gotten only 5-6.5 hrs. My cat is also a culprit!

    Things I do currently:
    Temp in room coolish.
    Comfy pillows
    A warm blanket I can drag over my covers in middle of night
    Turning off music and turning down lights after 10 pm
    Deep slow breathing
    If I wake early, I listen to relaxation audio on my phone with eye mask, and 50% of time fall back to sleep.

    Things I just did:
    Switched my phone to night mode 24/7
    No LED lights on in bedroom after 9pm

    THE THING I should do - that will be HARD:
    No screens before bed.

    SO, I’m going to take my “baby steps” approach.

    June 7- June 13 No screens after 11:30pm
    6/14-6/20 11:15
    6/21-6/28 11 pm
    I’ll re-assess each week, and if it’s going well, I’ll speed up the timetable.

    I’ll move my Googling & looking at MFP posts before bed to one hour before the Screen Cut-off time. Then, I’ll read magazines & books, doodle, paint, and do all those evening things..teeth, pj’s, maybe even a bath with candles :)

    The only issue I see is my relaxation tapes &
    Music are on my phone. So, I’ll just have to do those earlier before the Screen Cut-off. This includes no TV/movies.

    Things I’m thinking of doing if I’m unsuccessful in breaking Screen Habit:
    Purchase Blue light blocking glasses
    Move charger for phone to another room & buy an alarm clock Ha!
    Moving TV and computer out of bedroom.
    Buy blackout curtains.

    @themedalist As always, thank you for this group & these challenges!

    Everyone- please post suggestions of things that have worked for you!!!

    Thanks!!

    @MadisonMolly2017, such a great post! You have clearly thought this through and have identified your obstacles and a game plan to get more sleep. And you even have a “next steps” plan if your initial plan needs some adjusting. You clearly have a deep commitment to getting more sleep and that bodes very well for your success.

    I couldn’t agree with you more about the importance of sleep or the need for baby steps in achieving better sleep. It took me a year to lose 50 pounds and I did it through baby steps. It’s going to take me months, I believe, to develop a sleep routine (with triggers!) that will enable me to sleep 7 to 7.5 hours most nights. But I’m in it for the long haul, just as you are and those of us actively participating in this challenge.

    We are all different, but I’m not adhering to the no screens before bedtime suggestion. I would if using my iPad led me to web surf, but it doesn’t. I’m using it to do my nightly mini crossword puzzle, part of my pre-bedtime routine and then I turn on the Calm app Sleep Stories, which for me is a soothing and relaxing way to drift off to sleep. @PackerFanInGB had asked about Sleep Stories. Yes, they are available in the free version, but not a wide selection. The premium version has a deep reservoir of stories. And Calm has a sense of humor. Their newest Sleep Story is entitled “Once Upon a GDPR” a 30 minute reading of excerpts of the European Union’s Global Data Protection Regulations that recently went into effect. 30 minutes of data protection clauses and sub clauses should put anyone to sleep.

    I do turn on the light shift feature on my iPad from 9pm onward.
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,514 Member
    Sleep stories sounds like a great idea. My daughter used to read her high school physics textbook when she couldn't sleep and it put her right to sleep.

    I didn't need to get up this morning and intentionally went back to bed. 8 hours and 23 minutes :) - the world better look out!!
  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 11,152 Member
    Thank you for your suggestions, all, and @themedalist Yes, I took 2 years 5 mos to hit my initial GW yesterday!! I truly believe in baby steps as I find I have gradually changed so many behaviors & mindsets.

    Yes, it will take a while to tackle sleep, but I did do it a couple of months ago (prior to recent meds) & I know I can do it again :) will be fun to work on this with you and others over the coming year.

    My Update: I logged off of computer by 11:30 (11:29 to be exact LOL)
    Room was cool (window open)
    I dimmed the lights beginning 10 pm
    I did take some deep breaths

    I did use my phone to update MFP. I may have to switch all my updates to AM.

    Turned off all at 12:20 drifted right to sleep
    Awoke around 6:45-7
    So, looks like 6.5 hours & I felt pretty rested.

    Tonight’s goal. Computer off 11:30 or earlier
    Phone off by & lights out by 12 or earlier

    Take Care!
  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
    6 hrs 41 mins with 69 minutes of restlessness. I actually feel like I slept well. Hmmmm. I am going to continue this sleep awareness every day here. I am determined to get back to 8 hours a night. Crap, I would be happy to get to 7 hours.
  • Bethebestmeforme
    Bethebestmeforme Posts: 96 Member
    Last night was 8 hours and 4 minutes with 28 minutes of restlessness :smile:
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,218 Member
    Cookiesm1 wrote: »
    Last night was 8 hours and 4 minutes with 28 minutes of restlessness :smile:

    Woohoo! I bet you feel great today, @Cookiesm1!
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,218 Member
    By paying attention to my sleep recently, I’ve learned something important. There’s a time early in the morning when I’m half asleep and half awake. Generally it’s around the time that my husband gets up and goes to work, about 5:30 AM. Before, the old sleep deprived me, would’ve said, “Time to get up and start the day!“ But now, seeing how much better I feel after focusing on my sleep and getting more of it, I am nudging myself to go back to sleep. Yesterday, I vividly remembered my dream after I went back to sleep and sure enough, my Fitbit recorded REM sleep during that period.

    I feel so much better. This week, I had an all day meeting with about 50 people. There was a brief time when I thought I was going to have to get up and speak in front of the group. Normally, that would make me stressed and anxious. But this week, it had no impact on me. I don’t know if it’s the extra sleep or the meditation or both, but something in me has changed significantly for the better. And I like it!

    6 hours 55 minutes of sleep last night. Have a great weekend everyone!
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,514 Member
    I was out dancing last night and didn't get to bed until after midnight, so I lost sleep. Only 6 hours and 11 minutes.

    @themedalist , I like the idea of "Summer of Sleep!" And YAY! for you not being stressed about the idea of speaking to a large group.
  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
    77tes wrote: »
    I was out dancing last night and didn't get to bed until after midnight, so I lost sleep. Only 6 hours and 11 minutes.

    @themedalist , I like the idea of "Summer of Sleep!" And YAY! for you not being stressed about the idea of speaking to a large group.

    As I read your post I was singing in my head "I could have danced all night. I could have danced all night. And still have begged for more." I have always wanted to dance. I am so jealous! Good for you!
  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 11,152 Member
    Night of June 8
    Slept 1-7 and 8-9:15= 7 hrs 15 mins
    Used sleep mask from 4AM on
    From 7-7:30looked at things on my phone
    At 7:30 began relaxation audio

    Mini-success esp the light blocking MASK!!
  • Bethebestmeforme
    Bethebestmeforme Posts: 96 Member
    Last night I slept 7hr and 20 minutes with 10 minutes restless :smiley:
  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
    6 hrs and 1 min with 61 minutes restless. I feel like I did not sleep.
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,218 Member
    PinkyPan1 wrote: »
    6 hrs and 1 min with 61 minutes restless. I feel like I did not sleep.

    It sounds like it was not restful sleep, @PinkyPan1. Hoping tonight is better for you!

Categories