Give me one month of sleep hygiene - March 2022

threewins
threewins Posts: 1,455 Member
in Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
For people who want to improve the quality of their sleep. Posting most days with goals and successes/failures.
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Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    I should do this: It's definitely a thing I'm not optimizing, not even remotely close, especially in Winter. <= Notice how I didn't quite commit, there? I'm thinking about it, though . . . .

    Either way, thanks for posing the challenge.
  • DiscusTank5
    DiscusTank5 Posts: 328 Member
    I was awake for an hour in the middle of the night with pretty bad lower back pain. This is something I almost NEVER deal with. What did I do? Is it our mattress? I'd read somewhere that putting a pillow in between your knees can help, so I did that and it seemed to work, after awhile. If anyone has other suggestions, I'm open to them.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    DiscusTank5 wrote: »
    I was awake for an hour in the middle of the night with pretty bad lower back pain. This is something I almost NEVER deal with. What did I do? Is it our mattress? I'd read somewhere that putting a pillow in between your knees can help, so I did that and it seemed to work, after awhile. If anyone has other suggestions, I'm open to them.

    At various points, I've benefitted from rolling up a towel or something and putting it under my back in bed, too - whether side or back sleeping. (That may not be a thing that makes sense for men, though, for the side sleeping at least. I don't have much of a waist indent for a woman, but I do have some.) It really depends on specifically what's going on with your specific back, too. Could try heating pad or one of those stick on one-time chemical warm thingies, too.
  • threewins
    threewins Posts: 1,455 Member
    So for as many days as possible in March, I want to: not use any devices during my middle of the night waking (and to not check the time), and to avoid lying on my bed, unless I am ready for sleep, when I'm awake I should get out of bed relatively soon.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    I predict it's going to be a process, but I'm going to shoot for a more consistent bedtime (midnight to 1AM-ish), not playing with my phone in the middle of the night if I wake up, and getting up soon after I wake up (may check phone for AM resting HR & weather report, but not go on from there to other nonsense).
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    Night of 3/1, okay-ish. Asleep around 1:45AM, up about 8:25, woke up 4 or more times (which has been true most days for 20+ years, since chemotherapy) but went back to sleep quickly each time without getting up or messing with my phone.

    I did look at my watch on wake-ups after it got light outside: I wake up groggy, so if I don't do that I don't know whether to go back to sleep or not. Didn't exceed my intended phone use at wake-up.

    Can I keep this up? Hmm.
  • vegtrainer
    vegtrainer Posts: 4 Member
    I am a life long insomniac. I try really hard not to doze on the couch before bed if I am really tired, don't drink caffeine after noon, exercise somehow almost every day, don't eat dinner late, or after dinner, keep electronics out of the bedroom..... but sometimes sleep is a most elusive . I have not tried prescription sleep meds, but have tried many herbal and homeopathic remedies. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don't. If anyone has any other suggestions - let me know please!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    edited March 2022
    vegtrainer wrote: »
    I am a life long insomniac. I try really hard not to doze on the couch before bed if I am really tired, don't drink caffeine after noon, exercise somehow almost every day, don't eat dinner late, or after dinner, keep electronics out of the bedroom..... but sometimes sleep is a most elusive . I have not tried prescription sleep meds, but have tried many herbal and homeopathic remedies. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don't. If anyone has any other suggestions - let me know please!

    @vegtrainer, have you read this other thread:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10849352/sleep-suggestions#latest

    There were a lot of ideas in there.

    I think this current thread we're posting on was intended to be a sort of challenge thread, for people who were taking steps to improve their sleep hygiene to use to stay on track/accountable, report how they are doing, in March 2022?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    Two more days of OK but not great, 3/2 & 3/3. Got to sleep a few minutes after 1AM in both cases, so a bit later than goal; woke between 8:30 & 9; woke up lots during the night (3/3 was particularly bad), but went right back to sleep, didn't get up or play with my phone; did limited phone stuff as planned for a brief time after waking before getting out of bed. Still slogging along.

    Is anyone else playing?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    March 4, worst night in a very long time, in a sea of bad sleep overall for decades. I'd even taken some diphenhydramine, which is not routine.

    Went to sleep well after 1AM but before 2, woke many times (4-5-6?) had annoying muscle twitches and even leg (inner thigh) cramps, got up a couple times, once even ate a protein snack (this may be the first time I've ever eaten in the middle of the night since joining MFP!). Laid awake for several minutes or longer at least once, I think twice. (Hard to be sure; when I wake I'm groggy, and trying to get coherent just keeps me awake longer.)

    No phone use, other than logging the snack; and limited wake-up time phone usage as planned. Other than getting to bed a little late, I stuck to the plan, but my body didn't.

    Fitness tracker says I wasn't awake at all all night. . . even during the times I was up and literally walking around. WTH? I didn't dream it: I left snack evidence on the kitchen counter intentionally.

    I think this is the right course, so I'm going to stick with it. But it s*cks, right now.
  • Jacq_qui
    Jacq_qui Posts: 429 Member
    What a coincidence, I'm currently challenging myself to 7hrs sleep a night! I'm trying to turn my life-long night owl self into an early morning bird. But also, I'm just sick and tired of being tired. I was never great before kids and I've never recovered sleep-wise from them either, frequently having late nights to create some sort of evening for myself after they're finally asleep.
    So far, I've managed 7hrs every night so far except one where I was 4 minutes short, and 7 days later, I'm still tired. Ugh.
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,114 Member
    This daily sign in sounds good and since I tried mostly everything except medication, I’m in.
    I always had a light sleep but at 50 “enjoying” the pre-meno, I’m having more bad than good nights.
    Last night was one of the top worse ones: went to bed at 10 and an hour later moved in the spare room because I was bothered by my husband’s reading light. Didn’t manage to fall asleep until 2am and my alarm went off at 5:30.
    I didn’t read, turned a diffuser on (forgot to add lavender drops), open the window for some fresh air, closed the window when I was guessing every noise, put on raining sounds, did breathing exercises, lotion my feet ( for some weird reason I feel like they are on fire in the middle of the night. No hot flashes yet, maybe this is my version of them).
    I partially blame the weather - Fri 42F, Sat 61F, Sun 78F, today 78F, Tue back at 48F. Nothing I can do there, just don’t spend too much time outside when it’s too stuffed.
    For today I will make sure I move some despite the afternoon slump I’m sure it’s coming.
    Good luck and good dreams to all !
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    March 5, better. Asleep between 12 and 1, check; stayed in bed all night, check; only woke up 2-3 times (unusually few); didn't pick up my phone during the night, check; didn't play on phone before getting out of bed other than the basic things I said were OK (weather & heart rate), check (almost slipped, but caught myself).

    March 6, not asleep until almost 3AM, not good. Woke multiple times (usual), had trouble getting back to sleep (unusual), but didn't get up in the night; woke up/got up around 7:30AM, followed my phone rules. Bad night's sleep, need to control fatigue-eating later today, probably.

    (As usual, the fitness tracker didn't capture all the times I know I was awake. I'm not imagining this: I had the tracker on during my last in-clinic sleep study, and they saw I was awake during long stretches when the tracker said I was asleep (because very still).)
  • Stephlamon89
    Stephlamon89 Posts: 31 Member
    I love this. When I do try to go to bed early I either can't sleep or I wake up multiple times during the night. I have 5 children. I get 3 of them up early to go to school. Then my son wakes up to do his virtual school and my youngest goes to school at noon. I often find myself dozing in the chair between my son getting up and my youngest daughter going to school. If I try to keep myself awake I'm just tired and grouchy, but if I nap I feel sluggish all day. If I take melatonin or something I still can't sleep and then I'm even more tired. Lol. There has to be a solution, I just don't know what it is. I don't think I've got a great night of sleep since I had my first kid 11 years ago. I'm pretty much running on autopilot. My husband is home most weekends and tries to let me get some extra rest, which is nice.
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,114 Member
    Day 2:
    Monday evening I really prepared: cold and well aired bedroom, lavender in diffuser, which also makes a slight rain like noise, was hydrated but not excessively, blue light filter glasses last hour before bedtime, 10 minute stretches and lotion on hands and feet. It was a complete success of 6h cumulative sleep, waking only 2 times, one a bathroom trip and the other an hour of just laying there.
    My Fitbit also reads most of my time in bed as sleeping, and it used to bother me- now I’m trying to see it as proof of how far I got to teach my body to get on the verge of falling asleep. The little nudge over is a whole different story 😁.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    edited March 2022
    3/7: Still struggling with getting myself compliant with an earlier bedtime. Last night, went to sleep about 2:20 AM, not the 12-1AM slot that is my goal. Got a fairly reasonable night's sleep, thankfully: Only woke up a couple of times, went right back to sleep. Got up at a semi-reasonable time (something over 6 hours, woke up around 8:30). Stuck with my goals on phone use.

    Getting up earlier is helpful to my energy level and productivity (more daylight? dunno), as long as I get enough sleep. Plan to keep working at this, posting boring updates here because that helps me with accountability, whether anyone's reading or not. (

    I am reading others' goals/progress posts here, feeling buoyed by your participation in the thread, and silently cheering for you: Get it!

    (Context: I'm retired, don't need to be anywhere first thing in AM in Winter, am a natural night owl, get a 2nd wind around 10-11PM usually, so my bedtime creeps later and later over Winter, until it hits 2AM or so. This is not good in other ways for my life overall.)
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,114 Member
    edited March 2022
    3/8- yesterday at work I was in an excellent mood from the good sleep, mood continued through an afternoon nice but slow, walk in the park with a good friend, so I ditched the evening indoor bike in favor of the tv.
    I never had a time in my life when I consistently exercised, just had a busy life for many years and started this February to do something physical every day. Slow by all means, but there.
    Anyway, went to bed an hour later than usual, had one wake up that kept me for 2h+ of busy thoughts…
    I think I got close to 5h, I’m in a normal mood today ( wouldn’t want to worry my colleagues) and some of my eye puffiness and dark circles are back. Yesterday I was glowing, I had a double take in the AM.
    I am going back to my exercise plan today- it’s not a warranted good sleep but it clears my head and I am less munchy after 7.
    Love to read others sleep analysis, too.
    About me : 50, full time desk job, kids almost grown almost self sufficient, young dog.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    Still not getting that sensible bedtime, though it's better than it was before I started this challenge.

    March 8, asleep around 1:40 (well after my goal of 1AM). Woke up 2 or 3 times (not bad, for me), went back to sleep pretty quickly, didn't play with my phone during the night. Final wake up around 8:45, only checked weather and HR, as planned) before getting up.
    GabiV125 wrote: »
    3/8- yesterday at work I was in an excellent mood from the good sleep, mood continued through an afternoon nice but slow, walk in the park with a good friend, so I ditched the evening indoor bike in favor of the tv.
    I never had a time in my life when I consistently exercised, just had a busy life for many years and started this February to do something physical every day. Slow by all means, but there.
    Anyway, went to bed an hour later than usual, had one wake up that kept me for 2h+ of busy thoughts…
    I think I got close to 5h, I’m in a normal mood today ( wouldn’t want to worry my colleagues) and some of my eye puffiness and dark circles are back. Yesterday I was glowing, I had a double take in the AM.
    I am going back to my exercise plan today- it’s not a warranted good sleep but it clears my head and I am less munchy after 7.
    Love to read others sleep analysis, too.
    About me : 50, full time desk job, kids almost grown almost self sufficient, young dog.

    @GabiV125 - If I had an answer, I'd offer it, but too many things are changing at once to be clear which things have which effects.

    I seem to be doing in energy level and mood since starting this challenge, but I know that the increasing day length usually does some of that for me each Spring, plus I started using a "SAD light" late in February, and the slightly earlier rising time exposes me to more daylight besides, so it's hard to know what effect the sleep change itself has, if any.

    I've tried absurdly many interventions to improve sleep over the roughly 22 years I've been having trouble with it, including multiple formal in-facility sleep studies, most of which had limited effects. I'm hoping that (re-)establishing more consistent, earlier sleeping hours, and not letting myself interrupt that sleep, may give a little incremental improvement, but I don't expect dramatic results.

    Background on me: F, 66, retired, living alone, well-established good exercise habits, no pets now, CPAP user, at a healthy weight (maintaining after loss a few years back).
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,114 Member
    Yesterday on the way home I stopped at a food warehouse and roamed there way longer than planned and messed my dinner time and all the after activities planned. On the plus side it was a cold and rainy day, so falling in bed felt really cozy.
    I had a mediocre sleep with interruptions and weird dreams, but it beats the alternative, so I’m marking it a win and march ahead.

    @AnnPT77 - a big “advantage” of having years of sleep issues is that we stopped a long time ago being shocked, angry, disappointed and/or baffled and is just a problem that needs solving. A nerdy but comforting approach😁.

    I too see improvement since coming to this thread.
    No mood/ energy change for you, even with big bedtime or rest difference- bravo.
    I’m keeping an eye on mood changes because of my hormonal storm. I witnessed others being very difficult this time of their lives and want to get a grip before doing/saying regretful things.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    3/9, only a little late, around 1:20AM, met my other goals of not playing with the phone or getting up in the night, getting up after just a quick weather/HR check at about 8:45 or so . . . but woke up every 60-90 minutes all. night. long. (went right back to sleep as typical). It's not really very good sleep, waking up that often.

    Not a single thing different about yesterday, that I can think of, that accounts for that.

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