Best Sleep techniques?

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erockville77
erockville77 Posts: 5 Member
in Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
Good evening, I suffer from nerve pain and fibromyalgia all day. It causes sleep disturbances. Would anyone offer suggestions on best sleep techniques? I tried setting an alarm to get ready for bed but it doesn't work

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  • chris_in_cal
    chris_in_cal Posts: 2,226 Member
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    erockville77 wrote: »
    I tried setting an alarm to get ready for bed but it doesn't work

    Making myself stop, prepare for bed, and go to bed early is my biggest challenge. Good luck, and let us all know if you find anything helpful.

    I set an alarm to prepare for bed as an experiment. I kept turning it off and just doing what I always do...stay awake more.

    I am much better getting up to an alarm, then setting one to go to bed early.

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,951 Member
    edited July 2023
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    erockville77 wrote: »
    Good evening, I suffer from nerve pain and fibromyalgia all day. It causes sleep disturbances. Would anyone offer suggestions on best sleep techniques? I tried setting an alarm to get ready for bed but it doesn't work

    I never snooze my go-to-bed alarm more than once. I'm ready for bed! Plus bed is where I have my bed time snack, hot pad, and Kindle. At 10:30 PM I take my sleep meds, get into bed, turn on the hot pad, eat and read. I also have an alarm at 11:30 to brush my teeth. I don't like that alarm nearly as much. :lol:

    I assume you are being treated for your pain and FM?
  • Sumandigital23
    Sumandigital23 Posts: 13 Member
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    Tips for Better Sleep
    Be consistent. ...
    Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature.
    Remove electronic devices, such as TVs, computers, and smart phones, from the bedroom.
    Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime.
    Get some exercise.
  • xrj22
    xrj22 Posts: 197 Member
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    When you say that setting an alarm to tell you when to go to bed doesn't work; do you meant that even though you have an alarm, you still don't get into bed at a reasonable time, or that you are getting into bed at the right time, but still not sleeping well?

    This may sound silly, but what worked for me is getting a fit-bit watch. It can track your sleep and give you a "sleep efficiency" rating. Just seeing the numbers on the chart each day for when I got into bed, how long it took to get to sleep, etc. motivated me do better. it motivated me to get on a better schedule and get into bed in a relaxed state, ready to sleep.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,287 Member
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    There is a sleep doctor who has a channel on Youtube.. I don't know it off the top of my head..but i'm sure you could find him. I watched one of his videos a few days ago.. and it was helpful.

    H e mentioned the 4, 7, 8 breathing technique.. for getting back to sleep.

    Breathe in for four counts.
    Hold the breath for 7 counts
    Exhale it in 8 counts.

    He says the heart rate has to be below 60 for sleep.. and this breathing technique accomplishes that task.
  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 931 Member
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    I’ve had trouble sleeping for years. Night terrors. Insomnia.

    Temperature has helped/ keeping a cool bedroom and sheets. I take magnesium and melatonin. I also have a magnesium moisturizer. I try to not eat too close to bedtime. Sometimes I stretch and meditate before bed. I’ve been using a few apps to help.
    Instead of reading on my phone, I’ve bought books to read a bit before bed. Oh.. and hot baths with magnesium salts! Lavender in bedroom as well.

    That’s what has helped me. Hope you get some good rest!
  • ElvinQueen41
    ElvinQueen41 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi @erockville77, thank you for sharing and being open to new insights. I just found this community and am grateful for these responses.

    I can’t say that I know you’re kind of pain. I do know that when I approach something that has held previous disappointment or pain, such as starting a weight loss program or a dating app again, or making that difficult call, or in your case heading to sleep, both the mind and the body set up resistance. This is part of our nature, our primal system wanting to protect us from something it has surmised to be a danger— it thinks anything that causes pain can’t be good for us. This was a useful instinct when we were cave dwellers who needed to be on high alert to survive, but unless we are truly in a fight or flight circumstance, it’s our gift as conscious beings to console this primal nature, to decrease its roar to a kitten’s meow.

    How to do we do this? In my experience, I have found that honoring the sacred nature of ritual has a profound effect on how I view the tasks and events of my life. The length of a ritual is not important, but rather our heartfelt intention to approach it with compassion and honor towards ourselves, our Highest Self, and the life force within us that gives us breath, even when we don’t notice.

    You are so valuable. Console and trust the cycle of waking and resting as a healing process for you, and you will find peace.
  • xbowhunter
    xbowhunter Posts: 999 Member
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    I use Cannabis for sleep. works wonders for me! :)
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 879 Member
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    The 'best' sleep techniques will simply be the ones that work for you. What exactly do you mean when you say that you set an alarm, but it doesn't work....That's simply you deciding to ignore your alarm. Are you getting distracted during that time, or do you go to bed, just not sleep...??

    One thing that is proven is consistency. Creating a bedtime routine/habit and sticking to it all the time (as much as possible), including on the weekend even though you don't have to get up for work the next day. You can still keep your alarm set, but does it have to mean that you actually go to bed...? Maybe you can use that alarm to mean - stop scrolling on your phone and put on a guided muscle relaxation video/audio and do that wherever you are when the alarm goes off. Or you can use the alarm to mean - stop scrolling and go make a hot drink (tea or something) and brush teeth, take off makeup, put jammies on..etc.

    It can be quite difficult to transition from up and about - to bed/sleep....there are a lot of steps actually that people engage in in order to do that. That seems like it might be hard for you. So simply try to work on getting better at just the first steps of that process instead of demanding of yourself to be good at it all at once.

  • BeccaColliesBurton
    BeccaColliesBurton Posts: 79 Member
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    erockville77 wrote: »
    Good evening, I suffer from nerve pain and fibromyalgia all day. It causes sleep disturbances. Would anyone offer suggestions on best sleep techniques? I tried setting an alarm to get ready for bed but it doesn't work

    I have fibro too amongst other conditions. I find magnesium oil or body cream from Holland and Barrett a life saver. Slathered liberally on sore bits. Reapplied during night if needs be. Xx
  • TracyL963
    TracyL963 Posts: 79 Member
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    elisa123gal wrote: »
    There is a sleep doctor who has a channel on Youtube.. I don't know it off the top of my head..but i'm sure you could find him. I watched one of his videos a few days ago.. and it was helpful.

    He mentioned the 4, 7, 8 breathing technique.. for getting back to sleep.

    Breathe in for four counts.
    Hold the breath for 7 counts
    Exhale it in 8 counts.

    He says the heart rate has to be below 60 for sleep.. and this breathing technique accomplishes that task.

    I do this too. Very relaxing.

    Another idea is listening to a white noise machine. If/when you just can't turn your brain off, a white noise machine allows you to focus on a sound your choosing like rain or ocean waves.

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