How to get to sleep every night when I go to sleep at irregular times?

Question

Usually I go to bed around 10. However, I find myself unable to settle into a routine like this. I'm taking summer classes at night, I have to work, and I have sports and social activity, I can't always be home and sleeping by 10. My body doesn't seem to understand when I want it to sleep. I often lay in bed for several hours and I can't sleep. Then I finally fall asleep by 3 or 4 AM, and I can't wake up until noon the next day. I'm not worried about when I wake up, as I usually don't have to do anything until 1 or 2 PM, but its very frustrating to not be able to fall asleep. Is there any way to let my body know that I want it to go to sleep? I've tried music, decaf tea, warm milk, baths, excercising before bed, even meditation. Nothing seems to work. I find myself taking benadryl at 230 in the morning sometimes just so I can get some rest. What can I do?

Answer 1

Get a step son like I have! lol

Answer 2

I found exercising before bed to have the opposite effect of what I want. It gets your adrenaline pumping. I have better results if I exercise earlier in the day.

When I had sleep problems my doctor told me to reserve bed for sleeping. Don't get into the habit of reading in bed or watching TV. If you want to read to help you fall asleep, get up and sit in a chair or something. The same with the TV.

I find that deep breathing exercises help. I take deep breaths and count slowly to try and block out the other stuff going on in my head.

I also found I needed to limit my caffeine intake during the day and really minimize any fluids starting about two hours before bedtime. The worst is to fall asleep and then wake up an hour or two later because you need to use the bathroom.

If all this fails, you can talk to your doctor about other methods and perhaps medication.

Sweet dreams.

Answer 3

Sad as this sounds... something may have to give... may cutting one unnecessary routine out of your for the salke a a little sleep may be enough to put you back on a sleep schedule. At some point in the past hve you been able to sleep. If it not just over stress of the body sometimes excessive heat can play a factor in causing insomnia... stay cool, stay hydated and stay away from eating after a certain hour. Eating after 8 o'clock can sometimes keep our bodies in a state of activity that workds against us when we are trying to rest. Age, weight and sometimes a change in medical issues can also cause bounts of insomnia. The best thing is to have a complete physical to completely rue out any meical factors that may be present. If your used to having your shedule packed on the weekends.. take a weekend off so that you can really recoup. I know this probably sounds like stuff you've heard before so for that I apologize. Hopefully you'll get some sleep this weekend. Take Care.

Answer 4

I have exactly the same problem as you. I go to bed at 3 and get up at noon. My family keeps" normal " hours, while I keep these weird hours. I am embarrassed because I am a mom of 4 and where I live everybody is up at the crack of dawn to do chores. Maybe if you had someone physically force you up in the morning it would work. Make plans for the morning, to get you out of the house. After a week of getting up early , you might be tired by 10:00. Don't drink any caffinated beverages after 4:00. I hope something works for you, good luck!

Answer 5

Hi I'm Gary,

I have one word for you

(Stilnox 10mg)

It's a sleeping tablet and it's not..it makes you so relaxed that you can sleep while you stand.

It's not a drug so don't get the wrong idea..

If you don't want tablets then try this.. this works for anyone..

Reason why you can't sleep is because you are thinking and you are thinking and your mind is working because it didn't work as much during the day so it ust keeps working..

Now here is the secret, stop thinking, stop talking in your mind as you try to sleep. just close your eyes and think of nothing, go blank.. practice it and you will master it.. it will take some time to master it but if your mind is not tired then it will simply not sleep..
Don't matter what you do with your body.
its your brain that is not shutting down.

Or try Stilnox 10mg, harmless tablet and it takes no more then 10 minutes and you will be falling asleep even if you are standing.

Keeping in mind it's not a sleeping tablet.. it's more of a relaxant.

Simply wishing you the best of luck,

Garry from Australia

Answer 6

This is going to sound strange, but it works. Remove the clock in your room. As you are preparing for bed, tell yourself that you are going to wake up when you need to wake up.

Lay down and do the exercise below.

Relaxation Exercise

Squeeze your toes and hold it for five seconds, let go.
Squeeze your toes and feet, hold it for five seconds, let go.
Squeeze your toes, feet, legs, hold.....
Move all the way up the body until you get to your neck,
Move down your arms to your hands
Final step is to tense your face muscles, hold and let go.

This should be done on a day when it doesn't matter if you don't get up at a certain time because it takes a few days adjustment.

Don't take sleeping pills or anything that alters your chemistry because you will learn to depend on it to help you sleep. If you must have something, try Sleepy-time Tea and/or Lavender Essential Oil for relaxation.

I learned this in college and have never been late for appointment or work and I never feel exhausted because of lack of sleep. The idea behind it is you feel tired because you know how much sleep you had (and how much you missed). If you don't know, your mind does not know you should feel tired so you don't. It sounds strange, but it works.

Good luck.

Answer 7

I used to be like that, and don't worry, milions of people face the same problems.
I would suggest not taking any pills or medication. Waking up early helps getting a person tired quicker for the body can only stay awake for a certain period of time. I think maybe because you have nothing to force yourself to do in the morning (and therefore not waking up early in the morning) is perhaps one of the reasons why you are staying up so very late.
Do something simple in the morning. BUT make shure that no matter how long you stayed up at night, wake up at the same time every morning. Beleive me, make yourself wake up the same time and it will become a habit.

good luck!

Answer 8

first of all, look up Celexa area effects and notice if sleeplessness is unquestionably one among them. no count if this is which you would be waiting to lots of the time have your drugs converted to a minimum of a few thing else. Taking a snoozing pill each evening isn't undesirable, yet there's a risk which you would be waiting to alter into stylish on them... in basic terms approximately addicted as a character is additionally addicted to nicotine. are trying reducing the quantity you utilize. working example, instead of using an entire pill... Use 3/4 of a pill for each week. Then maximum suitable a million/2 a pill for each week. Then a million/4 of a pill for an extra week. Slowly ween your self off of employing them so as which you would be able to bypass to sleep and seek for different the right way that can assist you you. different approaches that could help can comprise ingesting a cup of tea in basic terms in the previous mattress. now no longer finding at television or going on the pc for a hour previous to going to mattress. examining a e-e book. appearing some yoga or meditation or respiration workouts. Do some thing to calm your strategies and now no longer "excite" it.

Answer 9

My husband has the same problem.. he works shift work, switches between days and nights and works 12 hours, on his two days off between the shifts he can't sleep.. he is doing better now and I think it is due to the fact that he has been doing it for a while and his body is getting use to it and that maybe what will have to happen for you... but like you said if Benadryl helps to relax you so that you can sleep then try taking it earlier so that you can get more rest! Just be careful you can get addicted to it!!

Answer 10

I dont know what to tell you. my body had to get used to that kinda stuff because of my job. I would work from midnight to 8 am, then I would sleep on the buses to where I needed to be next because I had alot of things to do, then I would pick up sleep anythime during the day that I could, then I would go back to work. I got so little sleep that now I can sleep anytime, anywhere. It is nice since now I have more free time and that means I have a very flexible schedule.

Answer 11

There are the highly addictive, over medicating, and dependency prone sleep pills. Or you could try a good work out before bed. Clear your mind of everything then start from your feet to your head finding the most confortable possition. Then just let your mind wander. Try to to analize anything. And the number one thing you shouldn't do is think about how you want to go to sleep.