How do I acheive a normal sleep cycle?

Question

I am completely out of any sort of normal sleep cycle. I can't fall asleep before 3am most days, and I'll sleep 13-14 hours a night on weekends. Even if I go to bed early, I'll sleep way too long.

There's never a point where I wake up and feel refreshed. I always just feel like I could go back to sleep...so I usually do.

What can I do? I want to be able to go to sleep at 11 and wake up at 7! Simply forcing myself to follow that schedule doesn't seem to work.

I read that staying up during the night to do work can actually lead to some cancers. Is this true?

Answer 1

Tips for getting back to sleep :

Try visualization. Focus all your attention on your toes or visualize walking down an endless stairwell. Thinking about repetitive or mindless things will help your brain to shut down and adjust to sleep.
Get out of bed if unable to sleep. Don’t lie in bed awake. Go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy. Worrying about falling asleep actually keeps many people awake.
Don't do anything stimulating. Don't read anything job-related or watch a stimulating TV program (commercials and news shows tend to be alerting). Don't expose yourself to bright light. The light gives cues to your brain that it is time to wake up.
Get up and eat some turkey. Turkey contains tryptophan, a major building block for making serotonin, a neurotransmitter, which sends messages between nerve cells and causes feelings of sleepiness. Note that L-tryptophan doesn't act on the brain unless you eat it on an empty stomach with no protein present, so keep some turkey in the refrigerator for 3am.
Consider changing your bedtime. If you are experiencing sleeplessness or insomnia consistently, think about going to bed later so that the time you spend in bed is spent sleeping. If you are only getting five hours of sleep at night, figure out what time you need to get up and subtract five hours (for example, if you want to get up at 6:00 am, go to bed at 1:00 am). This may seem counterproductive and, at first, you may be depriving yourself of some sleep, but it can help train your body to sleep consistently while in bed. When you are spending all of your time in bed sleeping, you can gradually sleep more, by adding 15 minutes at a time.

Or, you can follow the plan below:

Five keys to optimal sleep


1) Rise and shine. Spending a few minutes in the early morning sun helps your biological clock align itself with the cycles of nature. Bright morning light stimulates the release of serotonin, the hormone of wakefulness, and helps the brain reduce levels of melatonin, the sleep hormone.



2) Have your evening meal early. Finish your evening meal by 6 or 6:30 p.m. so your body's digestive processes can be at rest when you go to bed. If you need to change your meal times earlier in the day to do this, then work backward accordingly.



3) Go to bed at 10 p.m. Your body was designed to sync with the cycles of nature -- including daylight and darkness -- with the optimal time for sleep falling between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. If you're in the habit of staying up much later than 10 p.m., begin getting up progressively earlier by a few minutes each morning, over several days. This will make it easier to go to bed earlier in the evening until you reach your target.



4) Reduce stimulants. If you find it difficult to get to sleep around 10 p.m., try cutting stimulants out of your diet -- particularly caffeine products like coffee, chocolate and black tea -- even in the morning. These take a long time to be eliminated from your body, and their effects can linger into the evening.



5) Quiet your mind. If your body is tired but your mind is active, try meditation or prayer. But don't make it hard work; use a simple and gentle form, such as repetition of a thought or phrase, or just focus on following your breath in and out. Relaxation music is another excellent way to soothe an anxious or active mind. This is the best method for me.;aside from reading.

Not getting enough of a quality sleep at night will depress your immune system. It doesn't cause cancer per se. However, constant sleep deprivation can cause a lot of stresses.among other instances ; like car accidents. And stress is one of the well -documented variable that may lead to cancer.

Answer 2

I was 5'10, 200, and did something similar. Ditch any pills and shakes - your body doesn't need anything synthetic. Replace all that with water. I also suggest lifting if you haven't already. Do that and include some eggs every other day for the protein. Biking is only effective as how hard you bike. If you have a languid pace, you may be wasting your time. It could be no more effective than 15 minutes of decent treadmill work. Oatmeal is good, but work in 100% fiber intake for the day with a lots of water. A gallon at minimum. Do this and you'll hit 35 pounds in a month and a half without it being to hard on your kidneys.

Answer 3

Have you tried just getting up at 7 and staying awake no matter how tired you are. Exercise and caffine can help with staying awake. You should be tired by 11 if you wake up at 7 am. It'll be hard at first but you'll get used to it. Once you get yourself on a set schedule your body will want to wake up at 7 am and sleep at 11.
Exercise really does make one feel like they have more energy, start by taking a brisk walk at least 30 minutes a day. Also follow a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegs, that way you know you are getting plenty of vitamins in your diet, which should help with energy problems.