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_flbt

I could write an essay about my battle with sleep. I'm in my 30's and I finally think it's solved.

Sleeping meds, sleep studies, CBT-I, you name it - I've done it.

My ultimate solution ended up being:

- Earplugs

- Exercise

- Waking up the same time every single day, no matter how late I stay up. CBT-I had me wake up at 6:30 am every morning, and go to bed at 1 am. After a week of exhaustion, I started falling asleep like a rock. Then my therapist gradually had me go to sleep earlier and earlier until my time-to-sleep was still short and I had few awakenings during the night, but felt refreshed the next day. Turned out to be just around 6.5 hours a night

- No coffee after 3 pm

There are still nights where I have an active mind and have trouble sleeping, but I'll just let it happen without constantly worrying "oh no, I'm not gonna get ___ hours of sleep tonight". Because the minute you try to force yourself to sleep, it's over.

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I've also had persistent sleep problems over the years. Tried pretty much every behavioral approach (including the ones you've listed), as well as melatonin, marijuana, anti-histamines.

Those things maybe helped to an extent, but they contributed to an overall attitude that sleep was something I could _induce_ if only I did the right things, took the right pills, exercised at the right times, avoided the wrong things.

The thing that really seemed to begin to improve my sleep pattern was meditation. Gradually I've become more comfortable with not falling asleep quickly, which has the funny effect of often allowing the mind to fall sleep quicker. I still follow the conventional behavioral advice, but I think reframing my attitude towards sleep via meditation/mindfulness was really the most important step for me.

As if it was some sort of a neat evolutionary filter to weed out those that are too self-aware (judging by sleep awareness).

Earplugs are my #1 life changer when it comes to sleep. I found these really soft ones that don't really get in the way when you're lying on one ear, they filter pretty much all of the sound and when I take them out the next day, my ears don't hurt. As it turns out my wife's breathing kept me kind of awake, and traffic sounds too. And now that I got used to it, thanks to the associativity of the brain, these days I fall asleep within 10 minutes of putting them in. Most of the time, anyway. Sometimes I do need sleep meds to just tip me over into actual sleep. But if there's one thing I can recommend to other people is to spend some time to really find your own suitable ear plugs. I'm just lucky my wife is ok with it, she doesn't have these sleeping problems and is on stanby for if our boy might wake up in the night... Which almost never happens.

Could you tell me which earplugs you use and how you went about finding the right ones?

I use the foam earplugs from Quies.

https://www.quies.com/product/foam-earplugs/

I'm in the Netherlands - these are the right ones for me:

https://www.bol.com/nl/p/get-plugged-sleep-plugs-7-paar-oord...

I just chose the pair that dampened the most and irritated the least. These are extremely soft so it's not annoying to lie on one ear. But when they're decompressed they filter so much that the only sound I still hear are my breathing, and my long time friend mister Tinnitus. (I can distinguish 8 or 9 tones and pitches so my tinnitus is really heavy I guess)

I use one pair for about 1 or 2 weeks depending on how much wax is released from my ears. If the plugs get too waxy, I replace the plugs.

These aren't cheap, but they are the best imo.

I searched for years for the right fit in earplugs, purchasing perhaps a dozen types along the way. In hindsight I would suggest purchasing a variety pack. I think it would have saved me a lot of time and money.

Something like: http://www.earplugstore.com/foearpltrpa2.html

My personal favorites: 3M E-A-R Classic Soft Earplugs

I have tried about 10 different kinds and the ones that work best for me -- by about a mile -- are the 3M 1100 [1].

They have a light coating that makes them "stick" just a little bit in the ear (but not uncomfortably). This closes sound gaps that exist with other plugs and makes them way more effective.

[1] http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_EU/PPE_SafetySoluti...

I'm using earplugs to sleep (and to focus) for more than 25 years now. For a long time I've used the Quies Natural Wax earplugs. Some years ago I switched to Oropax Classic earplugs. Both are made of natural wax. Wax earplugs are easy to fit in your ear and don't press against your inner ear like foam earplugs. Oropax earplugs are a bit bigger than Quies, so they don't just seal your inner ear canal but also a small part of your auricle, providing an extra buffer against sound while still being comfortable.

Easy enough, the right ones are the custom molds earplugs, plugs made from and for your ear canal.

They're not cheap but they fit snugly and tight, plus they last a long time. I got mine from a recommendation from a sound tech frien. There are different kinds with filters, for example to remove the bang from a gunshot or filter out snoring but not the alarm clock or the full plug to cancel all sounds.

While taking the print for the molds I experienced total silence for the first time and enjoyed the slight tinnitus I never noticed I had.

Earplugs are a must if I am sleeping on an airplane. When I use them in bed, they always end up falling out during the night.

This seems very similar to my current trajectory, though my "therapy" consisted of flying around the world to visit family back home once a year (EU->AU). I found that while the jet lag would wear off after a few days, my sleep regimen would reset itself quite wonderfully and my usual 2-3 hours of laying in bed waiting to sleep would be reduced to 30 mins or less.

I am similarly sensitive to caffeine and also bought some rather pricey but comfy earplugs to silence my other half's incessant and irritating need to breathe.

While my current life circumstances don't allow for it, I am looking forward to the near future when I can sleep in my own room again, in a house quiet enough to not need ear plugs, and with a regular enough working schedule to make the routine easier (plus wearing me out a bit more each day).

Mine is

- Good sleeping mask that doesn't press on my eyeballs

- Good earplugs

- Not doing anything crazy for a few hours before sleep

- No coffee/caffeine if possible

Does the timing of exercise seem to make a difference? Also, how do you wake up at the same time daily? If you use earplugs, how would you use an alarm?

No food in the hours before bedtime is something I practice in addition to this list.

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