Ask HN: How can I fix my sleep schedule? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How can I fix my sleep schedule?

2 pointswhitepoplar13 comments

I've had trouble getting to sleep at a reasonable hour my entire life. Lately, I go to sleep at ~3:00am and wake up at ~9:45am. I'd like to get 8+ hours of sleep and go to bed before midnight, but after countless attempts, my body always reverts back to this ~3:00am sleep schedule. I've tried everything: melatonin, not eating past 6pm, reducing caffeine intake, regular exercise, but none of it seems to have a lasting effect.

To anyone who has had a less-than-desirable sleep schedule, how did you fix it?

Thanks!

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I have the same problem. Except that I get my 8 hours. I get enough sleep but I'm missing out on a lot of morning activities with other people. My problem is that I won't go to bed until I'm sleepy. I always feel like I'm missing out if I go to bed earlier than I have to so I wait until I can't function anymore. That's usually 2 or 3 in the morning.

Funny you write about your situation since I'm working on my ,hopefully, solution. I've tried some of the same things as you but I go back to the same routine. I've decided to get rid of all distractions in my room. No TV, no phones and even a clock. I have an echo that I can ask the time if I need it. No caffeine for now. A book to read. I'm also blocking out all natural light in my room and replacing it with a lamp the mimics sunrise and sunsets.

We'll see how it works. My plan is to get to bed by 10 and up by 6:30 or such everyday. So I will start to get ready an hour earlier. Saturday and Sundays too. I've also added a daily stroll at 7 am so I don't feel like I'm getting up early for nothing. I think that part of the fix is making sure to stick to a routine and not deviate. Since I'm bound to fall back to my old routine over time. I hope it works.

Maybe you can get some ideas from my solution.

The thing I’ve had the best luck with was going to the gym each morning. I picked a small gym they did group classes, and sign up to go every day in the morning. I don’t miss appointments and if I have a reason to get up, I’m much more likely to go to sleep at a reasonable time. It’s not about the exercise, it’s about having a place to go where someone is expecting me and people will notice if I don’t show up. Also, since it is exercise, if I don’t get enough sleep I’ll pay for it.

Getting up early to do stuff at home that I could, in theory, do after work never did it for me. I find it much easier to break promises to myself than to others.

Without a reason to wake up in the mornings I’d be up until 5 and 6am. It’s a real problem. Back in high school I would always stay up until 3am. After college I worked 3rd shift for several years and that just made things a lot worse. I won’t realize how bad I screwed up my sleep until the birds start chirping or the sun comes up.

I thought that my attempts were countless, but when I actually had to fix it due to a psychological disorder, persistence and body scan method made their job in just a week or so.

Also tried melatonin, mostly out of curiosity - it clearly sedates, but doesn’t make me sleep. Tried common recipes like food, light, bed regimes, exercise, etc. Didn’t make a notable difference. I think these are for people with a mild or a specific type of insomnia/lag or maybe with a completely unhealthy habit.

Right temperature helped, good air too. Less stress helped, specifically I learned to say “fuck all that” at the end of the workday and to not bring it home. Not moving in bed after finding a comfortable position helped. (If you have to, move very slowly, that doesn’t “reset” the process).

When I want to not revert to 3 am, I just don’t. Everyday a reminder reminds me to go sleep and I do. My rhythms align in a couple months, but hacks work as well.

Have you considered that this might actually be a diagnosable disorder? I’ve previously had a colleague with delayed sleep phase disorder[1] and we were able to do things like shifting team standup to first thing after lunch, which allowed them to arrive at work at 12:30, then work through to 20:30. Really wasn’t any different to working with people in different time zones, just requires some thought about how you approach it.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder

Is your bedroom a sanctuary? A calming space without major distractions. No clutter, trash or junk? Make it neat. Keep it clean. Well ventilated and quiet. Provide reading material by the bedside. Soothing, low volume music. Dark with low level task lighting. Set yourself up for success. Keep the bedtime schedule NO MATTER WHAT. If you can't sleep, read, until you fall asleep. Give yourself plenty of time to allow this to work.

Navy sleep technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ7N7ngLu1A

I have been recently diagnosed with anxiety disorder. I didn’t believe I was stressed or that I was a nervous person, I don’t have schizophrenia or any TOC, but I definitely do have anxiety disorders.

Is there anything bothering you? For me, I don’t have any recurring thoughts, but muscle twitching is very intense and stressful, especially when trying to sleep. I am taking benzodiazepines now, and it seems to be helping massively, but it is up for the doctor to decide this.

Jocko Willink (Navy Seal) has a lot to say about this. He gets up at 4.30am but that might be unrealistic, at least to start with. :)

I think the trick is to commit to get up at a certain time, say 6.30am with no excuses.

Stay up till 3am if you want, but once that alarm goes at 6.30, don't snooze, just get up. Also don't take a nap during the day.

Eventually your body will tell you to hit the sack at 11pm.

Also what are you doing from 11pm to 3am? Video games or netflix maybe?

It sounds extreme, but maybe get someone to set parental controls (so you don't know the password) on your router so it turns your internet off at 10:30pm.

Then you'll probably be forced to read for 0.5 hour (ideally in bed), which will knock you out.

Jocko mastered will (alternatively, is a synth). Mere mortals will have hard time to “Just do it. No matter what. It’s hard. You ignore that. Discipline comes from the inside”. But as a motivational material he’s great.

> No matter what. It’s hard. You ignore that.

Of course it's hard but do you really think there's another solution? I just tried to get to the point and not sugar coat it. The OP has said they have tried several things but they have failed. I read that as they've tried several things and given up because there wasn't a quick fix and just gone back to doing X that causes Y.

I'm fairly certain the OP knows what the problem is. Others have posted similar responses. No phones/video games, exercise, read book, set a reminder to go to bed. Get up at the same time no matter what. Your rhythms will reset.

One can try and motivate them or understand the root cause (sometimes that can be even harder to solve), but ultimately it comes down to discipline. Most of the time there isn't a magic pill one can take or as something simple as blue screens. Medication/stretching before bedtime to get rid of the stresses of the day, having a good sleeping environment, dim lights etc can all help to a degree.

People will try and sell you stuff that they say will work, but it's mostly BS or something that is only slightly effective and ignoring the obvious solution which they can't sell you anything.

As others have said it's probably because of too much dopamine simulation. As a society we've got used to not being bored.

Have dinner at a reasonable time, then go for a big walk (without listening to podcasts or texting constantly) and making sure no internet after 10pm. Set a reminder to go to the bedroom at 10.30pm, then go read a book in bed.

Bottom line: Get your ass to bed at X and always get up at Y no matter what. :shrug:

Don't do any intense mental stimulation after dinner. For me this is video games, but it is also social media or news.

I also found waking up early to do video games before work has been a quietly profound change. Having a selfish reason to want to wake up earlier makes it easier to go to sleep earlier.

Keeping phones out of the bedroom worked for me. They're a hell of a distraction subconsciously, too.

hm, i’ve read blue light/screen time can mess with a persons sleep schedule (especially right before bed). And exercise is good, but you have to truly get a good sweat in. What’s it you’re doing while staying up till 3am, reading helps too! Something to tire the body and mind out is best! a good nightly routine so the body knows bed time is approaching :).

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