Ask HN: What helped you sleep better? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What helped you sleep better?

22 pointskcindric47 comments

What habits, gadgets or lack of helped you sleep better? As I heal from my chronic mental problems (CPTSD) I notice more and more how sleep affects my emotional stability, anxiety levels and productivity. I ditched alcohol, try to have a regular sleep schedule and lowered my caffeine intake especially in the second part of the day.

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CPAP has made a difference. In fact, not only does it help my sleep but I think it helps allergies as well, IE: the air filtration helps avoid my previous morning allergy attack as I coughed and sneezed out all the junk that had accumulated in my sinuses during the night. Also - it must be doing something for me, because for the first time in my life I awaken before my alarm clock and I feel rested.

When I'm going to the gym regularly / having sufficient physical activity, I noticed that I slept better as well. Not from exhaustion, but simply a more restful sleep.

As I age... cutting coffee and sugars earlier in the day. As others have said, alcohol can keep you up all night burning through those sugars.

Regularity in sleep matters too. We stayed up too late last night watching movies and even though I was exhausted, I didn't sleep restfully. Better to go to sleep at a regular time and awaken at a normal time too. If your schedule is flexible, there's a lot to be said for letting your body awaken when it is ready rather than by alarm clock.

Unless you have something clearly medical going on, I'm not personally keen on the various supplements or drugs.

One other thought - now that I have my cpap, I don't find myself needing to nap in the afternoons quite so much. That said, I think there is a lot to be said for siesta and for understanding the seasons. It's darn hot where I am right now, and the smart thing to do is basically get up early with the sun and work while it is still cool, then nap in the afternoons while it is so hot. Seasons definitely have an impact on sleep.

edit: I also think there's something to be said for eating in moderation. Big meals might temporarily make you want to fall asleep, but then you've got all that energy to burn and you wake up in the middle of the night. Or, it gives you heartburn, etc and wakes you up. Or you find yourself having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

For me it's pretty much down to this:

1) Consistent exercise

2) Eating reasonably healthy

3) Avoid blue light after dark as much as possible

4) No eating after 8pm (water and herbal tea are fine).

5) No problem solving after 8pm

6) No caffeine after 3pm. (I usually have a couple of cups of tea in the morning)

Basically I feel like my body needs to be physically tired and well fed to need sleep, and then it needs to be warned in advance that the day is over and we're winding down: stop eating, stop working, use lights that don't mimic daylight (including screen if possible) but instead mimic candle/firelight.

5) is surely impossible if you have the sort of brain that makes you a good software engineer...

It's possible if you unplug from work and don't sit in front of a screen in the evening.

I can't be the only software engineer whose brain is constantly trying to solve problems, regardless of where I'm sitting...

Yes, but that is something you can change with practice. It's going to be hard at first though.

I've been trying for the last 30 years or so (don't really remember it being an issue until after early teenagerdom). When does it get easier?

Keeping the temperature of the bedroom cold made a big difference for me.

I’ve been listening to audiobooks and podcasts for years and that helped better than not, but turning the radiator off and ensuring the bedroom was cold meant the vast majority of nights meant I went from listening at least an hour a night to often falling asleep within 15mins or less.

I had read Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker and I highly recommend it. Changed my attitude completely - it’s now higher priority.

Got very bad sleep and tried lots of stuff for many years with varying results.

Ditching alcohol is definitely a good idea. At least don't drink too much and too soon before sleep (e.g. lunch is ok)

Eat lightly in the evening, avoiding fatty/hard to digest stuff (meat, cheese...). Preferably long before sleep.

For me, caffeine has an adverse effect even at very low doses in the morning. Looks like the effect lasts several days. I need to stop caffeine for 1-2 weeks before I notice a real improvement. This means I often give up and start having coffee again.

Exercise is also weird: running generally makes me sleep badly, probably because too intense on a cardio level. Biking seems better but I don't like/do it much. Swimming works wonders for me (but needs to be intense enough to feel tired)

Watching TV before bed not a good idea. Avoid thrillers/violent stuff and reduce the brightness of your screen. The default settings are often very bright.

Tried a lot of supplements but not sure anything really helped. Maybe magnesium did, for a while. Some plant based supplements were awful for me (ashwaganda, etcholtzia, rhodiola, and others) I now avoid them all. Herbal tea makes me wanna pee in the middle of the night.

Trying to have a regular sleep schedule isn't enough, I find. Routine is so important that this needs to be more of a priority.

If you can get your routine down well enough, your body will get into a natural rhythm.

I haven't even used an alarm clock in I don't know how many years. Now that I have a routine my body just knows when to wake up and when to sleep.

Honarable mentions: Audiobooks, Sleep Masks / Blackout Curtains

Eating 3 meals a day: Oatmeal for breakfast, something warm for lunch, then bread in the evening. Going outside for a run before I shower and sleep. Quitting caffeine and getting off the internet in the evenings too. Quitting my high stress job and getting one where I don't have to worry as much.

I very recently solved my sleep problems which had been bothering me for a couple of years.

   1. I cut my caffeine intake to zero. 
   2. I forced myself to sleep at about the same time each night. (most important)
   3. I stopped using alarms. I wake up when I need to.
   4. I wear a sleeping mask which helps me get an hour more of sleep. Otherwise I'd be awake at the first lights of dawn.

Once your circadian rhythm is retuned, points 1 and 2 stop being so important. I no longer have trouble sleeping if I drink a cup of coffee. And if I go to sleep late once or twice, it does not ruin my sleeping for the rest of the week.

Getting sun every day. It's remarkable how much a difference it makes in causing me to feel tired at night.

Went through a period of bad insomnia, anxiety etc.

Best things for me were: 1) Exercise but not too close to bed time 2) Sleep meditations on the Insight Timer app 3) Making sure I don't get too hot in the night. 4) Very dark room 5) Headphones/ear plugs to block out sensitivity to every little noise 6) No coffee or alcohol 7) Only relaxing books/shows before bed

First off training. The harder, the better. Find a way to incorporate some basic training training in your daily life (I am cycling to work now, 8.5km ride back and and 8.5km forth translates to 400km per month, which is pretty cool)

Second, totally dark room and a dawn simulating alarm clock to wake up gently.

I also found out that there are scents that help getting asleep, but still have to try them.

I stopped smoking weed. This made me tired earlier, causing me to sleep better. It was crazy because I tricked my mind for years it was the weed that made me sleep, while in fact it was the opposite. I also stopped drinking coffee after dinner as I used to do and go out more on (long) walks. This all in all made me feel a lot better and brighter.

Black out blinds, velcro ones not expensive.

Cold room, the book "why we sleep" recommends 17 to 17.5 degrees Celsius. Wear socks if feet get cold.

Stopped all caffeine intake.

Mediation in bed before sleep (though for some people they find it harder to sleep after meditation).

Out of all of these it's blackout blinds and cold room that helps me the most.

Audiobook (the less exciting the better) with a 30 minute timer and sleepbuds (flat earphones, so you can lie on them comfortably regardless of your head position).

Also recommended: try and stick to a regular sleep and wake time, the earlier the better.

What sleepbuds do you recommend? I'm aware of bose sleepbuds but you can only play audio on them from their library

I wouldn't like to recommend a particular brand as I just have cheap types that are flat earphones in a headband; "sleep phones" seems like the preferred google terminology, sorry. You can get them on eBay or Amazon for under $30 though there are no doubt better quality ones.

Wow! I didn't realize there were so many clever ideas. Thanks.

Honestly, for me, I’ve learned my sleep problem is really an anxiety problem, so working on that gets me the most bang for the buck, by far (through therapy and being mindful, decreasing stress).

I occasionally suffer from bad sleep and wonky sleep schedule. I have tried melatonin and it has helped sometimes but I don't want to rely on something like that for achieving better sleep.

The best results I have achieved when seeking better sleep is good nutrition, not eating too close to bed, and exercise. Simple as that but thankfully I'm otherwise healthy person. On top of that, I every once in a while do yoga nidra if I happen to not be able to sleep with quite good results at least personally.

Drugs.

Did all the sleep hygiene stuff and supplements, even a bit of self-taught CBT. It's not useless - it most definitely makes a difference. But when push comes to shove, only drugs really help. The question becomes: what can I safely take for many years, which works well enough. I'm currently ok with microdoses of mirtazapine (under 1mg). And I'm testing doxepin (~5mg). To note, my main issue is terminal/maintenance insomnia, not falling asleep.

Not sharing a mattress with my partner. We have two queen mattresses next to each other. Keeping the temp at 65F. No eating after 6. No slow digesting stuff for dinner.

This one can be hard to broach with your partner, for intimacy reasons, but I think the switch benefitted us both.

Known a few people who also kept spare bed (sometimes in same room) for occasional use. For example, if one partner is sick, if one has to sleep early for early departure, etc.

I find Valerian and chamomile tea help. Also turning off & moving my phone into another room to stop me checking it helps. I signal to my brain that it's time to sleep. I get racing thoughts, but that usually subsides after about an hour. If the thoughts are overly intrusive, I take notes, since they could be useful ideas to execute on in the morning.

- l-theanine especially, it improves sleep quality and reduces sleep fragmentation, with no downsides whatsoever and other positive effects (look up theanine and GABA)

- magnesium helps some people but I already take a lot of it and am replete so I can’t tell the difference

- sufficient physical activity (i.e. 10k steps or equivalent)

- well-designed sleep mask that leaves room around the eyes

Blackout curtains. I and I imagine, most people, are sensitive to light. Blackout curtains prevent light from reaching your eyes, resulting in your getting more sleep.

Eyemasks are also effective, but (1) you have to tolerate having something on your face and (2) they can get dislodged while you are sleeping, rendering them ineffective.

I'm currently living single, and I definitely found that only using natural light helps immensely. I don't even turn on the lights after 9pm ish and just see by street light barely coming in the windows. It actually works great. Makes me feel more connected to the physical world also.

Avoiding stress for about 3 years.

I started taking a Zyrtec every night and set up an air purifier. I think allergies were preventing me from getting a good night's rest and since doing these two things I've had a noticeable improvement in my sleep quality.

I need very little sleep ( 4-5 hours daily).

I have more time now and I do sports more because of that. I noticed it makes me sleep 1 hour more to recover.

And yes, my mood is better too.

Ps. Because of sports, i almost don't drink anything but water/milk.

That’s what I thought as well. But actually the 5 hours were just masking my real need to sleep which revealed itself after an extended time off.

This is what I do:

Zero caffeinated drinks. See a sleep doctor at least once a year.

Night routine: Ear plugs. Night eye mask. Mouth guard. zzzquil If I do not feel sleepy by designates sleep time. I budget 9h for sleep.

Not taking naps (even <30 min naps) and strenuous exercise.

Also taking a shower before going to bed, no screen time, light reading before bed, and not drinking water ~2 hours before bed.

- no coffee after lunch - replace all sugary drinks with water - replace sweets with nuts and fruits - exercise or at least go for a walk

I use a low-dose of melatonin 1mg and I break it in half. I also have been trying melatonin skin cream which seems to do the trick also.

CPAP

Not necessarily in this order:

Exercise, cutting caffeine to basically 0, f.lux to control blue light at night, eye mask, ear plugs.

Things that didn't work for me:

* not eating late

* meditation

Stopping the tracking of my sleep cycles helped as well as yoga in the morning

Exercise and some meditation practice.

Melatonin. Started with 5mg and now on 10mg.

I used to read a LOT of politics/news before sleep. No more of that!

Standing floor fan from Amazon for white noise.

No caffeine after 12pm.

For me it was the coffee. I had to quit. I was surprised how hard it was! Currently I'm at 1 tablespoon (I think 100mg) mixed in decaf with my french press. In addition to that my doctor suggested Ashwagandha and Holy Basil. I also use a weighted blanket. I'm a fan of a big pillow under my legs. Regular sleep schedule. Elon Musk suggested tilting your bed and not eating 4 hours before going to bed, that might help as well.

But I'm 90% sure cutting the caffine was the magic bullet.

Closing my eyes was a gamechanger.

Benadryl

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