ASU2003

I know my sleeping habits are not the best. I try to get as much as possible done throughout the day. And things have been getting worse since I got this huge 37" LCD computer monitor that is very bright. It is like it is always daylight out, and it has created a problem with my sleep cycle. The internet hasn't helped me get a lot of sleep either, I am on-line well into the night, partly because I am awake and can't sleep. When I traveled for work, I was able to get away from it all. The time I went to sleep was around 11pm/midnight each night. But, I was also on the pacific time zone instead of the eastern one.

What can I do to get something resembling normal sleeping habits?

Ch'i

Turn off the computer, and get in bed at 11 pm. Do this consistently even if you aren't falling asleep at first. Your body doesn't really know what time you want to sleep anymore. In order to fix your internal clock you have to adjust your habits, and eventually you'll pass out when the time comes.

I know how you feel; there isn't enough time during the day.

Sage

I've been there! You are not alone!

You can totally do this, it just takes willpower on your part.

Firstly, decide you're going to get a better sleep cycle. You have to WANT this, or it's not going to work.

First day, set your alarm one hour early. Stand up out of bed and take five deep breaths (more oxygen makes your brain more awake. Go take a shower (it will really help wake you up), don't forget that the toilet brush is NOT a loofa. Get dressed and go eat breakfast. Or something. Go take a walk. Whatever. Do something ACTIVE- NO internet, NO TV!

Now.. I don't remember if you're still in school or not, but whatever. Keep yourself busy during the day. Don't let yourself get bored and start to zone out. Eat breakfast (this is important for starting your metabolism in the morning and keeping your sugar levels constant) even if it's just something like half a bagel with cream cheese (no doughnuts!). Don't eat a super heavy lunch- it will cause your sugar levels to get wonky and plus your body will be using all it's available energy for digestion (thus the 3pm tiredness). Eat a good dinner, and go for a walk afterwards (this helps with proper digestion).

Now, here comes the hard part. Try, for one day, to go without internet. This day, this first day of sleeping better, no internet. Turn the computer OFF. Take the power cord and leave it in your car if you have to, but cut the damned thing OFF. Go read a book, bang your girlfriend, whatever. Go to bed when you feel tired. I've found that staying up late looking at the computer actually creates an artificial kind of awakeness- I'm actually tired but for whatever reason when I'm at the computer I don't feel like it. So, no computer for you.

The next day, get up one hour early again. Rinse, repeat. By getting up one hour early AND STICKING WITH IT you're starting to break the cycle of being drowsy in the morning by really resisting being awake. Don't resist waking up- just roll with it. It gets easier.

About the computer thing- just remember that it does have an OFF button. You won't miss anything earth shaking by not going online. Go take up a new hobby... stamp collecting, model rockets, whatever. Find something else to occupy your time.

For me, what helped with my off sleep cycles was dedication to the cause. Getting up early, committing to being awake early, increased daily activity, drinking more water, not eating huge meals right before going to bed, that sort of thing. Eventually I found that I'd be tired around midnight instead of around 3-4am like before.

One more thing- yeah, most people need 8 hours of sleep, but make sure that the level of sleep you're getting is good for you. For me, I need about 7-7.5, and once I get anything over about 8.5 hours I feel wonky from oversleeping. Remember, the more regular your sleep patterns are, the more regular they become, and the better you feel. It's INSANE how much better you feel when your sleep cycles are regular and right for you and your body.

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Min

I have always had this same problem. Even in childhood, I would begin to flag about mid-afternoon. Nap or no nap, I seem to come alive after midnight. I do have to make a very distinct point to go to bed at a specific time thought I still have to rely on energy drinks and/or coffee to get me going.

ngdawg

One of the main reasons we get tired between the hours of two and four pm(most do) is lunch.
If you are eating a sandwich and having a soda, or maybe some pasta and a coke-you'll find yourself feeling sleepy about 2 hours later. The reason is the carbo loading is wearing off.
In addition to the sound advice of making a regular sleep schedule, switch your carbo-heavy meals to more veggie-based or meat based; salads, for example and no soda or breads. Try fruits for breakfast or eggs.
Get fresh air during lunch; take outdoor breaks whenever possible.
Some countries have a tradition of midday breaks(siestas, etc) because of that slump. It's certainly not unusual, but can be lessened.

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Plaid13

Maybe... its time to consider working the night shift. Personaly i have always gotten tired during the day dosnt matter when i sleep. At night i wake up and im wide awake untill late morning. if i try to sleep at night i wake up a dozen times a night and have all sorts of trouble sleeping. if i try to sleep during the day i sleep a whole lot better. I dunno why but thats just how its always worked for me. Its much easier to fall asleep at 10am then 10pm.

But what everyone else has said is true too. If your busy and active you wont be as tired. Exercise and eating are also really important. But thats true in everything. if your in good health just from getting exercise and eating right everything will work out better.

Min

Now, my present schedule allows for a form of nap at that time, occassionally. I still find myself wired and awake after midnight. *shrugs* I guess it's just my body clock.

newtx

If you are a college student the answer is obvious. Otherwise it is either lack of sleep or too heavy a meal at lunch.

ASU2003

I wish I could work second shift, but that isn't an option right now. I had the same sleep problems at college though. There I could take a nap or two during the two hour break I had sometimes.

I know that the internet is the main problem. TiVo has fixed the problem of me staying up late in order to watch a TV show. But the internet is different. Should I only visit TFP during the weekends? The secondary issue might be allergies causing problems with breathing when I am asleep, and I am doing things to fix that (allergy shots, Benadryl some nights to make me tired and open my nose, and cleaning my bedroom more often.)

I find that when I sleep 8-10 hours, it doesn't matter what I eat for lunch. But when I sleep for less than 6, unless I eat small snacks throughout the afternoon, I will get tired.

And I need to figure out how to do less stuff. I do have too much to do, and not enough time to do it.

Starkizzer

I remember in a psychology class thay talked about sleeping habits and that some people are larks and others are night owls. For larks, when it gets dark the thing in your brain that produce the chemical that makes you sleepy is triggered. For night owls it does not work this way. Im definately a night owl, always have been im soo much more awake at night. I can be exhausted all day long barely able to stay awake and bam soon as its dark I'm wide awake.

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Paradise Lost

For me, I end up staying up way too late because the night seems to almost refresh me. I get too bored with everyone falling asleep, and I usually have my windows open, and the night just calls to me. Plus, I never find it a problem staying up late if you're still getting the right amount of sleep. During the summer I went to bed just about every single day without exception at 3 or 4 am, and woke up at 11 or 12 am. Got my 8 hours of sleep, and was only drowsy in the day if I didn't do anything. If I went to work (4 pm - 10pm/11pm), I could usually fly through the day without a problem.

If you really want to fix though, I'd wholeheartedly recommend Sage's advise. Especially be active, you'll end up going right back to bed in the early morning if you don't.

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ASU2003

I wouldn't have a problem with it if I could sleep until 11 or 12 either. That is what I do on the weekends.

The problem is I have to get up at 7am (but I usually oversleep until 8 or 8:30am). And when you only get 2-5 hours a sleep each night, it adds up.

The last few days it has been getting a little better, so I'll see how much improvement I can do in the next few weeks.

shesus

I agree that diet has a lot to do with sleepiness too. If you aren't eating healthy or eating a lot of carbs you will feel more lathargic.

Of course, I'm typically always sleepy and have tried a lot of things to fix that. I've changed my diet, exercise, change routines, tried more sleeep, less sleep..you name it I've probably tried it. Haven't had much luck, so I've accepted that I will fall asleep at any given time and feel sleepy for most of the day. Of course, if anyone has any other ideas, I would entertain them. I will enjoy the day I can actually stay awake through a movie or concert.

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cudaboy

I am also a night owl. I have tried the routine that was suggested and for me it really didn't work. I could be up at 6 am for 2 weeks in a row be faling asleep at 6 pm. But i'll wake up at midnight and be wide awake. I have even tried the stay awake for 24hrs thing just to flop my internal time clock and it didn't work. I just gave in and found a 2nd shift job

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ASU2003

I think I found out why I was getting tired in the afternoon. During some days in the summer months I would take this Tylenol Allergy Complete in the morning. I didn't think that it would cause drowsiness, but I guess I was wrong. I got exactly the same number of hours of sleep during the weekdays last week, but on Tuesday, I took that medicine at 9:30am. From 2:00pm-4:00pm, I really wanted to go to sleep.

Sun Tzu

Basic rhythms follow certain facets of physiological cycles, though they may include others, and the details may vary depending on the source. The three classical cycles of biorhythms are endogenous infradian rhythms. The theory's basis lies in physiological and emotional cycles. They are often represented graphically as either symmetric or asymmetric waveforms, though most theories rely on symmetric forms. The most commonly used form is the sinusoidal waveform, which is thought to be a plausible representation of a bioelectric activity cycle. Due to this sinusoidal nature, the cyclical flow of bioelectric activity undergoes periodic reverses in direction. Each cycle oscillates between a positive phase [0%..100%] and a negative phase [-100%..0%], during which bioelectric activity strengthens and weakens. The waveforms start, in most theories, at the neutral baseline (0%) at the time of birth of each individual. Each day that the waveform again crosses this baseline is dubbed a critical day, which means that tasks in the domain of the cycle are supposed to be far more difficult to carry out successfully than on other non-critical days. The purpose of mapping the biorhythmic cycles is to enable the calculation of critical days for performing or avoiding various activities.
The classical definition (derivatives of the original theory exist) states that one's birth is an unfavorable circumstantial event, as is the day about 58 years later when the three cycles are again synchronised at their minimum values. According to the classical definition, the theory is assumed to apply only to humans. In the classical theory, the value of each cycle can be calculated at any given time in the life of an individual, and there are web sites that do exactly that




SKEPTICAL OUTLOOK

The theory of biorhythms is a pseudoscientific theory that claims our daily lives are significantly affected by rhythmic cycles overlooked by scientists who study biological rhythms. Biochronometry is the scientific study of rhythmicity and biological cycles or "clocks," such as the circadian (from the Latin circa and dia; literally, "about a day"). Circadian rhythms are based upon such things as our sensitivity to light and darkness, which is related to our sleep/wakefulness patterns. Biorhythms is not based upon the scientific study of biological organisms. The cycles of biorhythm theory did not originate in scientific study, nor have they been supported by anything resembling a scientific study. The theory has been around for over one hundred years and there has yet to be a scientific journal that has published a single article supporting the theory. There have been some three dozen studies supporting biorhythm theory but all of them have suffered from methodological and statistical errors (Hines, 1998). An examination of some 134 biorhythm studies found that the theory is not valid (Hines, 1998). It is empirically testable and has been shown to be false. Terence Hines believes that this fact implies that biorhythm theory "can not properly be termed a pseudoscientific theory." However, when the advocates of an empirically testable theory refuse to give up the theory in the face of overwhelming evidence against it, it seems reasonable to call the theory pseudoscientific. For, in fact, the adherents to such a theory have declared by their behavior that there is nothing that could falsify it, yet they continue to claim the theory is scientific.

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