How do I get back on a regular sleep cycle?

[bluestateguy]

I have a job that requires me to teach each afternoon, but otherwise my work schedule is rather flexible. As a result, I am usually on a messed up anti-social sleep schedule. I will regularly wake at 10:30 and go to bed at 4 or 5 or worse. Sometimes my daily sleep allowance is chopped up into two 4-hour segments over a 24 hour period. I have found that when I do manage to break this cycle and be a normal person who wakes up at 7 and goes to bed at 11 or 12, it never lasts. It falls apart and I slip back into a messed up cycle. I am usually in a better mood when I am well-rested and awake early in the morning. How can I get back into a regular sleep cycle, and most of all make it last.

[madmax]

1. Sleep??

What the heck is sleep? I haven't had a good nights sleep in 5 years and I'm one bitchy woman. :evilgrin: I'm lucky to get 4 hours a night 20 minutes here an hour there. It sucks. Anyone have any ideas please post. I've tried Rx sleeping pills - they don't work :(

On edit. I LOVE THAT PIC OF CLARK. droooooooooooooooool :spank:

[Supply Side Jesus]

2. nyquil...lots of nyquil

guarantees sleep every time.

[ronzo]

3. Well, sounds like you have our kind of schedule, but...

If you really want to get back on "real time" the trick is to set that alarm, get up, no naps. You can reset your body clock if you need to.

[this_side_up]

4. along with forcing yourself

to stick to a regular schedule, taking Sonata for 3-4
days would help. Needs a doctor's Rx.

Regular schedule also includes weekends. But I suspect
people can get by with sleeping in for 30-60 minutes.

[punpirate]

5. Well, welcome to the club...

... my sleep has been messed up for decades. It's complicated by the fact that I'm a night person, as well.

I've found, over the years, that I seem to have a 27-hour day when I can't maintain my natural schedule, and that makes maintaining schedule adjustments difficult.

What I generally try to do is use the weekend to move the daily clock forward (I find that fighting to move the clock backwards by denying myself sleep doesn't work well at all). On a Friday, I'll try to stay up until Saturday afternoon, hit the rack and wake up very early Sunday morning, maybe one or two a.m., then stay awake until maybe nine p.m. Sunday. That get's me eight hours' worth of sleep by 5 a.m. Monday morning. From that point on, it's a matter of not getting overly wired, or stuck in front of the computer to absurd hours of the night. Some exercise also helps--a two-mile walk two or three hours before a desired bedtime works wonders.

One can't discount one's natural schedule, either. I define a "natural schedule" as one that one can regularly maintain without an alarm clock and feel good. I had one summer between semesters teaching full-time that I couldn't find a summer job, and I quickly fell into schedule which was comfortable to me--fell asleep at 4 a.m., woke at noon. Same amount of sleep as most people, but shifted by a few hours. Felt fine, never needed an alarm clock.

If you feel better in the morning, then you're probably a bit stressed and not getting to sleep early enough in the evening. I'd suggest a schedule adjustment as above, but pounding feet of the pavement for a couple of miles in the evening to get rid of the cumulative stress that's keeping you up past your normal and desired bedtime.

Cheers.

[politicat]

6. A light alarm clock....

Sounds like you have an internal clock that is set for a 25 or 26 hour day (you move forward....).

I have that kind of clock too (which my mother says is just proof that I'm actually half alien, but then again, she believes that Erich von Daniken crap about alien-god visitors.....) so I invested in a light clock when I was in college. Oddly enough, there are a lot of people with extended circadian rhythms. What you have to do is make sure you get up at the same time every day no matter what, and do so in the most non-intrusive way possible.

There are several models on the market - they are not cheap. What they do is simulate sunrise, but at the same time every day. Set the clock for, say, 7 am and at about 6:30 it starts lighting up - very faintly until by 7, it is really bright and the whole room is lighted.

There are also ones that do the same thing with sound, gradually wake you with a comfortable sound that goes from pianissimo to fortissimo in 20 minutes or so.... I like NPR in the mornings, so those would drive me nutty.

Regular alarm clocks will work, but they are intrusive in the sleep cycle, and may make things worse for you by breaking in to stage IV (very deep) or REM sleep. Waking suddenly from IV or REM will make you feel groggy. Gradual waking prevents that.

Good luck!

Politicat

[Piperay]

7. If you figure a way to do it

I would sure love to know. I have been on a messed up cycle for about five years now and no matter how hard I try I can't get straightened out. I stay up till 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning and then sleep until 2:00-2:30, it all started thanks to some rotten neighbors (to involved story to go into) but I can't seem to get back to decent hours. This awful sleep cycle is ruining my life because I never can get out to do anything early enough. :argh: "Anti-social" is a good name for it because it is hard to get out and mix with people when you spend the biggest part of the day sleeping or if you don't being to tired to get yourself together. :-(

[Rhiannon12866]

8. Melatonin can be used to reset your biological clock

I have used it as a sleep aid and found it really works. My doctor originally recommended it and said I should take no more than 10 mg per day. I would start out with a lower dose. It is particularly useful for jet lag, as well.:-)

[yellowdawgdem]

9. natural night owl

I'm most comfortable being up until dawn, and then sleeping until around 3. But have found that it is not that hard getting on a regular night sleeping schedule, by going swimming or doing some type of hard exercise in the evening. then taking melatonin if needed. but the exercise works for me.

[whirlygigspin]

10. St John's wart

can reset your circadian rhythm.
http://www.passersbuy.com/healthproducts/st.john'swort.html

or light
http://www.rockefeller.edu/pubinfo/light.nr.html
http://www.sunnexbiotech.com/noframes/biological.html

sleep well!