I know: two posts in one day, madness!
Interestingly I am going to be addressing some of my madness in this post. I have a sleep strategy that I am modifying from my previous strategy. My previous strategy being whatever pills feel right (as prescribed, I'm not that crazy as to overindulge).
I am going to treat sleep as I am treating my current get fit program, that is setting median goals and following them.
For example both of them involve doing a set of exercises first thing when I wake up as an aid to alertness. I enjoy that and it helps me stay active through the day.
My new strategy for sleep centers on the wake up time. In my mind nothing else matters, because my body will crave sleep at a certain time eventually. The overall goal is to need help getting to sleep only 1 in 2 nights. Right now it's every night, and that's awful. I feel sluggish in the morning, and late at night my thoughts race.
Another part is dealing with racing thoughts during the day and not trying to put them away for later. Sooner or later the problems will get solved.
Most important right now is my strategy tonight, which I will try and replicate at least 1 in 7 nights to start. I will not even try to go to sleep before my normal time that I get to sleep. I am either going to go without or do a reduced dose of meds. I am planning a quiet half hour to hour before bed to cycle down. If I can't sleep I'm not going to medicate as my first option, I will continue to try to fall asleep naturally until 4 hours from my wake up time, and if I do need the meds, I will still wake up at my normal time. Routine is my ally. Sleeping in is what is messing me up. I'm not sleeping past 9 am at all, this time of year that's not enough sunlight. 7:15 is my ideal time on weekdays, eventually I'd like to move that back between 6 and 7.
Writing things down helps, and this is pretty much always my first line of defense against losing my thoughts.
Interestingly I am going to be addressing some of my madness in this post. I have a sleep strategy that I am modifying from my previous strategy. My previous strategy being whatever pills feel right (as prescribed, I'm not that crazy as to overindulge).
I am going to treat sleep as I am treating my current get fit program, that is setting median goals and following them.
For example both of them involve doing a set of exercises first thing when I wake up as an aid to alertness. I enjoy that and it helps me stay active through the day.
My new strategy for sleep centers on the wake up time. In my mind nothing else matters, because my body will crave sleep at a certain time eventually. The overall goal is to need help getting to sleep only 1 in 2 nights. Right now it's every night, and that's awful. I feel sluggish in the morning, and late at night my thoughts race.
Another part is dealing with racing thoughts during the day and not trying to put them away for later. Sooner or later the problems will get solved.
Most important right now is my strategy tonight, which I will try and replicate at least 1 in 7 nights to start. I will not even try to go to sleep before my normal time that I get to sleep. I am either going to go without or do a reduced dose of meds. I am planning a quiet half hour to hour before bed to cycle down. If I can't sleep I'm not going to medicate as my first option, I will continue to try to fall asleep naturally until 4 hours from my wake up time, and if I do need the meds, I will still wake up at my normal time. Routine is my ally. Sleeping in is what is messing me up. I'm not sleeping past 9 am at all, this time of year that's not enough sunlight. 7:15 is my ideal time on weekdays, eventually I'd like to move that back between 6 and 7.
Writing things down helps, and this is pretty much always my first line of defense against losing my thoughts.
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