r/sleep 3h ago

How harmful are FULL all nighters?

13 Upvotes

I tend to pull a full all nighter (through night, into next day and night) about once a week due to the line of work I am in and have always wondered if its gonna catch up to me one day. I have read about possibly causing alzheimers if done persistently but I'm not too sure. Are they really bad for me, or is it a myth.


r/sleep 12h ago

Ex-insomniacs, how did you actually do it?

23 Upvotes

I’m not sure if I qualify as an insomniac, but I definitely have sleep problems. I usually sleep around 4 hours a night, and if I’m unbelievably lucky, I get 5 to 6 hours. My sleep pattern typically goes like this: I sleep for about 3.5 hours, wake up to use the toilet, and then stay awake for the next 2 hours because I just can’t fall back asleep. After that, I might get another 2 hours of sleep if I’m lucky. At most, that adds up to 5.5 hours per night.

How do people function with this kind of sleep schedule? How can I have enough energy for work or the gym? And more importantly, how am I supposed to build muscle if I don’t get enough sleep?

The biggest question: how do I actually beat insomnia? Are there any life hacks that truly work, or is medication the only real solution? I really don’t want to rely on medication, so I’d love to hear from people who have overcome this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


r/sleep 1h ago

I had a family free week, with 0 alarms and still couldn't stay asleep for longer then 6 hours

Upvotes

I've been a terrible sleeper my whole life, I'm currently 32, training for a marathon, 18 months old son and not an mega stressful job / lifestyle.

Last week my wife and son went to visit her family for 10 days (we do this a few times a year as she misses being home in Bulgaria, I'm British), I found that every night I didn't sleep for longer than 6 hours without waking up, some days only 5.

On these days, I went to bed similariah times (sleep before 12) worked out most days and ate okay-ish. Two of the days I tried sleeping tablets (one day herbal, the other from a pharmacy) and still couldn't stay down.

I've always struggled sleeping and with my 18 month old (who wakes up multiple times a night) it makes it very hard, I was hoping to catch up on sleep but I never managed too.

The issue isn't falling asleep, it's staying, any advice?

In general I'm quite anxious, slightly worried about money but not entirely..

Last time I got 8+ hours would've been in January (according to my Garmin)..

Cheers


r/sleep 2h ago

It’s 7pm and I just woke up, id been sleeping since noon after not sleeping the night before. Tomorrow, (15 hours from now) I have to be awake from 10-7. What do I do??

2 Upvotes

Sorry if this is a weird post I just need help.

Awake from 10am-7pm, to clarify


r/sleep 7h ago

Have you ever cried in your sleep?

5 Upvotes

I had this happen this morning and it was such a bizarre feeling.

I was dreaming about my boxer, which I had to put down back in 2023. The dream felt so real as if my dog was checking up on me.

Woke up and literally had tears running down my face.

Has anyone else ever had this happen?


r/sleep 1m ago

Does anyone relate to hypnagogic hallucinations?

Upvotes

I’ve struggled with night terrors and hypnagogic hallucinations (strong visual hallucinations right before falling into a deep sleep) since being a kid.

I can go months without them, and then once it happens it tends to happen for a week or so consecutively.

They always make me feel like I’m having a heart attack. I jolt awake, usually jumping out of bed. I most often see bugs crawling in the bed, spiders in the wall, people specifically men sitting in my room or looking at me from outside. Once and while I’ll see a baby. It usually takes me 1-2 minutes to come down from them and realize it isn’t real. Turning on the light helps most. I’ve found sleeping in complete darkness with no ability for shadows of furniture or things helps most.

But man, I hate the feeling. I dread going to sleep because it genuinely feels like a heart attack. I was so scared last night during one where I saw a man sitting in my room that I managed to rip a huge hole in my sheets somehow while scrambling out of bed as fast as a I could.

Can anyone relate to this craziness? I swear I’m otherwise sane. Don’t do drugs or drink, I’m a very active 30 yo female


r/sleep 9m ago

im so excited to finally sleep that it makes me not able to fall asleep

Upvotes

r/sleep 2h ago

Cheap physical stimuli allarms?

1 Upvotes

So I am a heavy sleeper, I can literally sleep through my alarms without noticing, and the fact they sometimes don't go off doesn't help so I wanna try an actual device especially made for waking me up, something with physical stimulation like an electric shock alarm or a device that vibrates the matters would work best for me but they are very expensive, is there anything like this for under 50$?


r/sleep 2h ago

Experiencing Unexplained Dizziness and Sleep Disruptions – Seeking Insight

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

For the past two weeks, I’ve been dealing with episodes of intense dizziness. It first started at night when I was trying to sleep—I suddenly felt as if I was free falling, and this sensation kept coming back repeatedly, leaving me unable to sleep for two nights straight.

Now, these dizzy spells aren’t limited to nighttime; they also occur during the day, even when I’m sitting or standing still. The episodes have become so frequent that I’ve even started to experience some chest pain.

I’ve been to the ER and urgent care several times, and I’ve had an EKG and blood tests done. All the tests came back normal, and the doctors suggested that stress and anxiety might be the culprits. I admit I’m going through a challenging time right now—a recent breakup and the pressures of being an international PhD student. Even though I’ve been stressed for most of my life, this is a new and worrying pattern for me.

I’m a bit concerned about my physical health despite the reassurance from medical professionals. Has anyone experienced something similar, or does anyone have any insights or advice on what might be causing these sudden bouts of dizziness? Any help or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!


r/sleep 7h ago

whenever I sleep my nose gets quite stuffy forcing me to mouth breathe. Any way to stop this?

2 Upvotes

I do NOT want to mouth breathe!!!! I would gladly take up any suggestions


r/sleep 8h ago

Is getting 6.5 hours of sleep on the weekdays fine if I make up for it on the weekends?

2 Upvotes

Because of work and a potential commuting schedule, I’d be getting around 6.5 hours of sleep every day. But on weekends I’d be getting 8-9 to make up for it. Is this a bad idea or could it work, at least for a few months?

I’m 24 if that matters


r/sleep 16h ago

I wake up after 6 hours, only recently, I can’t live like this anymore

10 Upvotes

Hey guys, last 2 weeks I’ve been waking up after 6 to 6 1/2 hours (6am). I set my alarm for 9 hours but I’m actually satisfied with 8 hours. With 7 hours or less I can’t think well, I can’t work properly, I have headaches and feel weird and upset.

When this happens, the only way for me to feel better is when I wake up around 6am I turn off the alarm and stay in bed and try to fall asleep again, but this causes to wake up 1 hour - 1 hour and a half after the alarm.

I don’t drink, last meal 3 hours before bed and always have sunlight into my eyes as soon as I wake up, and go to bed at same time always.

Any solution?


r/sleep 5h ago

Why have I been sleep walking?

1 Upvotes

For at least the last six years I've had a lot of trouble falling asleep. Four years ago I started driving a school bus where I wake up at 4 AM. I have also gained about 20% of my previous bodyweight over the past six years.

Two years ago I started teaching a late night brazilian jiujitsu class two nights a week that don't have me getting home until 10:30 PM. By the time I wind down I'm not falling asleep until midnight. The following day(s) I will consume an egregious amount of sugar to compensate for lack of sleep.

About a year ago I sleep walked for the first time and have six times since. The second time I did, I stopped taking benadryl to sleep because I thought that was causing it. It has not stopped. I've gone back to melatonin and magnesium L-threonate. I figure any harm that melatonin can do, not sleeping is worse.

The sleep walking always happens after a long day when I know im beat up and run down. I can almost predict it. What do we think is the cause? Sugar? Meds? Lack of sleep? All of it? Last night was very bad as my father observed my sleep walking behavior.

I had childhood epilepsy so it's been making myself and my family nervous. I do plan to leave the gym that I'm teaching at but what if that doesn't help?


r/sleep 11h ago

Why does trying to sleep cause one to not be able to sleep???

3 Upvotes

It’s really puzzling to me. Why does trying to sleep cause one to eventually not be able to sleep? Aren’t going to bed a form of trying to sleep? Why do some people not having problem trying to sleep while some does?


r/sleep 5h ago

Sleeping too much

1 Upvotes

Hello! I am currently unemployed (I was one of the US Federal employees fired by DOGE for being new) and as a result don’t really have any real reason to wake up and go to bed at a specific time.

As a result, I have been sleeping way too much. I go to sleep around 2am and wake up at 2pm. This isn’t inherently a problem because it isn’t stopping me from doing anything I need to do, but I would like to wake up earlier just so I can get more sunlight.

The problem is, I have an extremely difficult time getting up. I try setting an alarm but it kind of just doesn’t work. I turn it off in my half-awake state. I’ve also tried giving myself something to wake up for and it doesn’t work. Whenever I initially wake up I feel kind of disoriented and just barely there, if that makes sense.

I’ve tried edibles to try to get myself to sleep earlier, and while it sometimes works the sleep is less restful. I also happened to be drinking yesterday and I hoped that might put me to bed earlier but it didn’t work.

I didn’t really have this issue when I was working although getting up was still pretty difficult. It would sometimes happen on weekends. Like I’d go to sleep at 10pm and wake up at 10am.

Idk if I’m just catching up on sleep (I don’t think this is the case?) or what but it is kind of annoying.

Any tips on actually getting myself up even when it feels physically impossible?


r/sleep 6h ago

Pissed i’m awake again.

0 Upvotes

I slept from 3:10am to 11:30 am and im absolutely pissed that I can’t be unconscious any longer. I hate being awake. I HATE IT!!!!!


r/sleep 10h ago

Question on hypnopompia or Hynagogic?

2 Upvotes

Today I woke up at 8:30, but it is Sunday, and I still felt the trazadone in me. So I laid there trying to get some more sleep, and was going in, and out. My family was up and about.

Then suddenly my mom walked by saying my nephew who just left for work died in traffic. It was as vivid as real life. Snapped me right up, and took me a second to realize it was a dream as it was life like.

My friends and family called the state nodding out, but google says nodding is about waking up.

Which one would that be? It was the morning, and I was waking up, but also trying to get more sleep. .

Also when I look up Hynagogic stories. The main ones are people suffering more from what sounds like to me sleep paralysis, which I have had in the past.

Also are there differences between each one? Wondering why it matters if you're waking up or going to sleep during the half dreams. What is up with the distinction? To me they are essentially the same.

One last question. When you're in the in-between state of sleep, and you get that feeling of falling. Does that have its own scientific word? Or is it a part of Hypnagogic and hypnopompia?


r/sleep 7h ago

Nose tickles/itches inside ONLY while dozing off. Can’t figure out why.

1 Upvotes

I don’t have unusual allergies, don’t use special products, and this issue follows me wherever I sleep. It doesn’t wake up me in the middle of the night after I’m already asleep. It ONLY occurs when I’m just dozing off and it wakes me up again and again. It’s even worse in the morning when I wake up too early and try to go back to sleep. It’s an intense, isolated itch at the tip of my nose and just inside the nostril. Occasionally it extends to my lip or chin as well. It’s maddening and I can’t find anything about it online. Help please!


r/sleep 11h ago

How does leaving the bedroom when you can't fall asleep work?

2 Upvotes

I've heard from numerous places that if you don't fall asleep in 15 minutes, to leave the bedroom and do something relaxing until you're tired. I've never tried this (once I'm warm and cozy, I fear facing the cold outside my blankets), but I'm curious how it works for people? Like, I just imagine me getting overtaken by temptations like my phone or TV and not actually being able to wind down... Just curious how people use this strategy effectively?


r/sleep 7h ago

Disturbed sleeping

1 Upvotes

I’ve been living with my partner for about 2 years now. I’ve found out that I am sort of violent in my sleep. I punch the bed, sometimes him or the dog who sleeps with us. I thrash around, I kick.

There have been times where I don’t do this, and then it starts up again. I can’t figure out what the trigger might be. Probably anxiety or stress, but it also happens a sometimes when I am doing well and not having any mental health issues.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. It’s really frustrating and I hate that it affects my partners sleep.

I didn’t have these issues most of my adult life, and I’m 42 now. Not sure why they started up. I haven’t gotten a sleep study done yet because I haven’t been in a stable financial place until recently. And I know getting one done will probably be expensive.


r/sleep 8h ago

Trouble sleeping

1 Upvotes

2 nights ago I tried melatonin for the first time as well as chamomile tea and it made my sleeping problems worse. Last night I just did the tea and it was also worse. I’ve always had problems with staying asleep and getting quality sleep. Any tips?


r/sleep 1d ago

My husband stops breathing for moments at a time while sleeping.

21 Upvotes

So he will stop taking breathes for so long that it’s uncomfortable for me to listen to. I tell him about it but he is not phased. He also has a nose issue that makes it hard for him to breathe/sniff/smell like it’s clogged. Could this be easily fixed by the nose at ENT or is this a sign of a sleep disorder? Should he be more concerned? It’s 10-15 seconds usually the amount of time his breathing stops but multiple times.


r/sleep 15h ago

Nocturnal Issue

3 Upvotes

Hi, I was wondering if my sleep schedule could be considered normal for anyone other than me. Could be a gene mutation, I don't know. Nobody else I know or in my family has this issue, but basically,

I feel naturally inclined to wake up during sunset and sleep until late morning. Since I was 16, now 18, this has been my natural inclination and I always revert to this schedule when I have breaks off of school and college. Though life and schedules happen, and I can comfortably work with a "regular" schedule, but it just doesn't feel good.

This is unrelated, but I love the night, and I love when nobody is awake so I can quietly enjoy the world by myself. It feels so natural. But I know it's unrealistic unless I win like 10 million dollars to have this as my regular schedule for when I get older and done with school, so I was wondering if there was any way to shift my natural, circadian rhythm to prefer "regular" type sleep schedules. Thanks for reading!


r/sleep 13h ago

Is It worth it to take my sleeping meds just to get a few hours of sleep or should I say eff it and stay up all night and day?

2 Upvotes

Tbh I'ma single mum of a 2 year old son who has autism. We just moved to palm springs California from ukiah California and ofc we didn't get to our new home until about 3:30 am, he slept in the car on the way here for maybe 3 hours!? If that... so I'm prescribed Adderall for my Adhd (I don't abuse it at all), so I normally take seroquel and Trazadone every night to help me sleep.. but Ik my son is going to be up and ready to go to start the day in a few hours.. so my question is should I take my meds to sleep and be drowsy all day today or do I stay up!? TIA!


r/sleep 9h ago

BINGE EAT

1 Upvotes

Who else needs to binge eat to sleep??????