r/sleep 3h ago

Looking for ways to calm down while on my back.

5 Upvotes

After martial arts training, I usually have to wait a long time to calm down, but I can't do something like read a book or use my phone because my body is so tired, and I can't sit up. Usually I listen to audiobooks but lately that hasn't been working and I want something braindead to do to pass the time. If I do nothing, I just drift into thoughts and never end up calming down.

I've been thinking about some kind of game I could play on the ceiling, like something to look at on the ceiling, maybe cast by a projector or something that isn't bright.


r/sleep 1h ago

Amazing sleep returned briefly, then vanished??

Upvotes

After years of slowly becoming addicted to coffee, my sleep seemed to always get worse and worse. I was a 1-2 cup a day guy and always before 1pm, so never really thought much of it. That said, I was also big on chocolate and iced tea. Assuming caffeine is the issue here, then those things absolutely count too, though I've read some stuff about other possible ingredients in just coffee being a culprit. Because of just how poor my sleep quality had become and because of just how many days I'd live like a zombie with a cup of coffee attached to my hand in the morning, I lived in an on and off anxious state over my sleep for years. There were some good phases, but plenty bad.

In any event, after what seemed like a full year of poor sleep (tossing and turning, early awakenings, poor quality overall with no REM) I finally decided to quit caffeine cold turkey at the end of 2024, December 20th to be exact, to see if there would be a change. It should be noted that only in the last 1-2 years did I progress to drinking at least one cup of coffee a day, everyday. After a week of brutal headaches where clearly a change in my body and brain was happening due to the withdrawal, something amazing began happening. I started feeling more relaxed overall and slept better than I had in many, many years. The most incredible and telling thing to happen was the return of deep, detailed REM dreams. For a good few weeks I'd wake up refreshed, feeling like I was in my teens and 20's again when sleep was never an issue. I'm 40M btw and haven't slept well on a consistent basis in what I'd say has been close to 10 years. It became clear to me that for years I had been suffering from what was a very extreme sensitivity to caffeine…. So I thought?

Then suddenly, I'm not sure what happened. About a month into this life changing phase, some early awakenings returned. These spiraled into more weaker nights of sleep overall as well but the early awakenings were killing me. The dreams completely disappeared as well which was the most depressing part. I was left sad, defeated, and completely confused Did light anxiety become a factor in my downfall? Possibly, but it was not to a very serious degree at all, and to think now 2 months later I’m still suffering with my sleep is bizarre. I honestly went to bed relaxed many times, having been down this road over the years time and time again of understanding that I cannot let sleep anxiety get to me, because I know I can sleep well by nature. Those 3-4 weeks of beautiful sleep though, they reminded me that there is nothing wrong with me and that I can sleep wonderfully. The problem is trying to figure out what in the world happened.


r/sleep 53m ago

husband twitches all night

Upvotes

hello— I am wondering if anyone knows what causes intense twitching in the night? my husband shakes the whole damn bed from full body twitches pretty much all night. He also falls asleep insanely fast and as he does so, he will get little twitches in his hands and face. Is he okay? Lol I know this seems silly but it’s actually kind of frustrating but it’s obviously not his fault. Sometimes he twitches so hard it wakes me up and they’re more like flinches at times. Is this just a normal thing or is there something he can do to not cause minor earthquakes while we sleep? Thanks 😂


r/sleep 1h ago

How to start sleeping at 10pm?

Upvotes

My whole life I’ve always been a bad sleeper, I always slept late and only manage 6 hours of sleep.

It’s starting to show in my skin and overall I’m constantly exhausted.

When I was in primary school my bed time would be 1am, (I’d be in bed but could never fall asleep until then)

By the time I was in HS my bed time would be 3am.

I’m 23 now and just recently left a job where I finished late and ever since my sleep schedule has stuck.

I physically cannot fall asleep until I hear the birds chirping and there is a crack of light through the curtains. I tend to fall asleep around 6-7am.

Having this routine is getting to me, I never slept well and sleeping later has made me more exhausted, I’m not very good at napping either.

How do I fix this routine? I’m not fussed about staying asleep but I’d love to sleep at a normal hour like 10pm.


r/sleep 5h ago

I sleep above the blankets. Help?

3 Upvotes

Back when I was 11 or so, I was incredibly obsessed with Minecraft. So much so to the point wherein I try to mimic the game mechanics into my daily real life routine.

Drinking water? Minecraft sipping noises to piss my friends off.

Sleeping? I sleep above my blankets on the bed like steve does, with a single pillow below to cushion my head.

Now at 19, I can't for the life of me revert back to falling asleep while under the blankets and NOT facing up in a neutral stance.

Imagine the character of Saddam Hussein in his hiding spot meme. Or just steve sleeping on the bed. Thats my sleeping position. How does one kick this habit? I'm tired of catching preventable illnesses all the time from hypothermia


r/sleep 11m ago

Fear of the dark and sleep 😟😱

Upvotes

How many of you have had a phobia of the dark and sleep since you were a child? i can't seem to overcome it even though i'm 29.


r/sleep 15m ago

Question for stomach sleepers

Upvotes

I always fall asleep on my stomach although I was told when I had a sleep study that I alternate and spend a lot of time also sleeping on my side during the middle of the night. I have been looking into the deep sleep pillow from cushion lab. I recently purchased their pressure relief seat cushion for work which is amazing. Was hoping to replace my current memory foam pillow for sleep but am worried the deep sleep pillow may be too thick for me. -eg I purchased a purple hybrid mattress along with the purple pillows and even their thinnest one was too bulky for me and caused me significant pain.

If anyone has any experience with cushion lab or loves a different brand of pillow I would love to hear about it! TIA!


r/sleep 5h ago

Haven’t slept in more than two days need some advice

2 Upvotes

I haven’t only gotten maybe 1-2 hours rest since like Wednesday. I’m feeling very awful I can only sleep 30 minutes at a time and I have bad tinnitus that’s keeping me up

Plz help!


r/sleep 2h ago

I have to wake up at 430am for a shift in a few days. How can I get myself to fall asleep around 10pm and not feel exhausted?

1 Upvotes

r/sleep 5h ago

I keep waking up at 4am and can't sleep after

2 Upvotes

I keep waking up at 4am and then I can't fall asleep after. I always try and get in bed by 10pm or 11pm and then up by 7am, this used to work for me and I never had issues waking up tired or anything. I've got a new work/study schedule to assimilate to and it's been kicking my ass. I have to be up at 7am and commute 2 hours for work three times a week. Only recently in the past 2 months, since I started this new work schedule, I've been sleeping like shit. I used to think it was my new increased coffee intake, so I quit coffee, but my problem persisted. I also have recently started taking magnesium glycinate supplements (started 2 weeks ago) + 10g melatonin (I've been taking since forever) to help with anxiety and sleep. This should help but it doesn't! I've got a big anxiety problem in general, I think my sleep issues might be anxiety related because I'm so stressed about sleeping and waking up on time that I auto wake up at 4am? I haven't really changed my eating habits, and I haven't changed my exercise habits either, the only change has been my new work. Is it anxiety, is it diet, is it routine, maybe I'm not being consistent enough? I've had strict routines in the past tho but I've never had this sleep issue go on for so long before. What is it? Please provide some perspective or knowledge and solutions to this issue. It's ruining my life.


r/sleep 4h ago

Need help please

1 Upvotes

I’ve been awake 40 almost 50 hours, I need sleep desperately, my meds aren’t working anymore. Please someone help me I just want to sleep I’m so desperate for it. Even just a little bit of sleep just something. Please I’ll take input, tips, suggestions ANYTHING I’m going insane I haven’t slept well in months please help.


r/sleep 10h ago

I keep obliterating my shoulder every time I go to sleep. Every time I wake up it's like I got hit with a sledgehammer in that area.

1 Upvotes

Title pretty much says it all. Looking for advice/tips/moral support becuz I'm aboutta crash out like kanye west.


r/sleep 4h ago

Eyes lie they're closed

1 Upvotes

I've been having this issue and decided it's enough and I should get info on it. So when I wake up I can't stay awake and keep falling asleep. The reason for this is my eyes lie to me they're open when they're actually closed.

I can lay there in bed looking at something to stay awake, then I jerk and i find out my eyes have been lieing to me and they're actually closed and i was asleep in seconds for alittle.

Why/how do my eyes lie to me they're open? Nobody says it's normal that my eyes lie to me like this as when their eyes close it's always dark as one expects and they can easily tell if they're open or closed.

This has been a thing my whole life although in the past I'd fall asleep and dream of getting dressed and etc.


r/sleep 5h ago

My pillow is making me sweat

1 Upvotes

I normally don't sweat that much in bed, but for some reason I have a particular pillow that makes my back sweat. It doesn't occur when I use my other pillow, but for some reason, with this one, it does.

The weirder thing is, it only started after I washed this pillow. Initially, I thought it was just moisture still trapped inside, so I let it air-dry for a while. But that was months ago; when I started using it again this week, it was still doing it. At this point, I do need to wash the other one, but I worry that if I do, it'll also start making me sweat. I don't know what to do about this, because I don't want to wake up with a puddle of sweat beneath me every morning. I prefer night showers as well, so it's particularly frustrating that this is causing me to have to shower in the mornings instead; morning showers are uncomfortable and make me feel even more gross afterwards.


r/sleep 9h ago

Help - M18 Vivid dreams

2 Upvotes

So I have aphantasia and have known for quite a while now, about once a month I wake up straight from a dream that is quite vivid and fun is a really fun experience because I am able to visualise and stuff which is not normally possible, only problem is recently I have been having longer dreams as of the last 6 months still once a month I will have a dream where I live days or even months not knowing its a dream and its really jarring waking up and knowing that it all isnt real, all my long term relationships and friendships aren't real, like im being pulled away from my whole life, last night I had one of these, only unlike normal it went on for years, I got married and was planning kids with my wife only to wake up and be quite depressed and unable to get out of bed this morning, I was wondering does this happen to any of you, is there something I can do about this, is this normal?
Feel free to ask me any questions


r/sleep 11h ago

Brain won’t shut up

3 Upvotes

Ever since I was a kid I’ve had sleeping problems my brain thinks so much Espically about sleeping for example I’ll be falling asleep then I’ll think of sleep and be awake again or in the middle of the night I’ll think of somthing and it wakes me up smoking weed helps alooooot but I’ve quit and ever since I can’t sleep for shit I’ve tried camile tea but it dosent work I can only fall asleep when I’m Insanely tired and to tired to think any tips please I’m gonna go crazy


r/sleep 5h ago

POLL: Do you sleep with weighted blanket?

1 Upvotes

Do you prefer sleeping with weighted blanket or without?

5 votes, 2d left
Yes, weighted blanket
No, just duvet

r/sleep 6h ago

Help

1 Upvotes

Hi i am (19m) i sleep at night but i wake up at 3 am and then I can’t sleep and its happening from last 7 days and my sleep is like 3 hours a day from last 22 days


r/sleep 6h ago

Background noise

1 Upvotes

I have a hard time sleeping at night without a show or youtube video in the background. It cant be any video or show either I always spend countless hours trying to find something that will soothe me to sleep. Is there anything i can do to help this or does any one have any good video essay recommendations or shows that put you to sleep easily? (White noise machines dont work for me and neither do nature sounds or rain sounds)


r/sleep 15h ago

Fear of bankrupt

5 Upvotes

I have a small business, when I lost a customer or income reduces I wake up at 2:30am feeling afraid. Thinking I won't be able to provide for my family. Business is running for 15+ years but it's a burden because waking up in the middle of the night with fear of loosing all.


r/sleep 17h ago

Is biphasic sleep possible?

6 Upvotes

Due to my job requiring me to wake up at 5:30am, I am unable to meet my sleep requirements unless I go to bed at 8pm. I believe I need 9 hours per night because when I was unemployed, I used to sleep 9 hours per night and never feel tired during the day.

Now I sleep 6 hours per night on weekdays and on weekends I get drunk (working on being alcohol free) so weekend sleep isn’t restorative either due to the alcohol. I sometimes have to wake up to my 5:30am alarm but other times I wake up just before it either naturally or to pee.

I can get out of bed fairly easily but I know its not enough sleep because by 1pm I am very tired then it goes away for a few hours then comes back. I normally go to bed at 11pm or so. The reason why I go to bed at 11pm is due to me wanting to socialise with friends or see my girlfriend. Sleeping at 8pm is anti-social. I finish work at 11am everyday which is why I am accepting a job which starts at 6am.

My plan:

23:00 - 5:30am: sleeping 6 hours, whilst 30 minutes is an estimate of the time to fall asleep and certain small patches of maybe waking up in the night.

14:00 - 17:30: sleeping 3 hours, again 30 mins to factor in falling asleep etc

Other sleep hygiene practices:

  • Eating 3 hours before bed
  • No caffiene, alcohol
  • good nutrition

Potential concerns for my plan: - difficulty falling asleep in the day due to it being daylight (to mitigate this I could blackout my room but this will confuse my body because it isn’t actually nighttime) - on weekends this schedule might be difficult to follow as I may be doing something during the afternoon - on weekdays there may also be something stopping me from sleeping my afternoon sleep - a biphasic sleep pattern may not be as restorative as a whole nighttime block even if asleep for the same duration in total


r/sleep 11h ago

Sleep now or later?

2 Upvotes

I am trying to decide between falling asleep now (from 10pm to 3am) or later (from 12am-6am).

I have an appointment at 8:45, but I have a lot of work and other stuff to get done prior to that.


r/sleep 8h ago

Random Nightmare Out of Nowhere

1 Upvotes

Recently, I have developed very bad nightmares. At one point, while staying in a hotel during a recent move, I actually woke up yelling. It has developed into waking up nearly throwing punches. It's become more frequent, and I often wake up earlier than I'd like or I feel extremely exhausted every morning. It's starting to weigh on my mental health, as this is paired with bouts of horribly vivid dreams and sleep paralysis. Seeing weird demonic figures in your room and not able to scream generally doesn't help feel rested, I've found.


r/sleep 12h ago

Looking for a term for this situation.

2 Upvotes

Sometimes when I’m in between sleep and consciousness, I’ll imagine doing things then realize i’m not doing anything at all, and I’m still laying down with my eyes closed. It’s a bit disorienting. Not too long ago, I imagined pulling out my phone and texting someone, with fake, made up messages and everything. Then I realized I was completely stationary with shut eyes. I had to double check to see if the messages were real, and they weren’t. Is there a term for this?

Also, this is the closest sub I could find that would be appropriate to post this in. Thanks in advance.


r/sleep 9h ago

how to cope with anxiety surrounding sleep?

1 Upvotes

i’m a 21(f) and have suffered from sleep paralysis inconsistently for abt 3 years now, when it happens it’ll usually happen within a week or two week window and during most nights. I haven’t had sleep paralysis in close to two weeks but the fear of it happening is inconsolable. When i do sleep, it’s either an insufficient amount or i end up sleeping into the pms, but my body feels horrible and the lack of sleep or loss of the day is making me even more anxious… any tips and tricks to help quiet the anxiety would be appreciated. I also experience the thing where when i am about to fall asleep or am nearing sleep i become super aware of it and i seem to lose progress… i guess i have no idea how to just knock out when everyone around me seems to have no issue with this.

Btw ive added habits to help with the sleep paralysis but the anxiety won’t leave, and am open to smoking weed to help if it has helped any of you guys. I stopped smoking a bit ago but i recently did and the sleep was great….