For some the key issue seems to be timing Maybe they dont get sleepy at the right times or maybe theyre just entrenched in bad habits Regardless they end up getting to sleep in the early morning when they need to be up early or only get tired in the afternoon when they need to be working When your sleep timing is all wrong it can feel like your body is against you
If youre in that situation the key thing to remember is that you can change your situation If you do the right things you can completely reset your sleep schedule allowing you to sleep better and feel significantly more refreshed Heres how you can get it done
Identify any medical issues holding you back
If theres a medical reason why youre sleeping poorly nothing you do beyond that will solve the problem so you need to look into the possibility For instance theres a mutation involving the MTHFR gene that can render someone incapable of naturally producing enough of vital folate called l methylfolate This issue often results in anxiety and depression making it extremely hard for the sufferer to achieve the level of calm needed for good sleep
The good thing about that issue is that it can be treated through supplementation heres some more information so you neednt simply cope with the problem The same can be said about most other issues that can affect sleep Even if you cant simply fix the issue with one medical treatment theres something you can do to make things better and the first step is getting checked out to see whats happening with you
Work on a productive pre bedtime ritual
What do you do before you try to sleep If youre watching TV in a well lit room shortly before you go to bed thats a problem Sleep cues can be overwhelmed and distorted by lights in the room Similarly exercising intensely before bed can cause problems In ideal circumstances you should have a relaxation period leading into sleep You could read with a weakly lit e reader for instance or simply lie down and listen to low level music
It wont be easy to make the change but once you have the ritual in place youll start to go through it without even thinking about it Its all about making a commitment to your long term health Sacrifice the hours using electronic devices in the evening and youll soon find that youre sleeping better and feeling better as a result
Implement a consistent wake up time
You cant guarantee when youll get to sleep but you can use whatever combination of alarms you need to determine when you wake up here are some good tips And while it will make you feel worse to begin with its really important to prevent yourself from getting the additional sleep you need by sleeping later and allowing your sleep window to lurch ahead
If you just cant seem to make progress with this because you cant sleep at the right time and end up sleeping through all your alarms you may want to try forcing the issue by skipping a nights sleep Resist the urge to take a nap and stay awake until you reach your target bedtime then get to bed as swiftly as possible Youll still be tired if you get eight hours of sleep but if you can hold out until the same time the next night you can settle into a healthy pattern
Get help from a professional
Lastly while the steps weve looked at here should definitely help they may not be enough to get you the great sleep schedule you want so remember that you can always ask for help Getting a sleep consultation might be exactly what you need to unpack your sleep related problems and come up with a comprehensive plan of action Its an investment worth making
