do the insomnia challenge

But I didn’t find the challenge that helpful, just notes and info I’d heard before…maybe it just wasn’t the right time for me, hate to be such a sour puss…oh well.

so you can save them, if you like the idea. They are more or less the same from the challenge, but all together and in a much more concise form. I didn’t write them; they are from Tickle.com. You can read them at the end of the Do you get enough sleep? quiz. However, tou have to join to take the quiz, and while the result will obviously vary, the tips are the same for everyone. So, to save you the trouble, here they are:

Sleep hygiene

Do you get up and go to bed at the same time each day?
Routine is the main ingredient for a good night’s sleep. If you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day (even on weekends) your body will begin to anticipate your sleeping schedule. You’ll find yourself getting sleepy right around bedtime, and waking up effortlessly in the morning. You might even begin to wake up before your alarm.

How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
How much sleep should you get a night? There is no standard answer to this question. Most people average about 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night. But sleep requirements vary from person to person. What works for one person might not work for another. Your optimal sleep time is the amount that leaves you feeling rested and alert all day long. Find your optimal time by altering your sleep time in 30 minute increments, and tracking your performance the following day.

Do you exercise regularly?
Regular exercise is a great way to improve the quality of your sleep. Exercise aids sleep by reducing stress, increasing oxygen consumption, and improving circulation. Studies have shown that individuals who walk more than six blocks per day have 1/3 fewer sleep disturbances than people who walk less. When those blocks are walked briskly, sleep disturbances are reduced by half.

Do you exercise within one hour of going to bed?
Mid-afternoon exercise can improve your sleep, but exercising right before bed gets your energy up and may throw off your normal sleeping patterns. It’s best to avoid engaging in strenuous activities late in the evening or night. Try to get your daily exercise in at least three hours before bedtime.

Describe your room temperature.
If your room is too hot or too cold, you aren’t going to sleep well. Cold hands and feet equal a poor night’s sleep, so it’s best to keep warm. But don’t keep things too toasty. Studies have shown that a slight drop in body temperature near bedtime can help induce sleep. A cool room and a warm blanket are your best bet for a good night’s sleep.

Sound and light levels.
Usually, a dark, quiet room is most conducive to sleep, but preferences may vary. Some people might be afraid of the dark. Others might find certain noises and sounds comforting. Experiment with sound and light levels to find the combination that is best for you.

Do you read, watch TV, or work in bed?
It is a good idea to use your bed only for sleep and other intimate activities. Using your bed solely for these two tasks gets you into a groove, bolsters your sleeping patterns, and helps you fall asleep faster. Working, watching TV and, to a lesser extent, reading in bed can confuse your body and break the stride of your sleeping routine. When you get under the covers, your brain won’t know if it’s supposed to wake-up or shut down.

Do you often eat dinner less than hour before bedtime?
It’s not easy to fall asleep on an empty stomach. If you’re hungry right before bed, a light snack is a good idea. A large meal, however, will probably keep you tossing and turning all night. Dairy products and turkey contain tryptophan, a natural sleep-inducer. A half sandwich and a glass of milk are a good prescription for sound sleeping.

Do you smoke?
Nicotine, like caffeine, is a stimulant that can make it difficult to fall asleep. Nicotine may also be linked to problems waking up. If you are a chronic smoker, nicotine cravings in the middle of the night may cause you to sleep fitfully. Quitting smoking may cause more sleep problems at first, but your sleep will improve in the long run.

Nightcap before bed.
Alcohol consumed at bedtime might help you fall asleep faster, but studies have shown that alcohol consumed within an hour of bedtime actually disrupts your sleep later in the night. You may sleep fitfully, wake from dreams, and have trouble falling back asleep.

and I have mixed feelings about it. It’s always worth it to do something to have better sleep quality, but I had hoped the challenge would suit me better. Not sleeping beside my perpetually snoring husband has already done wonders, but there are some other things I still need to improve and that will require a lot of discipline from me.
The information in the challenge was too scattered for me, so I’m going to write an entry with summarized tips that I hope will reach everybody on the team.

By the way, I’m still on my break, but I wanted to get back to you all because I started this. But I’m not really here, you didn’t see me…. :)

but it wasn`t as helpful as i had hoped. I did get some useful tips, for instance about not going to bed before I actually feel tired. I do often go to bed because it`s getting late, even though I don`t really feel tired, and that doesn`t help. And I got some reminders of things I knew before but hadn`t thought about for a while.
Quite a lot of the advise wasn`t that useful though, some of it didn`t apply to me (things like advise for parents and for people working night shifts) and some of it is quite impossible for me to do (like taking a nap before 4 pm, I`m at work then. Or making sure to be exposed to daylight in the mornings, that requires actual daylight in the mornings, clearly not advise meant for norwegians in November.)

sorry.

So I am going to drop out of this. I do believe I’ve learned some good things, but I cannot keep up with this right now unfortunately. Good luck to everybody else!

but I find quite a lot of the advise is hard to follow. For instance, the advise from last week about making sure to expose oneself to more early morning sunlight. Now that sort of requires an environment where there is some early morning sunlight. Not the case in Norway in november. Or todays advise about taking a nap or some time to close my eyes and relax, but only before 4 pm. At that time I`m usually in the office. There is no place here to go take a nap. And I have large windows between my office and the hall and other offices, everyone can see everyone elses offices, and me closing my eyes and listening to music for 15 minutes in the middle of office hours would seem strange.

from 43 things. I’ll keep with this challenge, because it’s really important to me – I just won’t be posting about it anytime soon.
Best of luck, everyone :)

...but I have a cold, so I feel excused.
From this week: I need more exercise and more social interaction (I don’t even remember the last time I saw a friend).
On the other hand, at least I don’t drink alcohol nor caffeine. I should work on getting more exposure to light first thing in the morning.

I was waiting for it; I knew it would come up, sooner or later: EXERCISE. Well, I’ll have to do something about it.

I was sleeping better for most of the last week. Then, on Sunday night I went to bed and… the last time I looked at the clock (yes, I know, one should’nt, but I was curious) it was 4am. I feel so grumpy…