Put the smart phone out of reach.
Put the smart phone out of reach.
So this has worked for me, even if it seems a bit woowoo. Visualize yourself at the top of a circular staircase at night, no lights, start descending each step into the darkness. Like at the top of a castle tower. This assumes everything mentioned above has already been done.
This is a good example of telling you what you already know. The “technique” doesn’t even start until halfway through the video. It’s an indicator that he is just regurgitating the same nonsense.
Sleep advice is almost always obvious, and obviously useless. Like don’t worry about things. Or try to go to sleep earlier.
One thing that improves thing for me is to stay up later. If you’re only going to sleep 5hrs, it’s better to start at midnight. Falling asleep at 8:30 is always a debacle for insomnia. Sometimes you can titrate that to longer in your favor. If you can’t you can’t.
The effects of blue light and melatonin are small to non existent.
A loud sound/white noise machine.
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First, the science is not that clear.
Blue light may not be as disruptive to our sleep patterns as originally thought -- ScienceDaily
Which isn’t to say it’s right or wrong. Just another set of inconclusive and subtle lab rat experiments.
Second it’s trendy and has become a big industry. Akin to the weight loss industry.
Third, melatonin pills are a first try (and should be) but don’t work for many people. That it is an important hormone for diurnal cycles is clear, that oral melatonin pills often don’t solve sleep problems is not.
So, my conclusion is these are small to nonexistent factors in why you don’t sleep well.
On the other hand, Ambien works unambiguously well, although it is a controlled substance and not without problems.
I’m seconding BC’s statement. The blue light thing is discounted by the people who fall asleep with the TV on or looking at their phones. I know several of them personally.
The original recommendation for melatonin is to use it to reset your sleep cycle, particularly after time zone changes. It was never intended to be a sleep assist for insomnia.
I think that makes their effect a bit more than small to non-existent. They work very well for many people. I use Ambien but it's also not a great choice. Doses high enough to keep people asleep through the night have a high risk of impairment in the morning. (There are pharmacists who are SSCs who I'm sure can provide much better commentary).
The research on *blue* light is unclear. Why would blue light be different than any other light? On the other hand, the research about artificial light in general seems to be pretty extensive.
Humans Used to Sleep in Two Shifts, And Maybe We Should Do It Again
In any event, mobile devices provide an inordinate amount of light across a wide spectrum of colors and it seems almost unimaginable that their use at night *wouldn't* interfere with sleep patterns.