Having Problems Sleeping. Advice?

Opium works great. :wink:

Take a hot shower about 90 minutes before your bed time. This will raise your body temperature temporarily. When it drops (about 90 minutes after your shower), it will be lower than your baseline body temperature. This will cause you and help you to fall asleep faster.

Your body temperature is heavily based on the circadian rhythm (or body clock). Your sleep quality and ability to fall asleep depend on your body temperature rising and falling at the right time.

Why is it so hard sometimes to get up very early in the morning? It’s because this is the time your temperature is lowest. The lower your body temperature, the sleepier you will be.

Most people who exercise have better sleep than people who don’t exercise. Again it’s because it raises the temperature of your body during exercise. This is especially helpful if you exercise in the morning as it will wake you up. Then come night time, your temperature will drop lower compared to a person who doesn’t exercise.

The goal is to have high body temperature during wake hours, and lower body temperature during sleep hours.

People who have trouble sleeping have a “flat line” body temperature that doesn’t rise or fall much.

There is a natural tendency for the body temperature to drop in the late afternoon. That is the perfect time for a nap. This nap will make your night time sleep even more restful. How?
It’s because this afternoon nap will be light (stage 1 or 2 sleep). By spending about 30 minutes in stage 1 or 2 sleep during the afternoon, this will cause you to get deeper sleep (reaching stage 3, 4, and REM, sooner) at night. This is quality sleep.

Keep your afternoon nap less than 45 minutes otherwise, you will reach deep sleep (and your body temperature will drop too low). It is so much harder waking up after a one hour nap, than a 30 minute nap. This wreaks havoc on your circadian rythm too. You don’t want your body temperature dropping too low in the day time.

Get more sunlight (but avoid the sun from 10 am to 2 pm when the sun is too powerful and to prevent skin cancer). More sunlight allows your body temperature to rise higher in the day and drop lower at night.

Also clear your mind when you go to bed. Do not think. If you keep thinking, you are telling your body that it’s not yet time to sleep.

Also avoid doing things in bed like reading or watching TV because if you do, you are associating bedtime with awake time.

The bed is only for two things. Sleep and sex.

All the stuff I said sounds like rubbish, but I tried it and a few friends too and it works.

source:
kacper m. postawski powerfulsleep.com (I pretty much summarized the whole book)

Take a hot shower about 90 minutes before your bed time. This will raise your body temperature temporarily. When it drops (about 90 minutes after your shower), it will be lower than your baseline body temperature. This will cause you and help you to fall asleep faster.

Your body temperature is heavily based on the circadian rhythm (or body clock). Your sleep quality and ability to fall asleep depend on your body temperature rising and falling at the right time.

Why is it so hard sometimes to get up very early in the morning? It’s because this is the time your temperature is lowest. The lower your body temperature, the sleepier you will be.

Most people who exercise have better sleep than people who don’t exercise. Again it’s because it raises the temperature of your body during exercise. This is especially helpful if you exercise in the morning as it will wake you up. Then come night time, your temperature will drop lower compared to a person who doesn’t exercise.

The goal is to have high body temperature during wake hours, and lower body temperature during sleep hours.

People who have trouble sleeping have a “flat line” body temperature that doesn’t rise or fall much.

There is a natural tendency for the body temperature to drop in the late afternoon. That is the perfect time for a nap. This nap will make your night time sleep even more restful. How?
It’s because this afternoon nap will be light (stage 1 or 2 sleep). By spending about 30 minutes in stage 1 or 2 sleep during the afternoon, this will cause you to get deeper sleep (reaching stage 3, 4, and REM, sooner) at night. This is quality sleep.

Keep your afternoon nap less than 45 minutes otherwise, you will reach deep sleep (and your body temperature will drop too low). It is so much harder waking up after a one hour nap, than a 30 minute nap. This wreaks havoc on your circadian rythm too. You don’t want your body temperature dropping too low in the day time.

Get more sunlight (but avoid the sun from 10 am to 2 pm when the sun is too powerful and to prevent skin cancer). More sunlight allows your body temperature to rise higher in the day and drop lower at night.

Also clear your mind when you go to bed. Do not think. If you keep thinking, you are telling your body that it’s not yet time to sleep.

Also avoid doing things in bed like reading or watching TV because if you do, you are associating bedtime with awake time.

The bed is only for two things. Sleep and sex.

All the stuff I said sounds like rubbish, but I tried it and a few friends too and it works.

source:
kacper m. postawski powerfulsleep.com (I pretty much summarized the whole book)

I don’t sleep too well either. I always found the best supplement was a nice and healthy joint, unfortunately I have too much of a life now to smoke any more, but I used to sleep like a log. Not sure it will help you with your bodybuilding goals though :slight_smile:

Smoke some pot… Drug testing?.. Bummer, me too. When the hell is this country going to wake up? ARGGHH…Anyway… Try 2 shots of clear booze, but no more as alcohol is bad for BB,(as is a lack of sleep). Maybe 3mg melatonin. I usually have 2 shots of Grey Goose and 2 generic Benadryls from Costco ($4 for #400 25mg tabs Diphenhydramine HCI).

Thinking about a girl: wack off so you stop thinking about her and can get to sleep. No caffine few hours b4 sleep time. Get rid of any annoying pets, mine died, I miss it, but I do get more sleep and will never get another one.

Don’t forget your pre-bed casine protein shake, (mine in milk or cottage cheese w/fish oil) for night time slow protein. The dairy products also help you sleep.

Are you taking Magnesium?
Have you checked your cortisol and adrenal levels?
have you had your thyroid checked?

Have you tried taking GABA. It is the calming neurotransmitter and may help you relax enough to sleep. I find that a cocktail of GABA,5HTP,Melatonin and L-Theanine helps my mind relax enough to sleep. Then again I work a high stress night shift job so I need all the help I can get.

Ever tried Kava Kava?

ZMA or just magnesium

Sounds like a Growth Hormone problem.

I would get a urinary analysis of growth hormone if possible.

If not, at least a IGF-1 and IGF-BP3