[Tart Cherry Jam]

Look at any webpage giving sleep advice and this stuff will be there. I find it irritating, as a person for whom this is not enough.

Maybe I have not worked hard enough at establishing them.

OK, I observe some sleep hygiene rules:

- I sleep in the bedroom. I do not watch big screen there. I do not have my computer there. The computer is in the second bedroom which I use as an office. I do however use my phone in the bedroom. How bad is that?

- It is dark in my bedroom.

- My bedroom window is always open.

- I am fairly consistent with bedtime, with some deviations of course (staying late cost me dearly next day).

- I listen to quiet stories to fall asleep. I stopped listening to detective stories since they were activating to me and at times even scary.


But that is about it. I do not have an evolved bedtime ritual. How about you? What have you tried and what is working well if anything?

[MuddyBoots]

I used to put a lot of time and energy into a bedtime ritual and sleep hygiene. Journaling, 20 minutes of a calming yoga sequence followed by some meditation, listening to calming music, drinking sleepytime tea, brushing my teeth, getting in some comfy jammies, spraying my pillow with lavender or peppermint oils. I've tried the weighted blankets and the stuffed animals and the melatonin and the kava kava.

I still slept/sleep 4 hours tops.

Now I just kinda say "screw it" and sleep whenever I can, wherever I can. If that's a couple hours on a couch at a friend's house, well, if I'm at their house they know me well enough to know I sleep weird hours and they'll turn the TV down low. If it's 45 minutes in the parking lot after my volunteer shift, OK (it's secluded and safe, no worries). Haven't gone into full blown psychosis/mania yet when I know I would if I tried just sticking to sleeping at night in my bed. In total I probably get 6 hours of sleep per 24 hour period doing this.

[raspberrytorte]

I don't really have a ritual I guess. I just take my nighttime meds an hour before I go to bed, then listen to my sleepy time playlist, then go to sleep. I usually wake up 7 - 8 hours later.

[bizi]

I am happy for you raspberry torte.
maybe I should try to take my meds earlier.
bizi

[Tart Cherry Jam]

What is in your sleepy time playlist, Raspberry?

[raspberrytorte]

A lot of post rock: Explosions in the Sky, God is an Astronaut, Saxon Shore, The End of the Ocean, Lights & Motion, Moonlit Sailor, etc. And I have Purity Ring on it, even if they're not a post rock band. They just help me sleep. I keep it playing all night.

And lately I've been listening to Sigur Ros during my sleepy time during the day, even if they're beautiful yet depressing AF.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

I will definitely listen to all of those (all new to me).