Sleep Patterns: How to Get Good Rest & Feel Refreshed

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around various personal experiences and strategies related to sleep patterns, including factors that influence sleep quality, the impact of caffeine, and individual routines. Participants share their challenges and observations regarding sleep, exploring both theoretical and experiential aspects of achieving good rest.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that they sleep better in certain positions, such as upright, but question the quality of that sleep.
  • There are varying accounts of sleep duration, with some participants reporting only a few hours of sleep while others mention sleeping well under specific conditions.
  • One participant suggests that caffeine consumption negatively affects sleep patterns, advocating for its elimination as a potential solution to sleep issues.
  • Several participants mention the influence of environmental factors, such as fragrances and light, on their ability to sleep well.
  • Some individuals discuss the challenges of adapting to new work shifts and the resulting impact on their sleep schedules.
  • There are mentions of personal routines and habits that help some participants achieve better sleep, including avoiding screens before bed and maintaining a consistent sleep environment.
  • Concerns about oversleeping and its psychological effects are raised by multiple participants, indicating a fear that disrupts their sleep quality.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of experiences and opinions regarding sleep, with no clear consensus on the best practices for achieving good rest. Multiple competing views remain on the effects of caffeine, environmental factors, and personal routines.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the subjective nature of sleep experiences, the dependence on individual circumstances, and the lack of scientific consensus on the discussed strategies.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in personal sleep experiences, those struggling with sleep issues, and anyone looking for anecdotal strategies to improve sleep quality may find this discussion relevant.

  • #31
lisab said:
I used to have very strange nights when I would toss and turn all night, the typical sleepless night. I would feel terrible the next day, of course. But often, my husband would say the next morning that he was awake most of the night but that I was sleeping. I finally had to conclude that I was merely dreaming that I had a sleepless night. Once I realized that, it stopped.

But I still sleepwalk from time to time. Mostly when I do, I disassemble things, like clocks and lamps. Once I took the marble top off of my bedside table (it's just a small table, the top is a circle with about a 12" diameter).

Wow, this is the best yet.
 
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  • #32
I find it fiendishly difficult to get to sleep if there's any disturbance around me, but once I'm gone, I'm gone. I then wake up at sunrise whether or not I want to.
 
  • #33
Danger said:
Funniest thing the other night; we tag-teamed her. Lucy was 'kneading' her claws on the bed, which you absolutely cannot break a cat of doing. W awoke to that with her usual 'Lucy! Quit scratching my covers!' and did a 'crack-the-whip' with the comforter. Lucy went straight up in the air and landed on me... right when my leg was beginning to twitch. As soon as she landed, I went into a muscular spasm and drop-kicked her across the room. All that I could see by the light of the clock was this big white ball receding into the distance with legs going in every direction. Then there was a muffled 'thud' when she hit the dresser. Next thing, she jumped back onto the bed purring her head off and went to sleep. :rolleyes:


:smile::smile::smile: Awww, poor Lucy! Kitties are so forgiving!
 
  • #34
No problems here. I sleep when I'm tired, about 6 to 8 hours before I wake up. I am nocturnal by nature and the light does bother me, but I can sleep fine with a blanket, or pillow, or forearm over my head. The pillow blocks some of the noise during the day so that is what I prefer to use. The volume doesn't keep me awake, but individual noises can. I don't have much problem with traffic, lawn-mowers, rock concerts or jet engines, but barking dogs, people talking, babies crying, doors opening and closing all keep me awake. I seem to have more nightmares if I sleep on my back, so I usually curl up on either side.
 
  • #35
What's sleep?:-p

lisab said:
But I still sleepwalk from time to time. Mostly when I do, I disassemble things, like clocks and lamps. Once I took the marble top off of my bedside table (it's just a small table, the top is a circle with about a 12" diameter).

That's amazing... it would be hilarious to watch!

I sleep best when I go home for the holidays and reclaim my big comfy bed that my sister stole when I went to university! My sleep schedule is all over the place though, during the week it's usually up very late doing skulework, and then I can't get up in the mornings despite the 2 alarms I have, neither of which are beside the bed! (So I actually have to get out of bed to turn them off.) My body seems to have gotten into the habit of automatically getting out of bed and turning them off and then jumping back into bed. I wonder if I even wake up!? Weekends are even worse since I usually go out with friends pretty late.

But I find that no matter when I go to bed, I can't get up in the morning! I really need to figure out how...
 
  • #36
rocketboy said:
My body seems to have gotten into the habit of automatically getting out of bed and turning them off and then jumping back into bed. I wonder if I even wake up!?


Careful, rocketboy! You're taking baby steps to full-blown somnambulant disassembly!
 
  • #37
lisab said:
You're taking baby steps to full-blown somnambulant disassembly!

Speaking of which, I meant to ask before; you do unplug these things before gutting them, right?
 
  • #38
Danger said:
Speaking of which, I meant to ask before; you do unplug these things before gutting them, right?

No, which sort of worries me! The clock is apparently the favorite target of my sleeping self. It's battery-powered, so I don't worry about it. I wake up and the batteries are strewn around...sometimes the plastic face of the clock is removed.

The lamps...well, so far I just take the shade off and take the bulbs out. I don't dare leave tools, such as screwdrivers, laying around in my bedroom.

It tends to happen when I'm stressed...I don't know why I do it :redface: !
 
  • #39
I hope you haven't tried to disassemble any human or organic occupants of the room at night lisa.
 
  • #40
This has the kernel for a great horror movie.
 
  • #41
My ex husband was known to fry eggs in his sleep.
 
  • #42
Evo said:
My ex husband was known to fry eggs in his sleep.

I hope he had his eyes open! Closed eyes, hot stove and soft tender hands could end in disaster! :smile:

Out of interest, is sleepwalking sometimes done with eyes open? The person acts pretty normally but it is all sub-conscious?
 
  • #43
_Mayday_ said:
Out of interest, is sleepwalking sometimes done with eyes open? The person acts pretty normally but it is all sub-conscious?

Yes.
So, Lisa... let's hope you don't accidentally cross-wire your vibrator into the garage door opener some night. You could wake up to a nasty surprise.
 
  • #44
Danger said:
Yes.
So, Lisa... let's hope you don't accidentally cross-wire your vibrator into the garage door opener some night. You could wake up to a nasty surprise.

:blushing: Tell W you need a good smacking :-p !
 
  • #45
Wow Danger, that came out of nowhere.
 
  • #46
I sleep very soundly :

goto bed between 23-midnight, get up 7-7h30 ! I DO need that amount of hours as a minimum

the nights i don't sleep well in a year, i can count on one hand, really...

marlon
 
  • #47
The best solution when you cannot get asleep : having sex !
Afterwards, you sleep like a baby

marlon
 
  • #48
lisab said:
Careful, rocketboy! You're taking baby steps to full-blown somnambulant disassembly!

I had to google that one... I used to sleepwalk when I was younger, I guess I grew out of it (never took anything apart though... some engineering student I am!) I remember my mom telling me the story of how she woke up one night to see me walking down the hall, and she would call my name but I wouldn't respond, I was in a trance almost. Anyway, she followed me down two flights of stairs, where I walked over to our sleeping Labrador and I just sprawled across him. Apparently he just looked up at my mom like "help?". She said it was pretty creepy watching me sleepwalk.
 
  • #49
marlon said:
The best solution when you cannot get asleep : having sex !
Afterwards, you sleep like a baby

marlon

This is easier said than done. :rolleyes:
 
  • #50
I have a friend who used to sleepwalk as a young child and was known to get up and go and pee in the corner of rooms. He also says he was woken up by his father while taking a shower in the middle of the night.
 
  • #51
My father slept-walked (sleepwalked?) one time when I was an adolescent. He went downstairs, took all of the laundry out of the dryer, and shoved it all bodily into the refrigerator. My family was not very pleased with the resulting butter, pudding, and fruit stains.

- Warren
 
  • #52
For a second I read fridge as freezer and then thought, "well ofcourse they weren't happy with him"
 
  • #53
lisab said:
:blushing: Tell W you need a good smacking :-p !

I would, but she left again this morning for 2 weeks. If I happen to remember when she gets back... :rolleyes:

binzing said:
Wow Danger, that came out of nowhere.

Not really. If you want to check back through Franzbear (The Thread Killer Thread) and other GD posts of the same vintage, you'll see that it's a pretty normal response for me. I've just been a bit laid-back for the past couple of years.
 
  • #54
rocketboy said:
This is easier said than done. :rolleyes:
Why? Your arms broken?
 
  • #55
DaveC426913 said:
Why? Your arms broken?

I'm suspecting something a bit lower... :rolleyes:
 
  • #56
Danger said:
I'm suspecting something a bit lower... :rolleyes:
No, I meant ... are his arms incapacitated?

Or they could simply be too short...
 
  • #57
DaveC426913 said:
Or they could simply be too short...

As I said...
 

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