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5 tips to improve sleep

Hello everyone, I found an interesting post from my friend @AndreaFitbit about how to sleep better. Her post is in our Spanish forums, so I wanted to talk about it on this board to hear what are your best practices to conceive a better sleep.

 

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Tips that I found more interesting are: 

 

1. Adopt a sleep schedule. Get up every day at the same time, even during the weekend. This measure allows to keep the rhythm of the sleep. Also try to sleep at the same time each day.

 

2. To get more energy, try to perform some dynamic activity when getting up and it is important to have a nice and nutritive breakfast.

 

3. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and other chemicals that interfere with sleep. As a coffee lover, I know caffeine is a stimulant that can keep you awake. So avoid caffeine for four to six hours before bedtime. Similarly, smokers should refrain from using tobacco products too close to bedtime.

 

4. Avoid having electronic devices around like the TV or the mobile phone, as this could be potentially distractions to sleep and rest well.

 

5. Try to relax at the end of the day, at least 30 minutes before bedtime. Here you can take advantage of the new feature: Guided Breathing Sessions of the Charge 2.

 

In my case I have the bad habit to sleep while my TV is On. Usually I don't see any interesting show or movie that could distract me from my sleep, but sometimes is hard to catch a good rest whit the flashing light of the screen flickering all over the room.

 

So comment below what are your best practices to sleep better.

Roberto | Community Moderator

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” What's Cooking?

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28 REPLIES 28

Hey @RobertoME! I found those tips and they have been really helpful. Sometimes relaxing music before going to sleep helps too! Smiley Very Happy

 

Have an amazing day!

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Darken your room. I use blackout curtains and don't have an alarm clock or any gadgets with a light no matter how small. The fitbit charge 2 has a vibrating alarm to wake you up (not sure of the others).

Keep it quiet. Get the do not disturb app for your phone to stop any incoming notifications during set sleep hours. You can set emergency calls to get through. Closed cell door and window weather stripping around your door jamb stop will help reduce sounds coming in from the rest of the house. Upgrade to a soundproof door if your house is particularly noisy and you have the budget. If your room is full of hard surfaces like hardwood floors and bare walls try a throw rug and maybe invest in some acoustic panels to dampen the echos.

Be cool. Studies show we sleep better in 61-65 F , 16-18 C

Get a proper mattress. 

No pets in bed. I know you love them but their sleep habits end up being your sleep detriments. 

Consider your bedroom your sleep oasis and try to leave all your cares at the door. This is your space for you. 1/3 of your life is spent here, make the best of it.

 

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Nice to see you around @SunsetRunner! Those tips are really good, specially the one that mentions to leave your pet out or your bed. I used to sleep with my dog and when she stopped sleeping with me, my sleep got way much better. Smiley Wink

 

Catch you later! 

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I am working towards a better night's sleep. The same method does not work for me every time, so I'm sharing some of the best methods that work for me. I change them up to fit my needs that day as my schedule does not allow a regular sleep schedule. When I've had a really busy day, I need to quite my mind. I turn everything off in my bedroom and lay in the dark. I focus on the quiet. As thoughts jump into my mind, I wisk them away with images of beaches, mountains, etc... When that does not work, I will CD's (yes, they still exist), with soothing sounds of nature or I set my TV to the music channels and choose a mellow channel and turn it to an low but audible level. Aromatherapy also helps me relax - filling my bedroom with the smell of lavendar or vanilla helps me relax. I also use an alarm that starts with nature sounds gently to awaken me from my slumber. It is better than be jarred awake by a loud alarm.

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It's nice to see new members around @Changingmylife. Well, it's very interesting to hear that you use different methods depending on your day's activities. Thoughts of beaches and mountains are really good when you're tying to sleep. Woman Surprised I still use CD's too, sometimes I steal one from my dad... Robot wink  

 

Thank you for sharing this and for joining the Fitbit Community! Robot LOL

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I sleep so hardly and only a small trigger is needed to wake me up and then I can't sleep for a long while. I wish I could sleep better. A small sound, movement, a nightmare, having to go to the washroom, the cold, the warmth, anything can break my sleep.

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Hi there @slashflash2011, good to see you here in our Community. I imagine that waking up with small sounds and movements might be a nightmare. 

 

I was reading in the New York Time articles the difference in a sleeper’s reaction to noise could be predicted by the level of brain activity called “sleep spindles.’’ A sleep spindle is a burst of high-frequency brain activity generated from deep inside the brain during sleep. (They are called spindles because the researchers who identified the brain wave pattern in the 1930s thought it resembled yarn wrapped around a dowel.) The source of the spindles is the thalamus, a part of the brain that sends sensory information to the rest of the cortex.

 

I'm curious to know if you put in practice any method to avoid or reduce these symptoms?

Roberto | Community Moderator

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” What's Cooking?

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Yes, I have tried working out during the afternoon to get tired physically and also see a counsellor for my stress. It works to a point, but I am just still a bad sleeper

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I have found I sleep much better with a fan or space heater running. It's prompted me to try some white noise apps (think I've settled on one called Relax Melodies). Headphones are uncomfortable while I sleep though so I just got a speaker for my room and will be trying it tonight.

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Hello friends! To me Working out, keeping myself busy and blackout curtains give me a very good sleep. My only problem is when I use my cellphone before bed, or watch tv this interferes with my sleep so I avoid this 2 things at night. 

 

I hope you find a way to improve your sleeping! Robot winkHeart

Solange | Community Moderator, Fitbit

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And for me...

#6 NEVER, EVER buy or sleep on any mattress containing memory foam!

#7 Make hubby -- the almighty snorer -- sleep in the guest room!

Belle
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Hey, hey, @TXAnneVCat Tongue hahaha this is funny! I think I like this memory foam a bit. Why don't you like it? 

 

And of course it is horrible to sleep next to a friend that snores more than me. Robot Embarassed

Solange | Community Moderator, Fitbit

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Memory foam vapes!  They say the fumes subside after a while, but I haven't found that to be true at all, there's still an "aroma" that eminates from it.

It's like sleeping in quicksand...once your indent is created, changing sleep position feels like traversing a crater wall.

It gets hot under the body.

There is no edge to the mattress.

It's horrible.

Belle
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I have such a bad habit of using my phone in bed. And I know that it's stopping me from sleeping. But there's just too much to do, too many people to chat to, I can't seem to break the habit! Even checking how the Fitbit challenges are going keeps me picking it up, and as a result getting up in the morning is a nightmare. And, because I work from home, I don't technically *have* to get up early - but I always feel sluggish all day if I don't.

 

*Sigh*

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For me the one thing that has been making my life a nightmare for sleep is Tamoxifen ... and I have to be on it for 9 more years.  The only thing that can counter it is Lorazepam, but I try to not take that unless it's midnight and I'm still awake.

 

Sometimes, something that helps me to sleep is to do a bunch of little housework when I get home (small activities where I'm running around the house like a mad-woman) to exhaust me physically.  Things like start a load of laundry, get the coffee ready for the next morning, fill the humidifier in the bedroom (hubby snores less when the humidity is higher), get lunches started ... that kind of thing.  Then, closer to bedtime I grab a book and READ.  This is practically a no-fail way to get me to sleep (now *staying* asleep is a different issue!)

 

Oh side note:  I get up at 4:15-4:30am every morning, and am practically *FALLING* into bed by 9pm - but there are nights that sleep still eludes me because of that stupid medication *grrrrrr*

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I picked up a Pavlok & set myself to go to sleep at 10, so it vibrates at about 15 till to remind me and so on.  Something that I found helpful, was after I established that I was going to definitly be Up at 5am, I know that I am now going to have to make sure that I get to bed at 10.  that schedule routine really does help.  But I found that If I have a little negative inforcement {a mild electrial shock or use your imagination} if I break the rules {screens in bed, or hitting the snooze button in the morning} I have really started getting a lot better at keeping a routine and establishing a Habit of getting a good nights sleep.  Accountability counts for a LOT when it comes to getting a good nights sleep.

 

I also found, that If I take a little herbal sleep aid, mild but a good formula that I atleast find myself drousy at bed time, Its easier for me to lay down with the intent of sleeping & not just letting my mind spin and ending up watching Youtube in the sack for 2 hours before I actually clock out.  this also helps as I put my glasses up, I put on my CPAP mask, I establish a proper routine for actually laying down to go to sleep, that I have found is being reinforced and is working.  It makes me really happy to know its been a week since I have slept on my glasses (ends up with me rolling on them, causing mild damage that I have to bend out in the morning).

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I find that peppermint tea really helps me to doze off. It's caffeine free and quite pleasant. I also have the bad habit of using my phone or laptop as I'm in bed. 

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Yup - I have a schedule ... partly because we always put our dogs in their beds at 9pm and that's when we call it quits for the night.  The problem is that the medication I'm on causes insomnia

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Tried the herbal teas ... tried warm milk with vanilla (used to work like a charm), tried mild sleeping aids ... all of it.  It's the medication I'm on that causes the insomnia.

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