I really need some sleep!

[scrow]

I have always been tired during the day, and used caffeine to keep me awake.  Before getting my fitbit, I had started thinking it was just in my head, as I have tried multiple sleeping pills, etc and still have to drag myself out of bed each morning.  Well, I got my fitbit and discovered it is not in my head! My sleep efficiency stays between 45-53%.  I have tried cutting out caffeine in the afternoon, cutting out alcohol, using a sleep mask, sound machine, aromatherapy, sleeping pills, and a herbal supplement for sleep.  At this point I am starting to get agitated because it doesn't seem like anything is working 😞

[summerfield64]

Sleep on someone else's mattress, and see if that helps.  Maybe you need a new one. I swapped mine, even though my old one was comfortable, and now I sleep better and don't feel back stiffness.

If you have trouble falling asleep, download and play free audio books (librivox.com), the more boring the better (economics or similar), and try to concentrate on the narrator. Set your player to shut itself off after 30 min or so. It helped me. I listened to the first few minutes of chapter 1 of "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" for about 3 months!

Cheers

Paul

[Dominique]

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@scrow wrote:

My sleep efficiency stays between 45-53%.

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Which sensitivity level did you select for sleep tracking in your settings: normal (default) or sensitive? If you currently have sensitive, try switching to normal. This won't change the way you are sleeping, but at least you won't get extra stress from the reported efficiency rate.

I found my sleep quality improved a lot as I stopped snoring as a result of weight loss, or lower body fat (or perhaps the combination of both).

[Onikenbai]

The quality and shape of your pillow also has a lot to do with the quality of your sleep.  If it doesn't support your neck the right way, you will get all bent out of position and your airway will not be wide open and you just won't get as good a night's sleep.  If you have a clock near your bed, position it so that you cannot see it while you are in bed as watching the time tick by actually causes a great deal of stress and prevents you from falling asleep.  The regular use of sleeping pills will actually decrease the quality of your sleep overall as they are not meant to be used all the time and will quickly leave you feeling strung out.

If you have done all these things, it may be time to talk to your doctor and to have a proper sleep study done.  You may have restless leg syndrome or some other medical condition that keeps you from getting proper sleep.  Your fitbit only monitors movement; it doesn't monitor what's going on in your brain.  A full sleep study monitors both and will help target treatment on the correct part of the body.  Maybe you need a mild muscle relaxant instead of sleeping meds?

If it makes you feel any better, my bit tells me I have a sleep efficiency upwards of 95%... of the whole 4 hours of sleep I get a day.  And that's with sleeping medications.  I'm just not a squirmer so my bit thinks I'm sleeping soundly.  When I had a full sleep study done, almost none of that was proper sleep.  I may be unconscious, but I'm not in restorative sleep and I too feel awful most of the day and I fall asleep at my desk.  When the doctor got results he was shocked I managed to make it to the appointment, never mind keep a full time job.  The number your fitbit spits out at you is not everything so don't get too hung up on it.