Hello all.
I have sleeping issues, as well, over 30+ years. I don't think there is just one answer or one pathway for R&D, but collectively, your comments and these may help at least one person to improve upon their sleep quantity and quality.
I am ADD, have had sleep apnea 20 years (lost 80 lbs and only use my CPAP infrequently now, but occasionally a Breathe Right), had 3 complete sleep studies, recently diagnosed with A-Fib, and still recovering from my last motorcycle accident. Have a lot of family stress: one daughter with an immune disorder and another daughter that is bi-polar and addicted to alcohol and benzodiazepines. I only say this to give the briefest outline of where I'm coming from in regards to the process of my sleep plan. Also, there are a many good things in my life, so I have to be very proactive in finding and implementing the best and longest sleep periods for myself, so I can appear functionally normal, and not an a-hole…at least most of the time. (my wife told me to put that in)
I started with a Fitbit One, then a Force. Liked the Force a lot more because it was essentially a wrist watch, and I didn't have to use the One sleep band every night. I have used these for about 3 years overall, and had been trying to get my wife involved, so got her a Charge last Christmas. My Force bit the dust, so I got me a Charge, too, then I got an offer to get one of the first Surges in late December. (have also used Premium service since inception) Each Fitbit has their own characteristics and subtle differences, but the ones I've had and used are pretty consistent to one another. I originally got the Fitbit to help me be more aware of my habits as to activities and sleep, to which they have been a competent and invaluable tool. (Sleep report history over time is an issue, but that's in another group)
The following is a little of what I learned that works for me, but be aware, I am still hovering around only 5-6 hours of sleep per night. And I'm like everyone else. I do these things 85% of the time and I always have a good excuse. I have previously been through 10 year stretches where I averaged less than 4 hours per night.
I have set my Fitbit on sensitive, and wear it on my non-dominant hand. I am ADD, and have taken Adderall for 8 years, but never after 6PM. No caffeine after around 4PM. I only drink hot black tea (Liptons) because it has a more moderate stimulant curve than coffee, and my wife is British. I try and eat all my meals within a 12 hour period, and have found my digestion, etc., improved. Try not to eat after 8PM, nor eat an hour or two before bedtime OR before meds...sometimes that's tough. I drink lots of water mixed with Sprite Zero. Take 10mg of Ambien about 30 minutes before I think I can sleep.
I have "Blue Light" filter apps on all of my computers, tablets, and cell phones. This has made a difference. On most devices you will still have to remember to "tap" it on, but the results make it easier to do every night. Watching television can also stimulate your pineal gland to suppress your normal dose of melatonin in your brain. The older you get, the less melatonin you have, and sometimes taking a melatonin supplement works, and sometimes it doesn't. My wife has SADD, and melatonin supplements don't work.
For those taking sleep meds (benzodiazepines: Xanax, valium, etc)., know there is a big difference in the half life of your pill dose. Ambien's half life is about 1 1/2 hours. It is just to get you to fall asleep, and the ER is to keep you there, but may cause some problems if you happen to get up in the night. Valium has an extraordinarily long half life of 100+ hours. It was used initially as a muscle relaxer (still is), but has been used more as a tranquilizer and anxiety aid. Ambien is a hypnotic, and not a muscle relaxer. Xanax is a benzo, but its half life is more than Ambien. I have found that some benzos like Valium, can get you to sleep, but once asleep you can't get to the level of deep sleep, which is the level below REM (Delta). That's not only aggravating, but can add to your sleep problems and tiredness. Never used Xanax for sleep, but I imagine it might be in the middle between Ambien and Valium. Again, these drugs work differently for everybody, but I suspect that deep sleep might not be obtainable using benzos. Overusing benzos and hypnotics can also trigger long term sleep problems by damaging certain receptors in your brain. Ambien is a designer drug, and it targets one receptor, and if damaged, can wreak havoc in your life for years.
I try and read before sleep, rather than TV. I don't exercise a couple hours before I read/bed. Good sleep "hygiene": you sleep in your bed, you read in your chair. I read and sleep (sometimes) in my chair, but that's more to do with the motorcycle accidents. In my bed, I have restricted my space--put pillows next to me (no, we sleep in separate beds) to keep me in basically a confined, yet comfortable rectangle. I have found that this has helped in confining my movements when I am asleep to my rectangle space, and not the entire king size bed. Also, the Fitbit sensor that detects "restless" is only an algorithm based on subtle movements, and does not necessarily mean that you haven't achieved "deep" sleep. In my case, it's relative to me confining myself to my sleep space AND how rested I feel the following day. The Fitbit is fairly accurate, but it is not a sleep study, but a tool.
I don't drink alcohol, either. Used to--a lot-- but found it was easier to lose weight and feel better without it. Also, the combination of any alcohol in meds will change the quality of your sleep to your detriment. Every time. Leads to GERD. Leads to additional sleep problems, which lead to additional daytime problems, etc., etc.
Stress affects your sleep, and your long term health. There is good stress (you've won a million dollars, you’ve won the Nobel Prize), and bad stress (lost your job, mental illness in the family). Both the good and the bad stress have the same effects. So there has to be some kind of balancing apparatus besides drugs and even exercise, to help your mind and body deal with what's going on for real, and for what you imagine the reality might be. Yoga, deep breathing, mindfulness, self-hypnosis, meditation, deep relaxation technique, biofeedback devices...find something that you can do and repeat several times a day, and then before sleep. I have tried all, but find myself using the same self-hypnosis/deep relaxation that I have done daily since 1987. This is not to take the place of present meds, but to add to your resources for building a better and healthier sleep. It only works if you do it every day like a habit, even if you think it's not doing anything. Sadly, the better you feel, the lazier you get. Must be a natural law, or something.
So, the Fitbit is a really good tool in accounting for how much sleep we achieve, and a little about how we sleep and its quality. Someone commented that they use a camera to observe how they sleep at night. I might have to take one of my surveillance cameras and point it at my little bed rectangle. At least I should find out what my cat does.
I think that good sleep is something that I can be better at, but it will be different for you. I know that there are many variables involved in the positive sequence which culminates in a good sleep result, some of which we do have direct control over. So, I sincerely hope this might help someone, and look forward to gleaning some tips from you, as well.
P.S. When I used the Fitbit One, I finally found attaching it to my watch at night was more convenient than using their "sleeve".
