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No Stupid Questions @lemmy.world
s38b35M5 @lemmy.world

Tips for falljng back to sleep

I wake up at 3am to 4am daily as a neighbor makes noise walking their dog. This cannot be helped. Once I am awake, my mind won't stop going over details about everything from the mundane to the critical. Often, I am able to fall asleep again after three or more hours of wakefulness, but only minutes before I have to wake for the day.

Does anyone have success with quieting the mind without substances so that they can fall back to sleep?

Edit: I want to thank you all for the helpful comments. I'm reading through them now and wioo be internalizing some of the suggestions.

To provide more context for those who asked:

I do have ADHD and OCD and Anxiety.
I sleep with a fan and a white noise track (10hrs of non-repeating noise I d/l'd with newpipe). My apartment building has a fire escape that the neighbor uses as their front door. This path means using a heavy steel door on a power hinge. (Slam!) The door is against the wall that my headboard is on. They have every right to use whichever door they like, and I don't know them well enough yet to ask them to change for me. They are trying to be as quiet as they can, other than using the loudest path possible. They seem very nice, and their dog is quiet and well trained.
I'm in the middle of a long period of unemployment and I am beginning to worry about finances, as my savings are about half gone in a year.

Thanks again for all the suggestions! I'll report back with my results in a few days.

55 comments

  • I often wake up around the same time. What helps for me is a big soft toy cat to cuddle with. The feeling of security of being able to wrap my arms around something tight is soothing and often helps me drift off to sleep again.
    I don’t use it until I wake up though, until then it’s lying on the floor next to my bed. It could be that the change in sleeping posture is what helps?

    Granted, this might be a bit too personal to be helpful. But maybe it will help for you as well? Alternatively you could try a big fluffy pillow if soft toys aren’t your thing :)

  • I'm a light sleeper with a loud mind, as well, so this kind of thing has always been a problem for me. The two main things I find helpful may not do the trick for you, but here goes:

    First, trying to force myself back to sleep always just ramps my brain up worse and makes it more difficult than it already was to fall back asleep. I stopped trying to force the issue, which has counterintuitively sped up the time it takes me to fall back asleep. I don't get up or engage my mind with anything significant, but if I'm awake, I'll put soft music on my earbuds or scroll on my phone set to the dimmest setting. I may not fall back to sleep immediately, but I've found that lowering the pressure on myself to fall back asleep makes it happen more readily than when I spend 2 hours and 45 minutes being like "if I fall asleep right now, I can still get another 3 hours. go to sleep. fall asleep. sleep will happen.... now!"

    Second, I've increased my oversell magnesium intake. I know you said no substances, but I feel like this is different. There have been a few studies--popular science type stuff, nothing peer reviewed that I know of--indicating that magnesium improves sleep quality and the ability to return to sleep if woken up. Might be the placebo effect, but I don't care because I've noticed an improvement.

    Sorry you have to deal with this flavor of insomnia, too. Super sucks.

  • You're experiencing the exact same problem as my wife, in the same time frame, but for her it's the neighbor slamming his door on his way out to work.

    I can't speak for her, as she often just gets up after her mind begins cycling through anything and everything, but as someone who has a lot of difficulty falling asleep, I have some success with the following:

    1. Massaging my neck, shoulders, and shoulderblades
    2. Getting up and sitting in the dark of a different environment for a few minutes, like the living room or guest bed, then returning to bed
    3. Alternating between trying to sleep flat on my back and on my stomach

  • Put a Marpac Dohm white noise generator between you and the window. It’s basically a fan that’s modified to generate consistent white noise, and is somewhat adjustable (volume, tone for lack of a better term.).

    It does take some getting used to, but once you do, it muffled a lot of noise. Any white noise generator will probably work, but my marpac has run for years with only needing to be opened once or twice for dust.

    Another option is a thick comforter in the window (like curtains.)

    Beyond mitigation, I keep some yarn and a crochet hook, and make stuffed animals for random kids of people I know. Crocheting for me hits the sweet spot between mindless and needs focus to still my mind.

    My mom will do chores like folding laundry or dishes for a few minutes. Or sudoku.

    Another option is meditation techniques- like meditative breathing will help with relaxing. Try breathing for a count of 3, holding to 6, exhaling to 9 (so each step has a 3-count in through the nose, out the mouth.)

  • Do you consider three donuts from the local QT “substances?” Because pound three in short succession and you’re not going to stay awake for long.

  • Sleep in two 4 hour blocks? Do something for couple of hours instead of trying to force yourself to sleep.(read a book?)

  • You can try Yoga Nidra. A form of yoga used to get deep relaxation. It is said that 45 minutes of Nidra equals a 3 hour peaceful sleep. You can find info al over internet. I found this website particularly useful. I use especially the bodyscan and breathing techniques to calm my mind and fall asleep again.

55 comments