What bedtime routine helps you sleep? (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago by NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world to c/adhd@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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It's no secret that people with adhd often have sleep issues. I certainly do. I'm curious what bedtime routine helps others sleep. My partner likes to read a boring book before bed, but I struggle to read books unless they are engaging. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :)

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[-] QualifiedKitten@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

Smart lights throughout the house. Mine very gradually dim off in the evening, simulating sunset, which helps convince my body to crawl into bed. They also gradually dim on in the mornings, which helps ease me into being awake. When my routines are strong, I'm often up and out of bed before my alarm (and before sunrise).
Exercise. I find that working out first thing in the morning works best for me, but my friend does better with evening workouts. Consistency is much more important than time of day, but maybe don't expect to fall asleep immediately after working out.
Sleep cycles. A typical sleep cycle is roughly 90 minutes, so aiming for a bedtime that gives you a multiple of 90 minutes total sleep time can make the waking up part easier. I used to use the Sleep ad Android app for my alarm because it could try to detect your sleep cycles and would wake you up early if it meant waking you up in the ideal sleep phase.
Don't sleep in. I know it's a real tough one, but if you can force yourself to get up on a consistent schedule, you're more likely to be actually tired on schedule also. This one is especially challenging to stick to if you want to get up early on weekdays, but stay up late on weekends. Naps may help here, but it can take some practice to find what works.
Bed is for sleep (and sex) only. Don't hang out in bed, and if you're having a lot of trouble falling asleep, get out of bed for a while until you're feeling more tired. This helps your brain form a stronger association where bed = sleep.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol, marijuana, etc., before bed. While some of these may help you fall asleep, they often result in lower quality sleep and may make it more likely that you wake up.
Limit fluid intake before bed so that you don't wake up in the middle of the night to pee. *Routine. I think I kinda loosely touched on this in a few other points, but sticking to a consistent routine makes it so much easier to fall asleep and wake up.

Oh, and if your responsibilities and/or latitude have you regularly trying to sleep during daylight hours, definitely get a sleep mask and/or some good blackout curtains so you can block out the light. Ear plugs may also be helpful if noise is an issue.

[-] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

I like the smart lights idea. If I owned my house I'd see about doing that.

[-] QualifiedKitten@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

I've used them in a few rentals. There's a wide variety of options available that are just bulbs + an app, or bulbs & a hub + an app, so unless you have some unusual fixtures, they can be used anywhere.

In fact, my last apartment had an unusual fixture: an overhead fixture that had hardwired LEDs in it, rather than any sort of swappable bulb, so I found a cheap overhead fixture that fit standard E26 bulbs, and just swapped the fixtures for the duration of my stay, then switched them back when I moved out. As long as you can ensure the power to the fixture is off at the breaker, it should be a pretty simple swap.