Saturday, June 10. 2006How to get good sleep when "On the road"?
So this blog entry is a bit like "Ask Slashdot", but instead I'm turning to our community
 The thing is, I'm a light sleeper. Always have been, for some reason. When I'm at home in my known territory and daily routine, I usually have no problems sleeping well at night. I get my good 7 hours sleep at night like everyone else does, pretty much. But when I'm abroad, like at a conference or on vacation, getting good sleep really is much more difficult for me, and it takes its toll. Usually it works like this: First day I'm all fresh and in my usual good mood; then in the night I will probably sleep for four hours, and spend the rest of the night staring at the wall in my hotel room. One night without good sleep isn't much of a problem, so I'm still in pretty good shape on the next day. In the evening we have a few drinks (who doesn't enjoy that), and now the alcohol additionally messes with my sleep, I get maybe three hours sleep and the rest is again spent in bed awake. By the third day I finally look like a complete zombie. All energy and creatitivity is drained, and I'm not much fun to be around. Reasons? I don't know for sure. For one, I'm simply excited when at a conference, it clearly raises adrenaline levels. Then I can't really "switch off" in the night. Additionally there's the unfamiliarity of the surroundings, and such. I do sometimes envy people who can just sleep whenever and wherever they want. Like my stepsister, who can sleep soundly for 10 hours, and then some, and still enjoy it. Any of you suffering from the same issues? Got some good advice? Trackbacks
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It is normally not to sleep when away from your own bed.
Just drink >=2L beer and will throw u in bed before you say "Beer". Just don't get hell drunk so that the other day u can't work Sleeping pills are out of question I suppose?
No, sleeping pills are not out of the question. I like trying substances. I might check some prescription free stuff, let's see if it does the trick.
One problem with sleeping pills is that they're pretty dangerous in combination with alcohol. I've got some perscription ones that I've been given for insomnia, but I'm pretty careful not to mix them with other sedatives.
One thing that I really notice is that I don't sleep well when I'm drunk. I've read that while it's relatively easy to sleep in the early stages of metabolizing alcohol that the later stages produce some chemicals that wake you up. I, for instance, rarely sleep more than about 4 hours after a night of significant drinking. Either not drinking at conferences (there are other acceptable, uhh, substitutes that don't keep me from sleeping) or stopping drinking earlier might really make a difference.
Well, sleeping pills aren't that bad when they are used rarely (once or twice a month). Using them regulary, on the countrary, is dangerous.
hehe instead of beer and pills, get some good elderflower tea with a little honey, drops me off everytime
Hmm, according to Wikipedia, elderflower has no sedative qualities, so I'm sceptical.
Going out for a walk before you go to bed can be very helpful
or try some yoga
I don't have this problem at all. There was a few times I almost fell asleep in the London Underground and I might of if I wasn't worried about getting robbed or missing my stop.
 When I do have trouble sleeping (and usually even when I don't) I like to listen to a BBC radio show or a podcast as I go to sleep. Like you say you can't get to sleep because your excited about stuff, so giving a distraction is probably a good idea.
I agree with nethad about the evening walk, it's a good way to clear your head and prepare for sleep.
I've had good success with Melatonin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin), which is the hormone your body naturally uses to regulate its circadian rhythm. You can get supplemental doses over-the-counter, and these really do seem to induce a natural sleep cycle (YMMV). I was skeptical at first, because I thought it was an "herbal remedy" or some such nonsense. But now I'm sold. I use it often while traveling to meetings. You could also try laying off the alcohol for a night, just as an experiment.
Regarding Melatonin, I've read about it already and I'm very interested in trying it, also for its dream enhancing qualities. Unfortunately you still can't obtain it legally here in Germany. I might have to order it over the net, which might be expensive. I do hope the substance will be legalized here soon.
For some reason, anywhere I lie down I fall to sleep, lol.
But if I were you I'd try some 'natural ways' to get sleep. Instead of synthetic stuff like sleeping pills (well there are some good 'natural' ones too, I suppose) you could try things like tea (as suggested above). Also, if the sleeping problem is caused by overexcitement or stuff like that, try to meditate before you go to sleep to put your mind to rest. Unfortunately I don't know much about teas (perhaps walk into one of those herb shops and ask what they can do for you. I bet they have some nice suggestions!) and don't have much experience with meditating so I can't help you any further.  At any rate, I hope you find something and get a nice sleep next times.
you could try camomile tea. it help digest and help relax and prepare to sleep. it will not make you sleep but prepare to sleep.
i use sometimes euphytose (something based on plant). it's against nervousness. (it will not make you sleep)
I second the meditation suggestion. You can use some of what you learn from meditation to help you fall asleep. If you can do some sort of breathing or walking meditation for 15 minutes or so during each day, you learn how to give your mind space to settle down.
I know that it used to take me at least one or two hours to fall asleep each night -- but I've whittled that down to 15-30 minutes over the course of a couple years of on-again, off-again meditation. My problem was just that I couldn't figure out how to shut my mind off when I wanted to sleep. It sounds like that might also be the case for you? I tend to follow vaguely Buddhist lines of thought when it comes to meditation, which may or may not work for you. In any case, here's a link to a brief starter article about it (the same one that got me started): http://www.shambhala.org/centers/toronto/howmed.html Hope this helps. -- Des
Interesting, thanks.
I've tried to intentionally breathe very slowly until getting sleepy; this also seems to work quite well.
Sounds a bit silly but might help to get some of your usual surrounding back. Take some cushion of yours with you or a blanket or a sheet.
I'm one of those sleeping in an instance if necessary, but I don't always like the cushions in hotelrooms and I tend to take a small one with me to get better sleep. Well and then I do agree with the meditation part. Get your head off the things you have to think of at the conferences. Take some light music with you (Bach or Haendl) and read a book.
Hi,
When going to sleep, try to "free your mind" (like neo in the matrix )Try to concentrate on simple things, or nothing at all when trying to sleep. You might also want to check out "Getting things done", it's also about freeing your mind from all those little things that keep you occupied.
My mom used to give us spoonfulls of peanut butter. Apparently there's something in it that makes you sleepy. You could also try a turkey sandwich, we know those knock you out!
Other than that I would guess that you need to use up more energy during the day so you're practically ready to fall asleep as soon as you hit the pillow. A light jog or other activity might wear you out a bit. Good luck!
I'm very surprised that nobody has suggested that you get it on with someone else at the conference.
This will help you sleep, guaranteed!
there are some other very good "substances" for a absolut fabulous sleep, and as you stated above, you have no real problem with trying some of it...
the Problem is that as far as i know its illegal in Germany although it will not be prosecuted in little doses so, my tip: try a little THC, and with the words of Tyler Durden: Baby´s don´t sleep this well
Hehe. Unfortunately THC doesn't do the trick for me any more. If anything, it stimulates me temporarily. In general I don't find THC as pleasant as I used to back in the day.
These days it tends to make me paranoid instead of calm. Weird, isn't it? But I'm not the only one, I've heard this from others too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep
http://www.sleepingschedules.com/
The idea is you need to be physically tired to sleep well. A good lengthy shag is of course THE BEST. Otherwise, a jog or any other workout will likely to help. 5 km or more in the evening will put you to sleep in no time.
yup. if you get tired you really get a good sleep. if you get exhausted - you sleep even better. :]
I am in fact quite into sports, and go running regularly
At the K3M conference I found the time to go jogging once, but it didn't really help that much.Generally though I would agree, sport helps being balanced and calm.
[ramble]
Being on the Autism Spectrum (Google for Aspergers Syndrome), I am an insomniac by nature. I do not get a wink of sleep at all and generally am awake for at least 36 straight hours at a time without my beloved sleeping pills. The ones I take are a blood pressure medicine, called Catapres. I never, ever, eeever leave my apartment without them if I'm not coming back before the next morning. Then again these days I tend to be awake all night, and sleep during the day, since there's no one outside and I don't get distracted by chatter noises or from people walking about, I can be alone with my laptop and my thoughts and I don't have to worry that someone might need me for something and try to take me away from what I was doing. [/ramble]
For me it's hard to fall asleep (whether at home or on vacation) but once sound asleep it's hard to get up again. I have slept through earthquakes and firealarms..
Some things that help: - hot milk with honey (tastes good and dairy products can have a mild sedative effect) - sleeping pills. Ignore German pharmacists who like to scare you about them. They work and when not used regularly are quite safe. Just don't drink any alcohols within 24h. They will make you drowsy and VERY tired within 30-90 minutes. You can stay awake but it takes effort. - melatonin. I have tried 3 mg doses and if there is any effect it is very subtle and quite different from sleeping pills. They are supposed to regulate the body's own melatonin production, so maybe this works better for you since you seem to have problems staying asleep rather than falling asleep. |
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