How to sleep for 8 hours?

[trichakra]

41M. I workout in the morning 6AM. I follow OMAD most days.

My dinner is usually at 6.00PM. Followed by some TV until 8PM. By 8.30PM im in bed.

I can't seem to be able to sleep for 7-8 hours. My naturally wake up after 5ish hours no matter what time I sleep.

If I'm asleep by 9PM, I'll wake up at 2.00 or 2.30. If I sleep at 10PM, I wake up at 3.00 or 3.30 AM. Waking up is most often triggered by the urge to pee. I don't drink a lot of water before bed.

How do I extend my sleeping hours.

P. S. I have a desk job if that matters.

 

[bornagainkames]

@trichakra Magnesium threonate or ZMA help me sleep longer. Hemp edibles help me a ton as well.

 

[trichakra]

@bornagainkames Are these available OTC or by prescription?

 

[bornagainkames]

@trichakra ZMA and mag are on Amazon. No real other effects other than I sleep deeper and stay asleep better.

I make a hemp tincture myself, but a bunch of companies make premade gummies you can order online.

 

[trichakra]

@bornagainkames I Just checked, CBD derivatives are illegal in my country (Middle East). And you are right. ZMA and Mag are indeed available on Amazon.

 

[bornagainkames]

@trichakra Oh then that would be a no go but the mag definitely helps me! The ZMA caps are a different form of mag but they contain two other ingredients that are also supposed to help with sleep... But between the ZMA or mag threonate I don't really notice a difference

 

[trichakra]

@bornagainkames Thank you. I'll give it a shot.

 

[msa111]

@trichakra Also maybe try glycine. It helps me to sleep deeper. 3-6grams of it nightly.

Magnesium threonate works great too but personally I have found myself having anger issues (subjective) while using it.. I definitely have more vivid dreams with it though

 

[frankdux]

@trichakra 100% same problem here!!! Ahhh. Refreshing to know I’m not alone. lol

Biggest thing that’s helped me is refusing to get up, even if I’m uncomfortable and need to pee.

I also use melatonin gummies. I take 10mg when I go to bed and will take more if/when I absolutely have to get up to go pee. But only if that’s 3-4 hours before my alarm, otherwise I feel worse when I do have to get up. Some people are more sensitive to melatonin and cannot do that, though.

I coincidentally just spoke to my doctor about it yesterday. He was shocked and horrified that I was using a random mixture of OTC sleep aids (unisom, zzquil, simply sleep) and told me to stop those. He said they should truly only be used occasionally and not nonstop, and that the side effects of prolonged use are far worse and detrimental to health than poor sleep. Frustrated me to be told that because they did often work . And he said only use Melatonin if I need, and that’s ok daily. He also prescribed me Ambien so I can get one long restful night every 3rd night. He asked about lifestyle factors that might trigger it but we couldn’t find anything. “Some people just aren’t good at sleeping. Not all insomnia and poor sleep can be explained or resolved.” ….nice. lol

Gonna follow this for pointers. Wish I could help!

 

[ckat]

@frankdux FYI Melatonin's active dose for adults is like 0.2g. It should be taken under the tongue a few hours before expected sleep onset.

It helps with sleep onset but not duration or quality. Aka: it will help you get to sleep but not stay asleep.

For sleep quality try magnesium.

If issues persist, get a blood test done to look at vitamins deficiencies. Vitamin D, B12, and iron all cause issues with sleep (but dont take these supplements unless you need them, especially iron which can be hard on the liver if in excess).

 

[frankdux]

@ckat I take the melatonin to fall asleep. I have issues with both falling asleep and staying asleep. That’s why I take it again in the middle of the night if I wake up wide awake.

I might try just stopping all melatonin as well. I dunno. Something’s gotta give.

I’ve had every test that my doctors have requested and absolutely everything is fine. I’ve been tested for autoimmune disorders. Hormones. Everything.

 

[ckat]

@frankdux I know the feeling. Been there.

Worth trying:
Rule out sleep apnea with one of those at home tests

Trying magnesium and a small dose of melatonin (0.5g under the tongue) 1 hour before bed

Avoid being in bed if not feeling sleepy or sexy. If you're awake for 20min, consider getting out of bed and doing something until feeling sleepy, then return.

Have a watch that tracks heart rate? Practice lying in bed and lowering your BPM. I got a basic fitbit to practice heart rate changes and track sleep patterns. Kind of fun.

Check if having / not having certain foods / drinks before bed effect things

 

[josipa]

@trichakra I’m similar to you in age and protocols (40, OMAD, usually in bed around 9) and I also only sleep about 5 hours at least in the winter (more when it’s warmer). The key difference is I don’t use caffeine at all and I feel well rested. Not trying to flex just pointing out even if you dial things in you might just get better quality sleep, not necessarily more.

Personally I’d start with mouth tape at night to see if mouth breathing while sleep is affecting me. A lot of people wake up having to pee because they sleep with their mouths open.

Other things: turn your phone and any other device you sleep next to on airplane mode. Don’t watch an action movie before bed. Turn your tv or other device on night mode to suppress blue light. If that’s not an option try a cheap pair of orange glasses.

Another key for me, and this might not apply to you, but I thrive with a tough (endurance wise, think CrossFit) workout right before dinner.

 

[trichakra]

@josipa Nice to hear your perspective. Mobile and TV are great points. Do you eat in the evening or during the day?

 

[josipa]

@trichakra Personally I eat in the evenings. Usually 5-9pm and that works great for me. Then my wife eats mostly 1-2 pm with a post dinner time snack (no dinner) and seems to sleep best that way.

Really wish it was one size fits all but it’s not.

 

[mzsky]

@trichakra I can sort it relate. My Garmin typically registers 7:30 to 8hrs of sleep, often feel sleep just before my alarm goes off. It didn't feel right though, often times it feels like I'm just lying in bed waiting on my alarm too go off, it I wake in the middle of the night and feel like I barely sleep after.

What I do find helps some is being consistent and when I read before bed until I fell tired I sleep a lot quicker. Occasionally I've read at 3,4,5am and then gone to sleep again.

Will be watching this topic for suggestions!

 

[trichakra]

@mzsky Ditto! I love reading and if I pick up an interesting book, I tend to binge read until the wee hours of morning. One redditor recommend ZMA and magnesium threonate.

 

[predrag]

@trichakra

I have my last cup of coffee

At 2:30 pm?

And you're in bed six hours later?

I don't know the half-life of caffeine, but uh.

I'd consider going without all caffeine for a week and see how you feel. Caffeine dependency and desensitization can creep up on you.

 

[trichakra]

@predrag I restrict myself to 2 cups of coffee. One just before workout between 5 and 6 AM. And one at noon depending on how dowzy I feel. Could be anytime between 12.30PM to 2.30PM latest. I guess I'll have to drop the noon coffee and see how I feel for a few weeks. I realistically may not be able to drop off the morning coffee totally tbh.

 

[mcmatt]

@trichakra I realize this is a lengthy article but you might need more tryptophan in your diet -> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8511346/ Been having bad sleep for the last 2 weeks myself now