Any Tips for Sleeping Better?
Posted , 3 users are following.
hi, ive been researching online and have found some tips but i just wanted to know some tips that were more personal to my routine. iv heard online that you shouldnt sleep on your left side. is this true? iv been pretty depressed since the start of the year (sometimes suicidal, used to be everyday) but im getting a little better. after school i usually stay on my bed until about 8pm then i watch a movie on the floor haha. it helps a bit. then i go to bed at around 10pm and go to sleep around 12 and wake up at around 6am even though my alarm is set on 7am. am i staying on my bed too much? i usuallly dont do more intense workout before sleep however i do 120 situps and 40 pushups just to make my body tired. i feel like it helps. i frequently feel tired at school and it effects my schooling and social life. i was just wondering what you guys think could improve my sleep. sorry this was so long. thanks 
0 likes, 8 replies
lily65668 johnmc14
Posted
Your post wasn't long at all, John.
You're obviously a teenager, and it's important to remember that many people of your age feel tired a lot of the time. It's almost certainly something you'll grow out of. However, this is also a time in your life when you're vulnerable to a few viral infections that can cause long-term tiredness, even though they're not dangerous. Infectious mononucleosis is the main one. (Often called glandular fever in the UK or the kissing disease in the US.) Things like this can show up on blood tests, so it might be a good idea to get a general check-up just to make sure you're physically OK.
I don't think the bit about sleeping on your left side is too important. In any case, as soon as we fall asleep we start tossing and turning, so how can any of us control what position we sleep in? That tip is aimed at people who are being kept awake by the pain of acid reflux from the stomach. Lying on your left side makes it slightly harder for the acid to leak up through the valve at the top of the stomach. But I very much doubt it would make any difference to you.
Six hours does seem like a fairly short night's sleep for someone your age, but we're all different. There are certain parameters, but these days we know that the old eight-hour requirement doesn't hold good for everyone. It may well be that six hours is normal for you. The quality of your sleep also comes into the equation.
Those 120 situps and 40 pushups sound great, but it looks from your post as if you might be doing them immediately before going to bed. That would be a very bad idea, as the hormones released during exercise tend to wake your body up, even if you do feel tired immediately afterwards. It would be better to exercise earlier in the evening.
Watching a movie in the evening is fine, especially if it's not too stimulating. Since you say you've done some research, I assume you know that the blue-ish light emitted from the screens of computers, tablets, phones etc. fools your brain into thinking it's daytime, particularly when they're used in a darkened room. You shouldn't be gaming, using your phone etc. in the last hour before bed, and it's a good idea to shut your phone down overnight or leave it in another room.
I'm encouraged to hear that you feel both your sleep and your general mental state are improving a little now. I'm wondering whether you were seeing a counsellor for your depression. I'm afraid feeling depressed tends to be part of being a teenager too. Our teenage years are always depicted in the media as being an absolute ball, but for most kids it can be a pretty miserable experience. I left my teens more than 50 years ago but I can still remember how bad that time was!
I hope you'll soon be feeling better.
johnmc14 lily65668
Posted
lily65668 johnmc14
Posted
It can be hard to talk to your parents about depression, can't it? I'm wondering whether there's a counsellor or similar you can talk to at school. If you're in the UK you can also call Childline. (You can google them.) I realise you're not a child any more, but they help people up to the age of 19. They have free phone and chat lines, will talk to you about anything at all and it's completely confidential. If you're elsewhere in the world, most countries have similar services. And if ever you just want to moan - like we all do sometimes
- you can always send me a private message via this site. PMs don't reveal the ID of either party.
johnmc14 lily65668
Posted
thank you for being supportive. i live in australia and there are helplines like childline. its hard for me to open up to anyone and my parents dont really believe in counselling and therapy annyway. i might PM you some time. your really helpful. thanks again
lily65668 johnmc14
Posted
John, it's often much easier to open up anonymously to a complete stranger. I volunteer on a crisis line myself (though not specifically for young people) and I also once called the Samaritans in the UK when I was in distress a couple of days after my Mum's death 10 years ago. There's some woman calling herself Karen in the London area who's the only person to have ever heard the whole story of my life - and almost certainly the only one who ever will!
I know from my experience at both ends of the line that just talking about a problem to someone who isn't judgemental, or even able to offer any solutions, can be very therapeutic. Don't hesitate to call a helpline. Most are happy for you to make multiple calls too, as long as you're not calling more than once or twice a day. And yes, of course you can PM me any time you want to.
The transition to adulthood is a tough business for most people (even those who don't publicly admit it) but we all come through in the end. The most important thing to hang on to is not to project your current feelings into the future. By that I mean don't assume that things that worry you now will always worry you. You'd be surprised at how much your outlook will change in the next few years. I only started to realise that when I was in my late 20s, but it would have saved me a lot of misery if I'd known about it when I was your age.
johnmc14 lily65668
Posted
borderriever johnmc14
Posted
Your bedroom should be the coolest, not the coldest room in the house. We find thick curtains with liners keeps the early morning sunlight out of the room especially in summer mornings. Generally we find the best bedroom faces west in the summer, if you face east the heat will build up as will the sun from the south cause the same problems. Keep heating low, a cool room assists a good sleep in a darkened room.
You seem to be staying in your bedroom a lot, yes you do your exersise and I suppose what your television.If you are lying down you are resting and possibly need less sleep. Would getting out and walking around a park or something not help or does your school have any activities to keep you going ? What do you do for Social Life ??
Are you taking any medications, if so planning their taking may awaken you at a better time and help you be more attentive during the day. You could try going to bed later and see if that helps as you may sleep later in the morning. At 10pm if you wake at 06.00 that is eight hours, that generally is sufficient as many adults get about 6hrs a night. It may be your night is to long
Let us know how you get on
BOB
johnmc14 borderriever
Posted