Trying to change sleep schedule

shays860

I've been on a second shift schedule for years where I could stay up pretty late but still get up early enough to read and meditate before work. But now my schedule has been pushed up just far enough that I don't have that free time in the morning anymore which is when I am naturally inclined to read and meditate. And I just can't seem to make my self go to sleep any earlier. If I try I just lie awake in bed for hours. Has anyone else had this problem and do you have any advice?

etherea

How long is it since you changed your work pattern? Sometimes it can take a while for your body and mind to adjust. Why not use the "I can't sleep time" for reading and meditation? The worse thing is lying awake in bed - get up and try again later. I used to work strange hours and I totally know what you're going through, I hope it normalises soon.

shays860

A couple of months probably. I've tried but in the evening I can't seem to focus on reading and meditation. I feel like I need to be doing something more "fun".

Dakini

I'd need to know more about your current schedule. How early are you trying to go to sleep? Sleep is tricky. Etherea has a good suggestion. But 2 months seems like enough adjustment time. When do you have to go to work, and when are you trying to go to sleep? It sounds like maybe your body is revving up ("need to do something 'fun' " in the evening) just when it should be downshifting. Your body clock (cortisol rhythm) may be off, kinda like you have jet lag. Sometimes melotonin supplements can help re-set that.

shays860

I went from going to work between 2 and 4 to going in between 10 and 1 (the fact that it is never totally consistent doesn't help anything). I was going to sleep at least by four, rarely earlier than two, and that's pretty much still where I'm at. I try to go to sleep around 12 or 1 and wind up lying there awake for two or three hours.

Dakini

The fact that it's not consistent is probably your main problem. So you're saying that you're not able to get to sleep at 12 midnight? You're getting off work anywhere between 6 pm and 9pm, as far as I can tell. So you don't have much time to unwind before sleep, especially if you get home around 8 or 9. What about taking a hot bath as a way to relax? Dinner, a bath, meditation, and then light reading until bed? Do you do deep breathing with meditation, "yoga" breathing? That's supposed to calm your nervous system, and switch it to relax mode. The trick is to find activities that's down-shift your nervous system from work mode, to relax mode, in preparation for sleep.

If all else fails, there's valium. That's exactly what it does. And it'll put you to sleep. But you don't want to take it daily.

Sile

I realize most of your troubles seem to be at the back end...getting to sleep...but it doesn't hurt to give your body a very strong "on" signal when it's time to get up, too. Studies in mammal Circadian rhythms have shown that light tells the brain it's "awakening time," and the more intense the light, the stronger the signal to the brain to switch to "awake" mode. My dad used to tell me to look into a fairly bright light for a bit in the morning, if I was trying to reset my inner clock. He had done his master's thesis on this using gerbils, whom he later released into the neighbor's corn field

As Dakini said, melatonin can be extremely effective - a lot of international pilots use it. It zonks me RIGHT out. Only a quarter of a tablet does it for me; you can get pretty groggy the next day if you take too much, but as far as I know it's not considered to have other negative side effects (might want to check into this, though; it's been a while since I looked). Sure hope you can get this licked. Sleeplessness is so debilitating.