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Ask HN: What helped you sleep better?

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Re: Ask HN: What helped you sleep better?

#11

I need very little sleep ( 4-5 hours daily). I have more time now and I do sports more because of that. I noticed it makes me sleep 1 hour more to recover. And yes, my mood is better too. Ps. Because of sports, i almost don't drink anything but water/milk.

That’s what I thought as well. But actually the 5 hours were just masking my real need to sleep which revealed itself after an extended time off.

Re: Ask HN: What helped you sleep better?

#14
Blackout curtains. I and I imagine, most people, are sensitive to light. Blackout curtains prevent light from reaching your eyes, resulting in your getting more sleep.

Eyemasks are also effective, but (1) you have to tolerate having something on your face and (2) they can get dislodged while you are sleeping, rendering them ineffective.

Re: Ask HN: What helped you sleep better?

#16
Trying to have a regular sleep schedule isn't enough, I find. Routine is so important that this needs to be more of a priority.

If you can get your routine down well enough, your body will get into a natural rhythm.

I haven't even used an alarm clock in I don't know how many years. Now that I have a routine my body just knows when to wake up and when to sleep.

Honarable mentions: Audiobooks, Sleep Masks / Blackout Curtains

Re: Ask HN: What helped you sleep better?

#20
Got very bad sleep and tried lots of stuff for many years with varying results.

Ditching alcohol is definitely a good idea. At least don't drink too much and too soon before sleep (e.g. lunch is ok)

Eat lightly in the evening, avoiding fatty/hard to digest stuff (meat, cheese...). Preferably long before sleep.

For me, caffeine has an adverse effect even at very low doses in the morning. Looks like the effect lasts several days. I need to stop caffeine for 1-2 weeks before I notice a real improvement. This means I often give up and start having coffee again.

Exercise is also weird: running generally makes me sleep badly, probably because too intense on a cardio level. Biking seems better but I don't like/do it much. Swimming works wonders for me (but needs to be intense enough to feel tired)

Watching TV before bed not a good idea. Avoid thrillers/violent stuff and reduce the brightness of your screen. The default settings are often very bright.

Tried a lot of supplements but not sure anything really helped. Maybe magnesium did, for a while. Some plant based supplements were awful for me (ashwaganda, etcholtzia, rhodiola, and others) I now avoid them all. Herbal tea makes me wanna pee in the middle of the night.

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