Week 2 of the 52 small changes - learning to sleep train ourselves

[OddSocksHighHeels]

Once again, all are welcome to join!

We are still continuing to drink the water we started in week one alongside the new challenge.

The aim is to get 7-8 hours sleep a night (adjust that as you see fit to work with your own requirements) and the tips are as follows:

1. Check your sleeping environment. The room should be dark and quiet (if you live near a busy road or have a lot of light coming through a window then consider a blind or white noise CD). Sleep in good quality sheets and comfortable sleepwear that isn't too tight/restrictive. Keep your bedroom at the correct temperature and humidity (consider a humidifier or dehumidifier if necessary).
   

1. Keep to a sleep schedule. Figure out what time you need to go to sleep in order to get the right amount of sleep, move your bedtime back by 15 minutes each day to get to the right point. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.
   

1. Any exercise should be done in the morning or afternoon.
   

1. Create a sleep schedule. An example is: drink a cup of herbal tea, take a bath with lavender oil, play soothing and relaxing music, dim the lights before bedtime, write a to-do list for the next day to rest your mind.
   

1. Avoid sugar and caffeine after 2:30pm
   

1. Limit alcohol and smoking
   

1. Don't eat or drink anything for 2-3 hours before sleeping.

[Toffeewhirl]

Yes, the paediatrician who diagnosed DS1 said it was common for people with ASD to have insufficient melatonin. DS1's sleep really improved when he started using it. Now he is refusing to take it, he's up till 2 or 3 in the morning again.

[fuzzpig]

Thank you I was wondering about melatonin as well. Apparently it's often off kilter in people with ASD, although DD is not diagnosed (and not sure that she would be yet, she's managing well enough so even CAMHS won't help anymore) but will ask about it.

[Toffeewhirl]

Sounds like you have the right balance with sleep, fuzz - setting an alarm so you don't sleep in till silly times, but still making the most of your opportunities to vary that when necessary. I always appreciated the freedom home ed allowed us to catch up on sleep when necessary, especially as DS1 - like your DD - has always had trouble switching off at night. He was prescribed melatonin and this helped, although he won't take it anymore (teenager and knows everything now, apparently ). I hope the dr can help your DD.

Managed seven and a half hours' sleep last night, but couldn't wake up this morning. What's that all about then? However, I did feel better for the extra sleep during the day.

[fuzzpig]

Indeed Toffee and thank you, I think it is helping. We are about to start some work now whereas before we wouldn't even be up yet. Last night (this morning) I didn't get to sleep til 3 due to aches, I was sorely (see what I did there?) tempted to turn off the alarm but actually I'm glad I didn't. And DD did go to sleep a little earlier last night - still far later than it should be but progress all the same.

That said, the CAMHS person who saw us said that we were right to go with her natural rhythms to some extent (he was very positive about home ed as well), but then DD says she is really tired, she just can't sleep. She doesn't have the epic anxiety attacks anymore which is great, so she's not upset at night, she just can't switch off. She's asked to see a doctor about it so I've made an appt.

Maybe in the future, especially when it's lighter earlier, I'll make my alarm a bit earlier, but hoping we can take it slowly.

[Toffeewhirl]

Fuzz - we used to sleep in when we home educated too. It was lovely in some ways, but sometimes it was hard to get going and I used to feel guilty about it. I think setting an alarm is a good idea.

Had a shocking few nights of only five to six hours' sleep midweek, but managed nine hours' on Friday night and seven last night, so am back on track again.

Not doing so well at the drinking-water thing. I find it makes me go to the loo so much and it's embarrassing at work. Also, people keep offering me tea at work and it's hard to refuse. Tea doesn't count, does it?

I'm still not drinking alcohol, because I'm doing Dry January, so I'm doing a different good thing instead. Am feeling much more energetic than usual.

[quirkychick]

Finally, I have managed 8 1/4 hrs sleep! Can I keep it up?

Thanks Oddsocks. I think I am already getting quite active with with lots of steps on my Fitbit and doing the Yoga Camp. I will still keep focusing on sleep as well.

[OddSocksHighHeels]

New thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2544980-Week-3-of-52-small-changes-getting-more-active?watched=1

[OddSocksHighHeels]

Well tonight I'm going out drinking so sleep won't be great yet again but the water is still going well for me fortunately!

I'm going to go and start the week 3 thread ready for tomorrow!

[quirkychick]

administered an icecpack by torchlight but this morning it looks like it could be a shiner!

I need to get off tablet etc. earlier. I used to do no technology after 9pm. But am busy doing mfp and fitbit water.

[quirkychick]

On the positive I have managed to get dp and I to bed before 11pm. Dp usually wants to chat at bedtime too, hard to balance sleep with relationship needs. I agree.

Feeling really guilty as it turned out dd2 bashed her eye on the
"headboard" at 2am this morning. I thought she had bumped her head and afministered

[FiftyNineOhEight]

Thank you from me too - I have't been contributing to the thread, but checking in to say that I have been doing OK on the water front - taking a bottle to work with me and filling it up over the day helps; and as I'm also doing Dry January my sleep has been pretty good this week. I have been making myself start getting ready for bed 15 minutes earlier than usual, which has helped (I can spend ages faffing around, whereas DH just decides it's bedtime, comes upstairs, brushes his teeth and goes to bed and is asleep before I am).

[IWasHereBeforeTheHack]

I think I'm getting better at drinking more water - it's a bit erratic. Sleep still has some work to do. I only occasionally have caffeinated coffee after lunchtime anyway, so that must be helping.

However, I have observed the following reasons for not getting to bed earlier and not getting good quality sleep:

1. Trying to reach FitBit targets before midnight. This means I am doing exercise very late at night. This is a bad habit! I must get off MN earlier in the evening!!
   
2. DH wanting to talk when we go to bed. He suffers from depression, he's not currently working which is not helping, his elderly parents both have dementia and ever-increasing care needs (and dealing with 'the system' is almost a full-time job); he also has tinnitus and insomnia. So he wants to talk, and is often very low at bedtime ('there are no jobs, I'll never work again, my life is pointless') so I try to reassure and calm him. He sleeps very poorly anyway and I think his restlessness affects my sleep too sometimes.
   

Our sleep environment is good and actually I sleep pretty well mostly. My average over the last month is just under 7 hours, but of course I had time off work so it's usually lower than that.

This has been a really useful exercise to make me focus on my sleep, and I have resolved to exercise earlier in the day to allow me to go to bed earlier!

Thanks, OddSocks. I'm looking forward to the next challenge.

[fuzzpig]

I'm rubbish at contributing to the thread sorry. Not doing well at either of the changes so far!

I've been very brave though and set a weekday alarm to try and reset our sleep patterns. Since the DCs are home ed (nearly a year) I've got really bad at making them get up in the morning so they are sleeping late. It's helpful for me in that I find it really hard to get up in the mornings (due to pain/dizziness) but I don't think it's healthy in other ways. On Friday they woke and got up when the alarm went off at 8 and we had a much better day.

[Sirona]

Slightly later going to bed but knew I could get a bit of a lie-in this morning. Over 8 hours last night.

Apparently dd is suffering with a bad cold though and home today. I'm not banking on getting undisturbed sleep this week.

[DrDiva]

anonymousbird if only my hair behaved that well!

I am being utterly useless at the water. Part of the problem is that water really makes me feel sick, and flavouring it doesn't help an awful lot. Will keep trying...

[quirkychick]

Me too, but I think I will still need to try to focus on my sleep. I'm hoping a small person will sleep better, so I can get myself into a better pattern again.

[Pointlessfan]

I went out last night, had a few drinks, only 3 beers def not drunk but it really interfered with my sleep last night. Woke up once needing the loo and again just feeling hot then couldn't wake up this morning despite toddler DD shouting "mummy mummy mummy!" down my ear!
Looking forward to seeing what the next change is.

[quirkychick]

Rubbish night again here. My sleep has been worse this week. Last night was cold here, so we tend to put the heating on very low to take the edge off and turn off the radiators downstairs. Unfortunately, I forgot the hall radiator which was belching out heat and woke both dd2 and I up and 1:30am ish. Grrrr. It took her a couple of hours to go back off. She makes quite a bit of noise, even lying down drifting off, 5 3/4 hrs. I might try for a nap later, if dp can look after the dcs.

[Allgunsblazing]

ICJump, hope they are better today and you'll enjoy the rest of your holiday. :)

[Allgunsblazing]

I had a very busy morning and I only had a few sips of my morning coffee. Then, I didn't get the chance to have a coffee in the afternoon either (my coffee and cake at 4 pm is sacred, it's a 25 years old ritual, I never miss it). And I thought: oh, that's fine then, I can skip it this afternoon, let's just get this done. Good god, I never had such a bad headache in my life!!! I could hardly keep my eyes open through the pain. I was good though, I made a coffee but shared it with my colleague, ploughed through what we had to do and went home on time.
I went to bed last night reading Marie Kondo's book, finished half of it, today I'll finish the rest and then return it to the library, but I did have a good night sleep! I liked the fact she said you need to visualise how you want your space/bedroom to look, as part of the going to bed ritual.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Look forward to next week's habit :)
Have a nice weekend everyone.

[ICJump]

Water shocking today as I was in a training course and drank loads if coffee.
Sleep terrible. DS2 kept "falling" off the SIM to the ground apparent a 7mm is too much. The DS1 spent most of the evening vomiting. He is fine now.
One more night if holiday.

[OddSocksHighHeels]

Omg I'm famous yeah I saw the e-mail today! I still noticed the lack of water though me too today but I'll let you off cos I'm so nice.

[BewitchedBotheredandBewildered]

OddSocks you made the Round Up with your SIRI thread !

[fizz][fizz]

Just distracting from yet another failed water day

KOKO everyone, just trying counts.

[R00tat00tt00t]

Hello there! I'm still in just haven't had a chance to post. Not doing nearly as well as a lot of you but still better than my normal habits and feeling quite positive about it. Managing at least a litre of water per day and have swapped to decaf tea most of the time too plus occasional squash or fruit juice. Going to bed earlier at night, usually 10-10.30, read for a bit then lights off. Annoyingly I've been waking about 3 or 4am but managed to get back to sleep then waking about 6.20 before alarm at 6.40 so must be getting enough for me. I'm also more spotty than usual and not sure if it's the extra water or hormones? Looking forward to the next challenge!

[quirkychick]

6 1/2hrs again. I needed a wee at 5am, but did drift off to sleep again. I need to remember to only sleep on one pillow as 2 gives me tight shoulders, I seem to be managing the water fine. Sleep is a work in progress.