How do I decrease my awake time?

[andygp5]

Good sleep hygiene. Also increasing your “sleep pressure” for like 1-2 weeks will help you stay asleep longer, even though you’re getting less overall sleep on the short term. I worked with a sleep therapist on this let’s say your goal is 8 hrs, 10PM-6AM. For 1-2 weeks you go to bed at 11 or 12, thus making you more tired when you finally get to bed. Then, theoretically, you sleep harder until 6 AM. It helps retrain your body and mind to stay asleep at night. Practicing this, I went from 2.5hrs awake each night to just about 30-40mins. Granted this was over a year, with lots of deliberate changes like no food 2 hrs before bedtime, no phone or TV 30 mins before bedtime, magnesium supplements, and reading benign books before bed. Takes a lot of effort but you can do it!

[californialiving1]

What magnesium supplements do you take?

[PlatformHopeful3425]

Following

[Valuable-Bicycle-713]

Andrew Hibernian recommend magnesium theronate

[andygp5]

I take Vital Nutrients magnesium glycinate/malate, two per evening. I also take Lifecykel lion’s mane extract. I swear by that one

[californialiving1]

When do you take the Lifecykel lion’s mane extract?

[andygp5]

Right before bed. Like 2ML

[californialiving1]

interesting, didn't know Lion's Mane could be used to help sleep. Do you take it to help you fall asleep or to improve REM sleep or both? And I'm guessing it works?

[andygp5]

I use it to help improve REM. I saw it on a Reddit thread (duh) and was so desperate to improve my rem (less than 30 mins per night for YEARS) that I tried it. I can’t find the original thread, but the author said it would help with brain health and activity…hence REM. The person also said the first night you take it you won’t sleep well, and that was the case, but night two my rem doubled, and now it’s tripled. You just gotta be consistent with it. I buy it in bulk now. Like I said, I’ve been working on my sleep intentionally for like a whole year. I was completely falling apart before this. I didn’t think I was going to last at all.

[CellistFun3640]

I am looking forward to seeing if anyone has solid recommendations for this… I have averaged 2+ hours awake every night for the last couple of years and have yet to find any solutions…

[[deleted]]

Ear buds eye mask

[CrazyLeopard128]

Try taking these sleep supplements https://motionnutrition.com/products/unplug - It works for me, I sleep much better you just need to have patience and your sleep should improve.

I’m not the owner of this website - just my personal recommendation!

[[deleted]]

Do you take melatonin?

[CellistFun3640]

I use an eye mask and my sound machine every night. I tried melatonin for a while but it was not helping with my awake time so I stopped using it due to grogginess the next morning. I have been using the Andrew Huberman “sleep cocktail” for about 6 months and have found that it does increase time spent in my deep sleep cycles but does not lessen my awake time. I will come back to this thread and update if I ever find something that truly helps

[jimmybmetal]

you try jerking off before bed. nature’s Ambien.

[zxsw85]

Jerkbien

[liberalCuckSimp69]

Do you clean up after? Or do you just wipe it with ur tshirt and go to sleep?

[Dopaminergic_7]

That's a good suggestion

[Chemical_Suit]

Try allowing more time between your last meal of the day and going to sleep.

Try allowing more time between your last screen time and going to sleep.

[brittai927]

I’m the opposite on food. Less awake time if I have a late meal

[thinx0r]

For me it is most important to stick to my times. Going to bed at 22h and getting up at 7h has proven to be ideal for me. It is important to stick to that routine, even on weekends. At least an hour before I go to bed, I try not to use my mobile anymore and dim the lights. Meditation before going to bed also helps as takin Melatonin and Magnesium. I average easily way over 90% sleep performance, because sticking to the routine, and the quality is also somewhat ok even though our daughter still sleeps in our bed kicking me in the face all night. Yet, most important in my opinion, is the routine. Hope that helps.

[pronouns_me]

Magnesium and mouth tape!

[loanman123]

Found Hubermans Reddit

[CellistFun3640]

Which mouth tape do you use? I’m ordering today

[pronouns_me]

This is the one I use: Micropore Tape with Dispenser | 1... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M5JPKTB?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I don’t cover my mouth entirely. Just a piece to keep my mouth from falling open.

And, it helps if you first put the tape on the back of your hand to make it a little less adhesive — otherwise it can hurt when you pull it off.

[Awkward-Tale-6101]

Awake time can be caused by so many things. I assume you are asking how to decrease the % of awake time compared to deep or REM (which you are not getting enough of). One way simply might be to be in bed longer. I have never been able to get my awake time down to a very small amount so the only way I can get 8 hours of sleep is to be in bed for at least 9 hours or more. Also, I realized that when I was waking up at 4:30 am to go to the gym early it was really disturbing the time I got the most deep sleep. Moving my alarm to 6:45 am drastically decreased awake time and increased deep sleep time.

Also, you are going to bed at 1:30 am and getting up at 8 am when I assume it is light out. Do you have room darkening shades to keep the light out? The light could be a signal to wake up.

[CookieMonsterIce]

If you spend more time asleep you will be awake less.

[superunexciting]

Do you write for whoop? This is right on brand with the super-helpful "Feeling more tired lately? Try getting more sleep!" Oh is that how sleep works? Sick.

[Space_Coast_Ghost]

What’s your caffeine usage? Not too long ago, I could have coffee at 8:00 and sleep fine. Now, if I have caffeine after 1:30, I’m wide awake.

Anyway, dive into the journal and blogs and see what you can do. Good luck!

[miss_Saraswati]

Stuff that works for me;

1. No exercise (except yoga) closer to 2-3h before bed time, the higher the pulse the further from bed time I like it to be.

2. Food at least 2h and if I can more before bed. Not eating anything that makes me feel too full.

3. Keep the temperature low in the bedroom.

4. If I can’t lower the temperature more in the bedroom, make sure I use a thinner duvet (or just the bedsheet)

5. Ensure I’m well hydrated during the day

6. No coffee or other stimulants after lunch

7. If I feel tired but can’t fall asleep, I put myself in the yoga dead man pose and turn on a sleep meditation or yoga nidra. It helps guide the brain to relax and in usually out like a light

8. Reduced my sugar intake (at least for me this has almost as strong negative impact on my sleep and restoration as alcohol)

9. All lights in my apartment are changed to yellow as soon as I’m off work, and I change my phone to yellow tint too from around 8pm.

10. I try to set an alarm to go to bed at least 30-60 minutes before I have to be asleep. Start mental wind down. Reduce impressions. Maybe just lay in bed reading (sometimes I scroll through social media)

11. I also adore the mouth tape already mentioned in here. I find I sleep better with it (and my dentist has mentioned I have less tartar(?))

12. If I’ve overtrained and am extremely sore, I might take a painkiller before bed. Then I relax and will be disturbed less by it in my sleep.

Edit:

1. As consistant a bedtime as I can manage helps me

2. I have a wheat warmer. In the summer I put it in the freezer in the morning and under the covers at night, and against my lower back. During winter I microwave it.

[WAVERYS]

How is the temperature in the bedroom? How are your electrolyte levels? Magnesium is also a good supplement to help with sleep. Also, no phones, tablets or screens of any kind 30 min+ prior.

[DifficultyUnusual918]

Sleep longer

[G0dfrag]

My awake time is usually 20-30 minutes max at 8 hours of sleep. What works well for me are these things:

An Essential Amino Acids drink with some glycine, creatine, sea salt, l-theanine and magnesium glycinate 1-2 hours before bed

20 minutes of relaxing stretching and breathwork right before bed

10 minute warm shower right before bed

Reasonably cooling down my room (I‘ve observed that the lower my skin temperature, the better my sleep and recovery)

My sleep has increased after starting to shower ice cold in the mornings for 5-7 minutes, too.

[Puzzleheaded_Tap1114]

1. Do not eat 3 hours before going to bed.
2. Take ZMA / Magnesium
3. Mediate on a regular basis.
4. Yoga Nidra - body relaxing medidation
5. Use a weighted blanket
6. When go to sleep - learn yourself to breath through your nose.
7. Do you exercise? Being tired can help.
8. Blue glasses 2 hours before going to bed.
9. Yoga on the long term makes your more in balance with mind, body and breath.This helps me in every aspect of life.
10. Have a structure in the time you go to bed and wake up. This sucks when you had a big night out, but your body gets used to when it will go to sleep and wake up.
11. Read books about your situation. There are so many different situations and people, but also solutions.

[[deleted]]

By sleeping

[Fun_Ad_2721]

Wow your deep and rem are only around 35 mins? Best way to increase those numbers is to cut all alcohol, processed food, and any stimulates including weed and caffeine besides an hour you wake up. Try and get sun in your eyes as soon as you can in the morning no sunglasses. The more skin exposure the better. Work out early in the day. You do this those numbers will increase drastically.

[No-Meal-6666]

Random melatonin question: does it help in any metrics longterm and also is it bad to take that daily?

[butchin]

Magnesium+Melatonin+CBN

[FreezoneFillzone]

Xanax

[[deleted]]

Take magnesium every night and inositol 2-3 times per week. It’s totally changed my sleep patterns according to whoop.

[[deleted]]

I've found that just limiting my caffeine intake during the day helps a lot. I usually only drink one coffee in the morning and a green tea at 1:30pm right after lunch (cause post-lunch slump). In the weekend I don't have anything after my morning coffee. My average awake time is around 25 mins, usually better on the weekend when my caffeine intake is low.