[theworld572]

The best thing you can do for sleep is to stop worrying about it so much. Ditch the weighted blankets, the sleep trackers, the obsessively strict sleep hygiene routine, the meditation, the mindfulness, the blue light glasses etc.

[theworld572]

Weird this is getting downvoted. Its true for my own experience - my life is much better since I've stopped with all the sleep gadgets and panicking when I get less than 8 hours sleep in a night.

Its also a view backed up by professionals: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jun/17/why-sle...

And there are books written on this too: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1456492543/

[DenisM]

“The best way to move around with a broken leg is to ditch the cast and the crutches and the scooters, and just walk normally. It worked for me!”.

This is what you sound like.

Also, you have likely mixed up the cause and the effect - you started sleeping better for whatever reason and as a result lost interest in sleep gadgets.

[jplayer01]

> Weird this is getting downvoted

It's because there are legitimately people who have problems falling asleep that are not tied to obsessing about sleep gadgets. How can you be so unbelievably callous and dismissive of people's problems?

I've spent months barely getting 4-5 hours of sleep because I can't shut off my brain and how oppressive life is/can be. I don't see what any of that has to do with tracking sleep or buying a weighed blanket or whatever else. Mainly because I didn't try any of it - but if I do buy a weighted blanket and it helps me fall asleep ... what exactly do you have against that blanket helping me?

[theworld572]

The pearl-clutching is strong in this post.

[notacoward]

It's great if that works for you, but we're not all alike. Personally, I find that the biggest thing for me is just having a consistent schedule. Does that mean other issues won't exist for others? Of course not! Some people find weighted blankets beneficial, and good for them. Some people like sleep masks and/or earplugs, ditto.

I think we should encourage people to experiment and find what works for them. The key is not "everyone do this" or "nobody do this" but "try things, pay attention to which ones work, and do those".

[theworld572]

I think you are taking my post far too "literally" (can't think of a better term sorry). I can't blame you though, the internet does not really convey the implicit nuance that I intended with this post.

Yes you are right, my point was more to respond to the increasing culture of "sleep obsession" these days which I think is more often than not resulting in even worse sleep due to the anxiety it causes.

If you want to buy a weighted blanket, go buy a weighted blanket. But these products don't exist in isolation - they are part of a broader trend which is what I'm criticising.

[jplayer01]

But you literally said

> The best thing you can do for sleep is to stop worrying about it so much

If you're aware that the internet is rife with communications issues, why would you put that out there without any elaboration at all? Reddit is the place for throw-away comments, HN isn't.

Frankly, I don't worry about sleep when I can't sleep. I worry about everything. And if you say "well, stop worrying", I'm going to jump out a window.

[CathedralBorrow]

So simple. Just stop worrying! Incredible.

[sourceless]

I know it sounds rather ‘Wow thanks! I’m cured!’, but that’s the point — if you’ve stopped worrying about it, then you’ve dealt with one of the root problems. Anxiety is dumb like that and being able to chill out and realise that even though it is important, you shouldn’t spend too much mental energy on it.

It’s not an easy thing to do by any means, but it is the end goal, and a lot of people are unfamiliar with how to just let go.

[drunken-serval]

That's only true if anxiety is the underlying problem. I'll grant that anxiety is probably the most common cause but it's far from the only one. Chronic pain and mental illness can easily stop one from sleeping, no matter what you do.

For me, I have back pain that can get severe enough that I can't sleep. And if that wasn't enough, whatever regulates dopamine and norepinephrine levels in my brain doesn't work properly. When I'm depressed, my brain can't sleep until it hits absolute exhaustion. Not won't, can't.

I need all of these strategies, in addition to medication, get any deep sleep with enough regularity to stay healthy and sane.

[CathedralBorrow]

To me it seems about as useless/condescending as "Just stop drinking!" as a way to deal with one of the root problems of alcoholism.

[SketchySeaBeast]

I don't think that works for some people. I'm lucky - I used to struggle with insomnia and anxiety trying to sleep but at some point it flipped for me and now I can start snoring before the light is all the way out. But my spouse can't - she tosses and turns, full of anxiety. It's not sleep worries, it's life worries - when the lights go out the voices rush in. We're working right now with mindfulness and meditation to see if that helps because she needs tools to help shut off her brain.

[dinkleberg]

I think this is the right approach, but don't ditch those things if you like them (if you like the weighted blanket - go for it), just ditch them if you're using them solely for the purpose of better sleep. I think trying to live a healthy life in general results in the quality sleep everyone is hoping for. Poor quality sleep is often a symptom of other things, so addressing the real root of things is the better approach.

What I've found has given me consistently great sleep (and this is as a fairly normal dude with no insomnia or sleep-preventing issues) is exercising most days (generally later in the evening), giving myself time to wake up "naturally" using one of those alarm apps that detects your sleep cycle, and limiting my alcohol intake. When I'm feeling like I want a really great nights sleep I'll take the supplement ZMA which gives me very vivid dreams and deep sleep.

The relationship between alcohol and poor sleep quality is clear to me. On nights when I drink a lot, I sleep horribly. When I drink a drink or two, my sleep quality isn't negatively affected that much, but it's rare that I have a great nights sleep after drinking even a little.

[impendia]

Having experienced insomnia, I am curious what you believe this means in practice?

Imagine that you got a poor night of sleep last night, and that this is a fairly common occurrence. You then slogged through a workday where you felt terrible and accomplished almost nothing. It is now 10:30 pm, and you're about to go to bed. You are well aware that the same could happen again. To worry is absolutely natural. If you find yourself worrying, then how do you ease it?

In large part, insomnia treatment is designed to slow down your worrying. Certainly that's a major focus of meditation and mindfulness. Psychotherapy is also a frequently recommended treatment.

The sleep hygiene routine is also designed to reduce worry. You've resolved to stick to the same routine every day, regardless of how well or poorly you sleep. This means that you don't have any decisions to make, eliminating one source of worry.

I very much agree with your end goal, but I'm not sure why you're dismissive of the strategies adopted by people who want to reach that goal.

[meijer]

You might have a point here.

I wish I hadn't read "Why we sleep"...