Can someone help me with the sleep situation?

Hectix777

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Feb 26, 2011
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As I'm sure a lot of people on this site have done or are doing, I'm in high school. To be specific this is my junior year, and I'm hoping to make it good so that when I reach senior I will be impressive. At any rate, as anyone knows, high school is not only the most important part of growing as a young adult, but also the most stressful environment on Earth. School work, peers, trying to make friends, homework, acne, etc. etc. My main focus here is on sleep.

So here's how sleep goes for me: Go to bed at 10:30, surf the web on iPod 'til around 11:30(like an idiot), than dock the thing on my alarm clock and wake up at 5:00 than get out of bed at 5:15. As you can see I'm only getting...around 7 hours instead of my needed 8 to 9 and that really throws a monkey wrench in to my day. On the inside I'm pretty good guy, I've got the gift of gab, I know how to talk about the issues(real things not,"OMG, Brett is totally going out with Milanda" or celebrity bulls*&^) and I can draw and do a bunch of other things. I want to do a lot of things to make my self better(work out, practice drawing more, homework, Rosetta, etc.) but I never get that urge to, it's like as soon as I get home my body goes on auto-pilot and my brain takes a back seat by force. I don't like that, I know what I need to do to improve myself, I'm told daily that I have great potential, and I do believe I can do just short of everything, but I never get that "oomph". Y'know that sudden feel to go,"Yeah, let's do this!" and I want that.

I was wondering if anyone here on the Escapist has gone through what I'm going through and knows a trick or two around it. Should I take vitamins? Take a nap when I get home after school? Hot showers? Tea? Ancient Maori warrior ritual of tranquil rage? Anyways, thanks for looking at this and if anyone has any advice at all to give me, I'll appreciate it.
 

Frezz

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Nov 3, 2011
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Story of my life bro. I can tell you that it got better for me once I got to college, because being in a completely new environment helped jolt my bad habits out of place, but since surviving high school is the issue at hand, the best advice I can give is to find someone else to work with, whether it's on schoolwork or on personal projects. I think that's probably been the best thing for me in college versus high school, and I wish I'd had someone to study/work with back then.

Just having someone around who's working on the same thing I am has some sort of intangible motivating power, plus having a friend to joke around with takes the bite out of dealing with particularly arduous assignments.
 

IndomitableSam

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Sep 6, 2011
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Stop surfing. If you're up at 5, be in bed no later than 10:30. You've probably got no drive because you're tired. Stop fucking around at night - it's been proving that using electronic items just before bed really screws with your sleep. Just try getting yourself in bed, lights out, by 10:30 for 10 days to 2 weeks and see if you feel like doing more.

As for doings things... maybe you either need to set yourself a schedule or get a friend to do it with you. If it's with someone else, you're letting both them and yourself down if you just don't feel like it.

Do you go for walks or get regular exercise? Even just going for a 15 minute walk after eating can help dinner settle and get your mind working.

Do you have to be up so early? I usually shower the night before so I can sleep later in the morning. Also, a nice warm shower in the evening is really relaxing and a good way to relieve the stress of the day. Just turn it up as hot as you can handle and stand there until you get yelled at for the sky-high water bill.

I'm kind of like you otherwise, I have all these ideas of things I should do, but they just stay ideas. I try to tell people or involve people and that way I kind of feel obligated to do things. Also setting a schedule and shutting out all distractions helps me.
 

Imp Poster

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Sep 16, 2010
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IndomitableSam said:
Stop surfing. If you're up at 5, be in bed no later than 10:30. You've probably got no drive because you're tired. Stop fucking around at night - it's been proving that using electronic items just before bed really screws with your sleep. Just try getting yourself in bed, lights out, by 10:30 for 10 days to 2 weeks and see if you feel like doing more.
I agree with this as well.

How is your diet, especially, breakfast? Eating better may help your energy level.
I coming to an age where I have to watch my cholesterol level so I am trying a fruit only breakfast and I have noticed an increase in energy level.

It is hard to start something like that. You are just going to have to bite the bullet and start somewhere, but whatever it is, you have to set up a routine for it. Eventually, it will become easier to do, like a habit.

Finding some way to motivate yourself is key. Having a friend can help, but also drag you down so you have to be careful. And really liking to do it helps but you gotta try it first to find out what is to like about it. I can have a thought of a situation in WoW that will wake me up at 6 a.m. which will make me want to play it at that time. It's that easy. The thought of working out sometimes, I have to look at myself naked in the mirror and find flaws to motivate me to work out. Sorry for the TMI, but it is what motivates me to work out.
 

Insobriety

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Jun 1, 2011
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I have the same problem - I know what I want to do to improve my life but I basically cba or don't remember to do it. I have solved this problem when it comes to exercise though by making a workout plan in office, and it's now the only icon on my desktop. I do a set amount of exercises a day and if I miss a day, I do double the next (which usually makes me remember all those other days.)

PS - you sleep in two hour rem cycles, so you should be fine with 6 hours, but it isnt adviseable to sleep in odd numbered hours IE 3 hours, 5 hours, 7 hours.
 

Hectix777

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Feb 26, 2011
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Imp Poster said:
IndomitableSam said:
Stop surfing. If you're up at 5, be in bed no later than 10:30. You've probably got no drive because you're tired. Stop fucking around at night - it's been proving that using electronic items just before bed really screws with your sleep. Just try getting yourself in bed, lights out, by 10:30 for 10 days to 2 weeks and see if you feel like doing more.
I agree with this as well.

How is your diet, especially, breakfast? Eating better may help your energy level.
I coming to an age where I have to watch my cholesterol level so I am trying a fruit only breakfast and I have noticed an increase in energy level.

It is hard to start something like that. You are just going to have to bite the bullet and start somewhere, but whatever it is, you have to set up a routine for it. Eventually, it will become easier to do, like a habit.

Finding some way to motivate yourself is key. Having a friend can help, but also drag you down so you have to be careful. And really liking to do it helps but you gotta try it first to find out what is to like about it. I can have a thought of a situation in WoW that will wake me up at 6 a.m. which will make me want to play it at that time. It's that easy. The thought of working out sometimes, I have to look at myself naked in the mirror and find flaws to motivate me to work out. Sorry for the TMI, but it is what motivates me to work out.

To answer the diet question I eat a turkey burger patty in the mornin'. Some sorta ADHD diet thing that's supposed to help my brain focus on things, I don't get it. That was to answer your question.