Sleep patterns and naps?

D

Don Nguyen

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Oct 4, 2011
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I'm having a lot of trouble with sleeping patterns and school. Every day, without exception, I fall dead tired at 1pm (8pm too, but that's less vital). I can't concentrate on the class during those times - I can't even keep my eyes open. After 3pm I'm OK and can function normally, but I don't even have class during then. I can try to nap before my 12pm class, but I'm unable to fall asleep unless if it's really around 1pm.

This has been a regular pattern of mine for quite some time now, maybe a couple years or longer. I haven't thought about it before, but now it's really bugging me.

I've tried different combinations of bed times and wake up times. Sometimes I have to sleep at 10pm and wake at 5am, or sleep at 12pm and wake at 7am. I'm getting deep sleep, so I think I'm resting well. I eat well and exercise. I'd prefer not to rely on caffeine/other.

Anyone have ideas/tips/wisdom? Thanks so much. Sincerely,

-Don Nguyen
 
The brainiacs say to get up at a certain time every day, no matter what, and no matter if you didn't sleep a wink all night. And to go to bed at fixed time, irrespective of everything else. And no naps. Makes sense to me. Your body has to sleep, and you need to tell it what hours are available to do that.

I just got a CPAP machine a couple of weeks ago for very modest apnea (the scale is something like 5.0 - 25.0, and I was 5.2). But it has given me a little better night's sleep and I almost never get up at night now. If you have a lot of fat around your throat area (thats what the sleep technician said), or if people tell you that you snore, you may want to consider undergoing a sleep study.
 
Consistency is important. If you can afford it, see a doctor, and get a script for Ambien or something, just to set your sleep pattern - say, take pill at 9 to sleep at 10 (pill takes an hour to kick in). Do it for 3 nights in a row, and you will reset your body clock. Then maintain. I know, hard to do when you are young.
 
I work two full timers, have done for a few years now, checkout polyphasic sleeping, after the initial hacking of the brain, as long as you eat enough protein and hydrate properly 3/3.5 hours a day is all I need. I can work 20 hour days 4 days in a row and then do no work for 2 whole days.

Afterwards you go into instant rem sleep in about 5/10 mins sometimes sooner
 
Circadian trough. Early afternoon (1-3pm) and early morning (1-3am) your body temperature drops and you feel sleepy. It isn't necessarily to do with eating as experiments have been done with different eating patterns and it still occurs. Ever wondered why so many disasters caused or not detected so quickly as they should happen in the early hours of the morning? (chernobyl, exxon valdez etc.) Well your body does the same thing in the day, at about the same time, as I understand it.

I don't know how to fix it, but I'd be wary of using drugs and trying to sort it in the short term. I think regularity is probably good.
 
I've had some very odd and random work schedules in the past. Some tips:
Unless you work nights, don't give in to naps - it'll ruin your sleep that night.
Nothing wrong with a bit of coffee in the afternoon, especially if it can keep you from napping.

Good luck with it. :(
 
I have always loved naps, going back as far as I can remember...so to each his own.

Back when I was in school, I also had certain times when it was like a switch was hit and I just wanted to sleep. Things that seemed to help were things I ate, how much and what I drank, and what kind of workouts I was doing.

In general the cleaner I ate and the better hydrated I was the better I felt. Things like a little dark chocolate prio to the time when I would hit the wall helped as well. Days I worked out generally were better days than "off days" but it did depend on the type of workout.

Sunlight was an issue as well here in the northeast, but I guess not in Az.

How much time I was spending on a computer also was a factor.

I'm guessing there are many things working against you, it may take several changes to feel better or only a small tweak to your daily doings/habits to see a change.
 
Don, for what it's worth... I had a very similar sleep pattern when I was your age. (I'm assuming you are college aged) I think I fell asleep in EVERY 1pm lecture for most of my college career. I do, however, have some suggestions:

Powernoodle has some powerful advice... get a sleep study done. IF you are apneic, you WILL have moments where your body will demand sleep... often in middle of the day. I actually fell asleep at a red light on my way home for lunch! Had a sleep study done, and it was determined that I had pretty severe sleep apnea. Got a CPAP machine, and have been sleeping much better ever since. No need for mid day naps like prior.

What you eat for lunch may affect you too. I found that with high carb meals, I'd experience a sleepy period not too long after eating. Try for a more high protein meal at lunch time.

Staying hydrated also makes a big difference in just about every way in how you feel. Bonus... hard to fall asleep when ya gotta pee!

Good luck.... keep us posted.
 
Well, the first thing I would say is try to sleep more than 7 hours, at least 8 and maybe 9. If you're young you actually need quite a bit more sleep than you will in your 30s. Second is good sleep hygiene, no caffeine or other stumlants in the afternoon. Don't eat right before bed and no lights of any kind, even charging lights on electronic devices, while you sleep. If you have a TV in your room take it out or at least do not lay down in bed while watching it or reading. Condition yourself that your bed is for sleeping and sleeping only...well, maybe for some other things, but let's stay family friendly.
 
Almost forgot, melatonin is relatively inexpensive and available over the counter. Get some and start taking it every evening and it will help you regulate your sleep patterns. You can take quite a lot, but I wouldn't go over 6mg per day without consulting your physician.
 
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help. I'll have to get a sleep study done and get it all checked out.

Interesting to see your input on naps too - I always had the impression that a quick power nap was beneficial for a productive day? I'll have to ask about that too.
 
Do you exercise? If not, you should. It'll give you a normal sleeping pattern.
 
Are you drinking at all? When I cut out the booze, my sleep got better.
 
The 'power naps' can work well. My grandfather worked on ships as an engineer.The engines had to be worked on at certain times so power naps were the solution. I found them handy when I did a lot of travelling .I got to the point where I could get on a plane ,immediately fall asleep and wake up an hour later at my destination .
 
Don Nguyen said:
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help. I'll have to get a sleep study done and get it all checked out.
Click to expand...

Pull an all-nighter before the sleep study. Sleep studies are quite miserable, and if you don't go in asleep on your feet, you might sleep only a few minutes and have to do it twice. You do not want to do it twice.

Anyone sleeping with you can diagnose sleep apnea. You stop breathing for up to a minute and start again with a snort. If you snore loudly enough to wake someone, they will hear this. A sleep study shows whether the cause is obstructive, central, or both. The difference? Central means you need a more expensive machine.

A sleep study technician determines the minimum air pressure that will keep you from choking. They do it by trial and error. Fortunately you will be only semi-conscious. After they get the pressure, they will let you sleep.

The technician will ask whether you're a mouth breather, and may offer you a choice of nasal pillows, a nasal mask, or a full-face mask. You are not a mouth breather unless you always and only breath through your mouth. If that is not you, ask for nasal pillows. Don't worry about your allergies and nasal congestion. The CPAP will take care of that.

My CPAP sounds like a muted version of Darth Vader's ventilator. I got used to it. Vader and his ventilator were all that got me through those stupid movies. Usually I'm the only one who hears it.
 
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