Sleep vs. Rest

[StephenHero]

I have trouble falling asleep quite a bit. I sometimes end up laying in bed trying to go to sleep for a couple hours, usually on nights where I know I have to get up early the next morning and feel a need to go to sleep.

I know you're obviously supposed to get however many hours of sleep a night, but is there any sort of way to determine the equivalence between just laying in bed and actually being asleep? How beneficial is it to simply try to go asleep? Can I equate X hours of laying in bed with Y hours of sleep?

 

[huntmol]

Have you tried exercising consistently each day, and going to bed at a consistently early time every night? Changing those two factors pretty much solved my sleep troubles, I used to lay awake in bed for 45 min - 1 hour every night before I could get to sleep.

Another thing that has really helped me is not look at a bright screen an hour before I go to sleep - no TV, no Xbox, no playing with my phone or tablet or endlessly browsing the internet. Now I just get ready for bed and then read a book for a while. When my head finally hits the pillow I'm asleep in less than a minute!

 

[wizzeak]

^There's a program called "Flux" which yellows/darkens your screen as the night approaches. Also I recommend you invest in some blackout curtains and spend some time blacking out your room. It's harder than it sounds especially if have a door where light peeps through the edges. Basically sleeping in pitch black will help you produce more melatonin which leads to a better quality sleep. The reason you can't just wear blindfolds or something is because your body "absorbs" light through your pineal gland.

But yeah the biggest factor is probably getting a routine pattern set up. Right now mine is all out of wack and I can't even sleep when I'm tired, and if I do, I will wake up 2-3 hours later and won't fall asleep again. It's ridiculous.

Finally sleep is incomparable to "rest". There are certain things your body does when you are sleeping and in the deepest level of sleep that won't happen when you are resting.

 

[why]



The reason you can't just wear blindfolds or something is because your body "absorbs" light through your pineal gland.

No, it most certainly does not. Light (or more precisely the sensation of it) is sent to the pineal gland through the retina.

 

[JayJay]



Have you tried exercising consistently each day, and going to bed at a consistently early time every night? Changing those two factors pretty much solved my sleep troubles, I used to lay awake in bed for 45 min - 1 hour every night before I could get to sleep.

Another thing that has really helped me is not look at a bright screen an hour before I go to sleep - no TV, no Xbox, no playing with my phone or tablet or endlessly browsing the internet. Now I just get ready for bed and then read a book for a while. When my head finally hits the pillow I'm asleep in less than a minute!

I've also found that rigorous exercise of some sort during the day or evening and reading before bed to ensure me a good night's sleep.

 

[cinnabar]

I have trouble falling asleep quite a bit. I sometimes end up laying in bed trying to go to sleep for a couple hours, usually on nights where I know I have to get up early the next morning and feel a need to go to sleep.

See a sleep specialist. They may even refer you out to a psychiatrist for an eval for anxiety.