h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've had bad sleep patterns for years. Today, at least, I know what caused my current wobble. Got home from shopping and lunch and shopping, laid down for a lil' nap, and woke up at 1am! Stayed in bed for another hour and 20, then gave up the ghost and got up.

This does not Bode Well for attaining and keeping a temp job. Sigh.

Unless it's a night job!

Can you force yourself to keep regular sleep hours for a while, maybe use some melatonin or something else safe until your body recalibrates it's natural clock?

I do that, but then I seem to fall off the log again. What I need is a regular activity that will make me stick to a reasonable semblance of normality. Maybe take a class at one of my old schools? LA City College is just half a mile away...

You mentioned melatonin, but I had a brain f*rt and forgot to ask -- have you ever used it to improve sleep?

Can't remember where I read this recently - but apparently it can help to get at least ten minutes of proper daylight (ie out of doors) sometime between the hours of 7am and 9am.

I have used melatonin. Several years ago and for a period of about two or three weeks. It did seem to help me sleep. Then it stopped working. I don't know if that is common or was just me.

RE being out in the sun for at least 10 minutes, from 7am to 9am -- that is just so darned specific.Makes me wonder how they came to that conclusion?

I'll give the melatonin a try, Hyp. I seem able to get up early, even when I haven't had enough sleep the night before. I seem to be up between 6 and 7 every morning, no matter how little sleep I've had the night before.

Something to do with the pineal gland, I think.

From Wi*i
In humans and other mammals, the light signals necessary to set circadian rhythms are sent from the eye through the retinohypothalamic system to the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and the pineal.

Well, I've tried the 10+ minutes of sun in the morning, and it seems to help. Latest I've gone to sleep in the past 4 days is 12:30. Ish.

When I do another grocery shop, I'll get some melatonin, and give that a whirl too.

It's not so much being out of sync with the rest of the world, it's the GUILT for being in bed late and not up with everyone else. My mum gave great guilt, for being an Episcopalian!!

Funny. I've always felt guilty for sleeping in, too. I'm glad the sun exposure is helping. Chronic insomnia is the pits.