Can't sleep before teaching

[Gooey]

I've taught university for two years, but now that I'm in a new program for my PhD work I can't sleep on nights before I teach at all. I just replay my lecture over and over in my head and suddenly it's time to wake up. I think part of it has to do with my wife working overnight as a nurse, so we barely see each other. The other part is I find myself in a much more rigid program with specific assignments and calendars of what we are to teach, most of which I disagree with.

Any advice?

[danieleWrites]

A non-habit forming sleep aid to start. Take half-dose if can. Second, do the insomnia dance. Turn going to sleep into a routine that does not vary. Don't do anything in bed except sleep and sex. No eating, no reading, no anything. If you're already doing that, good! No caffeine within 6 to 8 hours of sleep (everyone metabolizes it at a different rate, it's 12 hours for me). Decaf has caffeine in it. Try to avoid sugars. Don't nap. Make the right environment. For most, it means a cooler room, a window cracked for fresh air, covering up any sources of light (like the face of the alarm clock), and using white noise (a fan, a white noise generator found cheap at most big box stores). Some people prefer a warmer room. Go to bed at the same time every night. Focus on the white noise. The sleep aid should help you beat back your lesson plans so you can let your brain wander off into a doze. Once you've established the routine and you're sleeping, stop with the sleep aid. Essentially, you are training your body to recognize that it's time to sleep now, and it should go there. Your brain will follow.

[SwanSong]

Gooey: daniele gives good advice for helping insomnia. In my case it was more than that; it was a generalized anxiety reaction. I decided on a course of anti-anxiety medication that changed my life completely. If you find yourself having other problems besides lack of sleep--tummy trouble, sweating, shaking, mood-swings and so on, consider talking to a doctor.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

Have a couple shots of whiskey or rum. 3-4 usually put me out. 

[pears]

all of the above are great advice! a small amount of zzzquil, some stretches, & a hot toddy or some lavender-chamomile tea do it for me. i get extremely anxious quite often (e.g., i have difficulty driving, or teaching review sessions), but i find that exercising regularly, using sleep cycle or other progressive muscle relaxation phone apps when i go to bed every night, & seeing a therapist once in a while to come up with strategies for me help a lot.

 

i used to take prescribed anti-anxiety medication, but i can't afford it these days; nonetheless, seeing a therapist for helpful tips & to talk things out, & trying to keep my sleep schedule as regular as possible, seems to help a lot. if you think it's more generalized anxiety, your school might have mental health services for students (often free or close to it). otherwise, keep experimenting with food, exercise, & sleep adjustments until you find something that helps. best of luck!

[Guest |||]

Smaller lunch and then a beer + bigger dinner

[dr. t]

My current helper is a little app called Sleep for Android. It monitors your sleep cycle and wakes you up when you're not in REM, among other features. In addition to that, an hour of good intense exercise and a nightcap of proper whisky. 

[nugget]

I agree with many of the suggestions posted above. I also hear that melatonin supplements work well as sleep aids. Exercise should also help with the anxiety.