Why you can't sleep

Re:Why you can't sleep by tylerneylon on Wednesday September 05, 2012 @08:31AM (#4479009)

As someone with serious insomnia, this post comes across almost as selling snake oil. Caffeine, alcohol, general nutrition, sleep hygiene (good sleep habits), sunlight exposure, temperature, eating habits (time/size of meals), all matter -- most of them more than mental state.

From my 20+ years of personally-motivated research on this, I believe the most influential factors in insomnia are, in order:

(1) A controlled, regular schedule of caffeine; limited alcohol. (2) If it exists, a week+ long pattern of waking up at the same time. (3) Exposure to sunlight.

The author's advice is still useful, although I disagree that insomnia "...can be fixed easily and quickly."

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Re:Why you can't sleep by stephengillie on Wednesday September 05, 2012 @08:52AM (#4479089)

This article isn't about how we can't sleep, it's the author telling us why he can't sleep.

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Re:Why you can't sleep by tylerneylon on Wednesday September 05, 2012 @09:28AM (#4479222)

The article is called "Why you can't sleep," and the author most often uses the second person "you." Sometimes the post talks about why "we" can't sleep.

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Re:Why you can't sleep by hessenwolf on Wednesday September 05, 2012 @08:50AM (#4479075)

Exercise too.

As somebody who doesn't sleep well or much, how do you define 'serious'?

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Re:Why you can't sleep by tylerneylon on Wednesday September 05, 2012 @09:34AM (#4479255)

Yep, exercise is a key factor.

In the context of this article, by 'serious' insomnia, I meant cases that are not just psychological (eg stress).

I didn't mean to downplay significant sleep troubles due to stress alone. Even in those cases, non-psychological factors should be considered.

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