Sub_Umbra wrote:
...If you need a light to navigate at night it should be very dim. Ideally dimmer than the old Infinity. (Not the Infinity Ultra)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This post was full of good information.
The notion of "no light at night" is a very important one.
Both my wife and I have suffered with insomnia since we've graduated into our mid-50s. I have found that if I get up and turn on pretty much any light, that I can't fall back asleep. And yet... laying in bed staring in the dark is non-productive as well.
We have finally hit on a technique that has really helped.
We each have small, battery powered MP3 players with audio books in them. The ones we are using at the moment are the Harry Potter books. The audio books are separated into chapters and the player is set to stop playing after each file. So... if I am still awake after one chapter, I simply hit the advance button (in the dark) and listen to another chapter. Sooner or later, my brain gives up and falls asleep.
This has worked >really< well!
We have heard the books enough that it is a little "boring" to hear the chapters over again... and yet, being familiar with the material means that my brain doesn't struggle to stay awake to hear how a chapter turns out.
This part is key. The material shouldn't be new and highly interesting... that only serves to keep me awake. It does, however, need to be sufficiently interesting to hold my attention. It is a delicate balance. This technique has revolutionized our ability to sleep through the night with occasional awakenings to restart a chapter... then I fall right back to sleep. I might wake up again an hour later... I restart the chapter and again, fall right back asleep.
The player needs to support the "stop after a single file is played" mode.
I use a Creative MuVo TX FM:
We also use the "in the ear" ear buds that will stay in the ear all by themselves like the Sony Fontopia.
We just bundle up one of the ear buds and have a single ear bud in the ear for this purpose. Basically, we sleep with a single ear bud inserted all night long. If I wake up, I turn on the "one chapter at a time" player and usually almost fall instantly back to sleep.
This really works. It has made the difference between getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night and getting a full 8 hours of sleep almost every night.
...If you need a light to navigate at night it should be very dim. Ideally dimmer than the old Infinity. (Not the Infinity Ultra)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This post was full of good information.
The notion of "no light at night" is a very important one.
Both my wife and I have suffered with insomnia since we've graduated into our mid-50s. I have found that if I get up and turn on pretty much any light, that I can't fall back asleep. And yet... laying in bed staring in the dark is non-productive as well.
We have finally hit on a technique that has really helped.
We each have small, battery powered MP3 players with audio books in them. The ones we are using at the moment are the Harry Potter books. The audio books are separated into chapters and the player is set to stop playing after each file. So... if I am still awake after one chapter, I simply hit the advance button (in the dark) and listen to another chapter. Sooner or later, my brain gives up and falls asleep.
This has worked >really< well!
We have heard the books enough that it is a little "boring" to hear the chapters over again... and yet, being familiar with the material means that my brain doesn't struggle to stay awake to hear how a chapter turns out.
This part is key. The material shouldn't be new and highly interesting... that only serves to keep me awake. It does, however, need to be sufficiently interesting to hold my attention. It is a delicate balance. This technique has revolutionized our ability to sleep through the night with occasional awakenings to restart a chapter... then I fall right back to sleep. I might wake up again an hour later... I restart the chapter and again, fall right back asleep.
The player needs to support the "stop after a single file is played" mode.
I use a Creative MuVo TX FM:
We also use the "in the ear" ear buds that will stay in the ear all by themselves like the Sony Fontopia.
We just bundle up one of the ear buds and have a single ear bud in the ear for this purpose. Basically, we sleep with a single ear bud inserted all night long. If I wake up, I turn on the "one chapter at a time" player and usually almost fall instantly back to sleep.
This really works. It has made the difference between getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night and getting a full 8 hours of sleep almost every night.