Light "boxes" for this kind of thing have come quite a ways in the past few years. I'm currently using
this one to deal with some delayed sleep phase stuff. I'm borrowing it from the Dr. though, as my insurance won't pony up the $250 for one unless I'm diagnosed with seasonal affect disorder. The little bank of super-bright LED's is alot easier to use than a big light box. I have it set up next to my monitor, and run it 10-15 minutes on each side of the monitor first thing in the morning. If it is a light issue for you, I'd definitely look into getting your Dr. to prescribe a light like this.
You know, I've never been much of an outdoor person, but as of late when I do make it out in the sun, I've found myself lingering in the light and I think I might actually feel a little better because of it.
That little light thingy actually works, huh? Maybe I could just stare at my SureFire E1 w/ the KL1 head a little everyday...
On the sleep thing...do you sleep all the way through your sleep cycle once you dofall asleep? Reason I ask is that you have a lot of symptoms common in people with sleep apnea (and no, you don't have to be a fat ass to have sleep apnea...plenty of skinny folks have it too).
Greg
I've wondered whether I this might be a problem. I don't think it is, though. Fortunately I do tend to sleep okay. I don't wake up much, except for when I have to whizz... but that's another issue. The only problem I do have is that, depending on my sleeping position, my nasal passages sometimes restrict down or close off and I end up mouth breathing. Then I wake up with cottonmouth & crusty lips in a puddle of drool.
That usually only happens when I lay on my left side. If I position myself differently, or use something like a Breathe Right strip, it isn't a problem.
Let's see: Go light on the alcohol, and make your bedroom as dark as possible-black out the windows if you have to. A white noise generator blocks a lot of outside sound. Melatonin has been known to help regulate the sleep cycle. It works for me-YMMV.
I've been meaning to look into blackout curtains or some other means of eliminating the light. I do find it easier to drift off without the sun beaming through the window at me.
Sound isn't a problem. The house is fairly isolated for where it's at, and these mountains a usually pretty quiet. And I've got a couple of fans running in the bedroom to circulate air, which gives me some white noise.
I've used melatonin before and it seems to make me sleep a bit more deeply. Buuuutt, it gives me some seriously
*expletive deleted*ed up dreams. Really screwy, like a Twilight Zone episode on LSD. They're actually kinda' fun sometimes, but some of them have left me wondering just what the hell is up with my subconcious.
Thanks for all the input peoples! Good stuff, definately. Quite a few things I hadn't thought about much or at all, that I need to look into.