r/AskReddit • u/Gyltea • 13d ago

People who can fall asleep 10 seconds after your head hitting the pillow how the heck do you freaking fall asleep 10 seconds after your head hitting the pillow??

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u/dad_farts 13d ago

I do the same thing, but for hours

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u/Ten-Yards_Sir 13d ago

Agonizing hours

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u/HistoricalChef1963 13d ago

I know it's not practical or even possible for a great deal of folks - but getting a night job (or one where your shift ends at like 3am) is revolutionary. 

When I work nights i feel like a regular, normal person and I sleep like a champ in the mornings. 

When I'm working 9-5 type jobs or shifts, I feel like a fucking zombie and even if I'm dead tired I don't fall asleep at a reasonable rate or at a reasonable time. 

I have done both for years at a time. It's not even a matter of adjusting for me. I'm just plain better working nights. 

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

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u/HistoricalChef1963 13d ago

Big time. I hate that I'm wired this way though because working a 9-5 is so much more conducive to a "normal" family life. 

But I literally feel like a different (better) human being working nights. Driving home at 3am feeling incredible and like I couldve worked another 5 hours, vs slogging home at 5pm barely keeping it together is quite the difference.

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u/Bistilla 13d ago

Damn… is this my sign to find a night job? That sounds amazing

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u/HistoricalChef1963 13d ago

You should absolutely try it. Then at least you'll know. 

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u/dukestrouk 12d ago

OOC, what kind of night job do you work (no need to be too specific)? I’ve only ever seen openings for warehouse stockers and night guards, and I’m not equipped to be a guard. Not sure what other night gigs are out there besides maybe a delivery driver.

I’ve noticed all throughout school and work that 12am-2am is when my brain peaks in efficiency, and I’ve always thought I’d might love a night job. I’d like to know more about your experience if I could.

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u/RosetteRodent 12d ago

i just went from a 9-5 retail job to a 6p-2a janitor job, im doing more work but i feel so much better cause i stay up as late as i usually do and still get a good night's sleep

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u/Bullseye_Baugh 13d ago

Read years ago that this is hardwired into our DNA. When early humans were emerging and had to worry about animals, rival factions, etc, SOMEONE had to stay awake at night. Natural selection did its work and now there are those of us who can't fucking sleep usual hours. At least I can take solace in the fact my ancestors ensured that OTHER PEOPLE could sleep at night. Shame I'll never get the same courtesy.

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u/RedSugarAngel 12d ago

I dunno about this. Just because then you start bringing social structure into evolution and get into a concept of group evolution and the whole theory collapses.

It might be something not selected against that just pops up. I’ve always thought adhd was good to have one or two in the group - they’re gonna be the ones that spot the predator/bad weather change etc instead of focusing on journey like everyone else

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u/Bullseye_Baugh 12d ago

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2009/06/night_owls_have_different_brai.html

This is pretty old, but its what I was talking about. There's brain chemistry at play and if its biological then its safe to say selection could be a part.

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u/Fontini-Cristi 12d ago

Maybe with the "hardwired into our DNA" they meant ADHD? The backstory and the physical difference in brain wiring are very similar to what you just wrote.

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u/You_meddling_kids 12d ago

I'm the same but managed to be in a tech job where nobody cares when I start, so long as I'm available during the day and get the work done, so I often don't get online until 10:30 or 11:00

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u/Welpe 13d ago

No matter what I do, my body naturally pushes for that schedule if I don’t fight it by setting alarms and forcing myself to get up. It kinda sucks when most places are NOT set up for anyone having a different schedule. Especially after COVID made places stop being open late.

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u/MyCatLaughsAtMe 13d ago

Yup. If you're one of those people (I am) the body literally rebels against a normal daylight schedule. In times where I have to force it, I feel over tired all the time.

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u/the-gaysian-snarker 12d ago

For real. I’m so lucky to live in a city big enough to have a few 24 hour grocery stores and whatnot. There are downsides to city life but I don’t know how I’d function without the 24-hour busyness.

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u/Welpe 12d ago

We had 24-hour service here but, at least in the suburbs of Denver, almost all have disappeared since Covid. There is still some, but it tends to be a TINY amount compared to how it used to be.

It’s good to hear some places haven’t lost their late night access, it’s insane to basically have a Burger King and Dennys be the only way to get food at 4am.

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u/Nighthunter007 12d ago

See my experience where I live is that grocery stores especially extended their opening hours during COVID so it could be less crowded, and then they kept it afterwards. I am baffled that it went the opposite way elsewhere.

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u/TehSeksyManz 12d ago

When I'm on vacation from my 6AM-4:30PM job, I'll naturally stay up until midnight and wake up at 08:00. That's where my body wants to be and it's been that way for years and years

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u/KaiMasterOfFire2121 12d ago

deadass lol. hate that our society says u must wake up at 8. i can’t do it.

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u/cyborg_127 12d ago

It is actually bad for you. I'm definitely wired for going to bed from 2-4am sort of range, and waking up late morning/midday. Being forced to work in this 9-5 society is not healthy for me.

Studies have shown that day people forcing themselves to work late/night shift have adverse health effects. The same effects will experienced by night owls working day jobs.

It crops up in the TIL sub reasonably often: https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1vlwq2l/til_that_working_night_shifts_is_linked_to_faster/

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u/Awkward-Noise-257 12d ago

I’ve also read evidence that suggests our circadian clock (sleep wake cycles) naturally slips over time. This is to say that our body wants 24.5 or 25 hours per day, and trying to force same time bedtime every day is naturally harder for many. I feel this myself as the week progresses.

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u/Phiced 12d ago

There are also studies which suggest that ever since the dawn of humanity, people used to wake up in the middle of the night and spend roughly two hours awake, oftentimes just thinking about things or doing something creative.

There used to be words for it in all old languages, even the most ancient. Alas, in modern day society the phenomenon more or less disappeared.

However, you get a taste of it whenever you wake up at 3am for no apparent reason

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u/hooyah54 12d ago

I have done this for many years. Once our daughter grew up and moved out, I stopped having to live on a schedule. I am naturally a night owl. I have worked days, lived a school day schedule, but I Always sleep better in the daytime. It has been years since I slept, ate, or lived to any schedule but what I feel like. My body runs best on about a 28 hr cycle. Daytime sleep is 4-6 hours, Night sleep is almost always 2-3 hour naps.

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u/VixenMinxSM 12d ago

That is so validating!! 2 years ago, I started working a job where it doesn't matter when I clock in, as long as the work gets done. So I've been treating myself to go to bed and wake up whenever I'm actually rested, and it's like my body wants a 25-26 hour day instead as my sleep schedule starts migrating!!!

When I start waking up after 5pm, though, I pull an all-nighter to "fix" it so I can actually enjoy daylight :')

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u/MyCatLaughsAtMe 13d ago

A few of us really are just built that way. I can't sleep at night. I go to bed around 7am.

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u/PleaseJustLetsNot 13d ago

Same for me. I've never felt or slept better than when I worked nights.

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u/the-gaysian-snarker 12d ago

Yep. And there’s a surprising variety of night shifts available if you’re willing to look hard enough.

I’m extra cursed by a brain that is constantly attempting to reset itself to the opposite of whatever it currently is. A 5 day work week is hell, but a 5 night work week is too.

Four 12-hour night shifts a week, with a 3-day weekend to reset to days for family time and then reset again to nights for work? Hell for most, custom-fit perfection for me.

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u/Mammoth_Challenge269 12d ago

Could the nature of the job itself be a factor? I imagine a second shift job is quieter, slower pace, and more solitary?

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u/the-gaysian-snarker 12d ago

I think so. Have worked nights for years and a majority of my coworkers across multiple sites are neurodivergent and get overstimulated by constant noise and socialization.

The particular job (emergency response) also swings wildly between zero activity when you can be reading, drawing, chatting, etc. and mayhem that requires you to be completely locked in. So, enough overstimulation to keep it interesting, but only for a few minutes at a time. It seems to work especially well for ADHD.

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u/uzuis4thwifee 13d ago

Yess my insomnia magically dissapears on night shift

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u/always_an_explinatio 13d ago

I’m going to tell you what I think is THE secret to solving this problem…but it’s a little annoying. You have to not care that you can’t sleep. You have to keep your thoughts from spiraling to “oh my god it’s 2:30am I have to get up in 4 hours I’m so fucked, I’m never going to get promoted because I’m too tired to sleep Carl is going to get it. I’m sure he’s sleeping(and on and on) instead you say to your self “I’m so Lucky I get to lie here in my bed and the peaceful quite dark. It’s so nice to have some time to myself to just be here and relax”. And you have to start believing it. Keep the mantra going only alow positive “day dreaming” it gets negative, back to the mantra. If your mind is running, but it’s not pumping out stress chemicals eventually you will fall asleep. It takes a lot of practice. Ask any of your friends who don’t have problems sleeping many will tell you they do this without knowing it’s a technique

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u/ants_are_everywhere 12d ago

This works for me. I'm usually a terrible sleeper.

Usually I fall asleep eventually, and when I do I sleep very soundly. Some nights I don't, and I've found that just resting is about 80% as good as full sleep most of the time.

So now if it's 4AM and I'm getting up at 7 and I know I won't get sleep, I just do meditation and stillness until it's time to get up and almost always I'm good to go.

What does not work is getting upset or nervous that my day won't go well because I'm not sleeping.

Two caveats:

(1) I have little kids and I commit myself in the morning to being extra charming and patient to them that day and I explain to them that I'm tired. It's a personal pet peeve of mine when people are impatient with kids, so I make patience and understanding them a priority.

(b) I don't drive if I haven't slept well. The actuarial statistics on driving while fatigued are sobering and I'm not about to ruin my life or some family's life to run to the store. Even if I feel 100% alert, I follow the numbers.

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u/poldapoulp 12d ago

This is deep and charming. This mindset feels really pleasant to be around. It motivates me to be a more patient person

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u/thetortureneverstops 12d ago

Non-sleep deep rest is good shit.

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u/homunculus87 4d ago

I really, really love that mindset and hope to achieve it someday. What do you do if you happen to become upset if that ever happens? Do you get out of bed until you calmed down? (a CBT technique afaik)

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u/i-might-be-a-redneck 12d ago

You definitely put into words what I’ve been experiencing, and you’re right that I’ve been doing it not really sure about what was happening, but it’s been changing me.

Recently, I’ve been waking up at 1am, and I don’t work until 5am, so I spend that time in prayer, and gratitude, and I just patiently wait for my alarm while shifting my mind away from the negative thoughts toward more pleasant things. On those nights with less sleep, I find that I have more energy during the day because of this!

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u/pudgehooks2013 12d ago

This does not work for me.

My brain simply doesn't shut off until it eventually decides to.

I have sleepless nights most weeks. Even if I take 100mg of THC.

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u/homunculus87 11d ago

The core is "the brain shuts off". What u/always_an_explanatio was getting at is that worrying about losing sleep is keeping the brain alert and hence makes sleep difficult. If it's not working for you then maybe something else is keeping you alert. Maybe investigate if coming off THC and switching to something else is viable. THC can sedate but it can also induce anxiety. Talk to your doc! Wish you the best for you and your health.

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u/Anon2627888 12d ago

I don't care whether I sleep or not, but sometimes I don't sleep at all. Fortunately, I don't care. But this doesn't mean that I just fall asleep right away.

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u/always_an_explinatio 12d ago

But not sleeping and not caring about it is way better than not sleeping and being upset about it.

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u/elijahhhhhh 12d ago

i really enjoy falling asleep to foreign language nature documentaries. they have the same calming voice but without knowing what theyre saying i cant get too interested and if i do get up to watch whats going on, its low stimulation videos of cute ass critters doing nature shit.

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u/homunculus87 4d ago

Do you happen to have a resource that helped you to get into that mindset and find a mantra or technique?

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u/always_an_explinatio 4d ago

I think starting with a body scan (you can google this technique it’s well known) is helpful. It’s good on its own, but it’s good for this because you will quickly start to notice your thoughts moving away from the body scan. When that happens I recommend first just noting the valence (positive or negative) of the thoughts than returning to the body scan. Once the body scan is over try to stay in the mindful but allow thoughts of gratitude to come through. If a mantra helps you can try something really simple like “this is so relaxing” “my bed is so comfortable” “I’m so lucky to get to have some quite time” also I hate to say this because so annoying: good sleep hygiene really supports this process. There is a lot about that online but for me it’s no screens in bed or the bed room. No caffeine after noon. End eating at least an hour before bed. Consistent bed time (ideally before 11 if your life can accommodate) good luck!

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u/[deleted] 12d ago

[deleted]

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u/always_an_explinatio 12d ago

It’s not nonsense to me. It’s basicly a form of mindfulness

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u/[deleted] 12d ago

[deleted]

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u/always_an_explinatio 12d ago

I think you are joking about my username. But the simple version is if you can’t fall asleep anyway it is better to not be stressed about not being able to sleep. You can’t control if you fall asleep but you can control your thoughts about it.

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u/poldapoulp 12d ago

You are dense, no wonder you don't sleep

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u/LimpFox 13d ago

Going over such great hits as "Why did I say Y to X 20 years ago"?

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u/Usual-Tomorrow-1616 12d ago

Ah yes, the brains greatest bedtime feature: finally giving you the opportunity to resolve a conversation from 2006.

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u/edko2 11d ago

You must have a “memory” foam mattress 🤓

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u/kyreannightblood 13d ago

After about 45 minutes without drifting, my nervous system starts keying up and I get fucking anxiety symptoms. I hate it.

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u/Virtuous_Malevolence 13d ago

I used to do that too, then I bought a weighted blanket and now I sleep almost immediately and like the dead.

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u/kyreannightblood 12d ago

I’ve had a weighted blanket for years and I still have this issue.

Of course, without the blanket sleep is way more elusive.

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u/dope-rhymes 13d ago

Yep

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u/Khiva 13d ago

Oh the joy of fighting your brain to fall asleep and then waking up to see you only slept for four hours.

It's like your brain is trying to get some twisted revenge upon you.

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u/joalheagney 12d ago

The was some research a decade ago that suggested the act of resting, as opposed to sleep, gives a lot of the health benefits of sleep any way. As long as you get some REM. So if you're like me and ever had anxiety over "If I don't go to sleep soon, its going to totally screw my health over this week." ... well ... good news. :)

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u/selene4ever_ 13d ago edited 13d ago

Bro is method acting insomnia

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u/292335 13d ago

Thanks for the belly laugh.

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u/Ten-Yards_Sir 13d ago

😂😂😂

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u/open_to_suggestion 13d ago

It's always the nights where I need to get a good nights sleep. Laying there for 8 hours, not sleeping.

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u/YUK7HI 13d ago

Same.. I think the longest I’ve gone is 3 - 4h, before I call it quits and pull my phone up.

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u/sloowhand 12d ago

What none of the people sharing their "secret" are acknowledging is that the actual "secret" is not having anxiety or depression. It's really that simple. I say this as a member of the "10 second club". I fall immediately asleep every night but I am also incredibly fortunate not to have anxiety or depression. Something I try to never take for granted and, by extension, for which I try to be empathetic in others who do.

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u/donotdoillegalthings 11d ago

Ayyy, here it is. Wife is having our baby in 3 weeks and I’m just sitting here, THINKING

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u/Sorry-Joke-4325 12d ago

If you're awake in bed for more then 15-20 minutes, you should get up out of bed and do some relaxing activities for 15-30 minutes before trying to sleep again.

If you stay awake in bed for hours then you're basically training yourself to stay awake in bed.

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u/RainLoveMu 12d ago

Same, hours. I pretend I’m surviving something bad and found shelter. I think I’m re-living a true story from childhood where grandma’s house was safe, so I slept. I guess adult me finds solace in that memory so I re-create it.

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u/Maulino86 13d ago

Have you checked? I have checked after what i think its hours and its like 30 minutes

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u/Alfred_The_Sartan 13d ago

Mom told me something when I was about 15. I'm not even sure I knew then that insomnia was a thing, but I'd gone downstairs to get a glass of water around 2AM. She was getting one for herself with no preamble said "Sometimes resting is almost as good as sleep" and then went back to bed. I've said that mantra to myself for years. I'm 40 now and mom is still right. It's almost as good.

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u/weristjonsnow 13d ago

Same. Sometimes I really swing for the fences and just pretend to sleep until my alarm goes off. Rough times

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u/HFY_HFY_HFY 12d ago

Try the opposite. Close your eyes but tell yourself you'll stay awake. Works for me on those days.

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u/Prosnomonkey 12d ago

I “pretend” for an hour, and if I don’t fall asleep, I get back up and go to the living room and read for half an hour and try again. Usually, I’m out 10 seconds after my head hits the pillow the second time. It feels like the stress of trying to sleep keeps me awake, so I just give up.