Picky sleeper

[micah67]

I'm a picky sleeper. I'll generally avoid sleeping over at a friend's house because I know I won't get a good night's sleep. My criteria to getting to sleep are rather extensive:
Dark. If my wife has a light on to read – I can’t sleep. If the TV is on, even if muted, I can’t sleep with the flickering of the TV light.
Noise. I have found it’s easier if I have some white noise going, otherwise any little thing will jolt me awake with my heart bounding. I have an air purifier running on high and it’s rather loud (measured it at 60dB). It generally does the job on masking out the little noises. If she’s reading in bed and the light isn’t an issue, the noise of the pages turning is. I won’t even go into snoring issues. “Turn over sweetie” sometimes doesn’t do it, either, and I’m up and to the guest room. The phone is turned off in our room and the loud air purifier usually masks the rings from elsewhere in the house. (When the house was being built, I paid extra to have the interior walls insulated for sound reasons.)
Weather. If it’s too hot, forget it. It’s much better to be too cold. I prefer around 70 degrees. Too dry is an issue, too. I have an 11 gal humidifier in our bedroom and I have to get up in the middle of the night to fill it if it runs out too soon (it’s usually good for a couple nights unless it’s extra dry).
Space. Don’t touch me. No cuddling. Don’t reach out with your foot and brush up against my leg unless you want to peel me off the ceiling. The cats have learned to sleep on her side as I push them away when they get close. If I stretch out and touch her, I draw back. But then I *know* right where she is and that bothers me, too. (Ideally I’d sleep alone and sometimes have to in order to wind down).
Misc. If the sheets become undone in the night and I notice – I won’t be able to sleep until I’ve gotten up and fixed them. My wife has gone the extra mile and has sewn on extensions to the end of the sheets so they’ll never get pulled up too far.

I don’t know why she puts up with me…

I’ll often stay up late, avoiding going to sleep, until I’m exhausted and can fall asleep easier. I have a job that doesn’t have fixed hours; when I get there is when I get there.

I guess I’m asking for input, advise, thoughts and comments on sleep issues. Am I alone in my quirks? Am I too anal and should live on the street for a while so I can learn to appreciate the finer things (like a bed)?

[Nisses]

I used to be a picky sleeper just the same.

Then I started developping a bed-ritual, you know, a set of actions I do as a standard line before going to bed. That helped my body "get ready" to sleep sort of speak.

I brush my teeth, take out my contacts, sit in front of the TV for a few minutes, definitly no PC, or else I'm fucked up mentally
then I go to bed, read something for 15 mins to half an hour, and then just lie down and try to sleep.

So far, it's been working rather well, even managed to go to sleep at 3 pm and get a good 7 hours of rest (major party, had to clean up afterwards and arrange final details with the owner of the hall. noon by then so I figured I would eat first), even though I have a normal bio-clock.

[Rodney]

If you go to sleep anxious about going to sleep, anticipating problems, it's only going to make the problem worse. Clear it with your wife that, whenever you feel you need it, you can sleep in another room without apologies or guilt or without trying to sleep in the joint bed first. If you can work out that kind of deal with her, then you'll know in advance every night that you can sleep how and where you need to sleep, with no apologies or tensioni. Anxiety will decrease, and I'll be sleep will come more easily.

Of course if your wife goes with this, she's a saint. Treat her thusly.

[micah67]

She is definately a saint. She'll often fall asleep on the sofa downstairs and stay there instead of coming up to bed. Or she'll purposefully sleep on the sofa or one of our guest rooms if she knows I'm in deserate need of sleep.

And there are no issues with me getting up to go sleep in another room. I just wish I wasn't so picky - heck I can't even sleep on a couch, I have to have a bed.

I know it's fruitless to toss and turn. If I find myself doing that I nip it in the bud and get up to read or watch TV for a bit.

[Vyk]

My ex-girlfriend is an insomniac. She has a very hard time falling asleep (though once she falls asleep she generally stays asleep). She hated how incredibly easy it was for me to fall asleep. Floor, bed, couch, moving car, whatever... I can fall asleep if I'm tired.

[BadForm]

The only thing that really gives me trouble is temperature. I can't stand it if I am even slightly warm which means I tend not to like cuddling when I am trying to sleep.

[koli70]

When I sleep I like it pretty dark, sometimes I put my radio on so I cant hear the noise from the rest of the house and fall asleep, but if my radio isnt on I cant have any noise. My brother likes to blast the stereo, so I usually have a nightly ritual of yelling at him to turn the music down. Ugh... Cant wait to be on my own

[RelaX]

koli70: I can't wait for you to be on your own too, although I'm not sure if you'll get a better nightrest if I'm around...

Me, I can sleep everywhere with everything, kinda picked that up on my dayly long trainrides, but I take a really long time to really sleep.

[micah67]

Night twiches. Forgot to mention those, too. It's like my brain can't turn off which is why I sometimes try to exhaust myself to make falling asleep easier.

They're like involuntary muscle spasms in my legs.

[tj2001cobra]

I definitely am a picky sleeper. I have to have a dark, cool room with some sort of white noise or constant sound.

[Finger11]

I'm picky in the fact that I can only sleep if on my right side. I also need to be lying in the side of the bed closest to the door.

[jhericurl21]

sleep anywhere just aslong as im tired enough, i dont goto sleep unless im tired.

[anti fishstick]

yeah its real hard for me to sleep at other people's houses as well. and i can NOT sleep with lights on. my mom needs the whole bedside lamp on its crazy. also, the blankets need to be a certain heaviness against me.. all snug and fit. even if its a warm summers day. i usually sleep with some light music too.

[hobo]

I usually need to be in a dark place unless I'm so tired I'm about to pass out. I tend to sleep on my right side more.

[fuzzix]

I really hate sleeping when other people are nearby... I don't like to be watched when I sleep, I don't mind if it's with someone intimate, but everyone else can bugger off. I like darkness too, I often sleep with a pillow on my head.