I'm retired. I've taken an Advil PM before bed for years. A good night's sleep for me is going to bed about 12am, getting up to pee only once or twice a night and "quickly" falling back to sleep until 7-8am. Maybe half the time it works, and the other half I'm up at 3-4am and on the computer for an hour or two before going back to sleep. My wife turns on coffee by 8am which always gets me up, no matter how tired I feel. A short afternoon nap sometimes helps, but dozing off watching tv in the evening is a sleep killer.
Insomnia
- Thread starter Rusty Blade
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Try to avoid any exposure to light
that is rich in blue wavelengths ,
like cool white balanced desktop monitors and mobile or tablet screens,
cool white LED lighting ,etc .
Especially from noon till bedtime.
Half an hour or so before bedtime ,
try drinking a cup of Helichrysum
Italicum herbal tea.
Keep your feet warm ,during sleep.
Sweet dreams !
that is rich in blue wavelengths ,
like cool white balanced desktop monitors and mobile or tablet screens,
cool white LED lighting ,etc .
Especially from noon till bedtime.
Half an hour or so before bedtime ,
try drinking a cup of Helichrysum
Italicum herbal tea.
Keep your feet warm ,during sleep.
Sweet dreams !
We have been using buckwheat hull filled pillows for around 20 years and love them.
My first suggestion is to talk to your doctor. When I first got married, I started having trouble falling asleep. (I would joke with my wife that she was snoring too loud.) It got to the point where I would approach R.E.M. (not the musical group) and my body would jolt, waking me up, and that was all she wrote. I would never fall back asleep. I was exhausted and this continued for about 2 weeks. I was averaging about 20-30 minutes of sleep a night. It got so bad that I would have trouble focusing at work, nod off at the red light, and become agitated by the silliest things… like the spoons being on the wrong side of the utensil drawer. My mind would be racing and it was as though I couldn’t shut off my brain when it was time to sleep. I’m fit , active and eat fairly healthy for the most part. So what gives?
Long story short, I was prescribed 5 doses of a medication called Celexa. It is commonly used for managing depression as well. While not diagnosed with any mental health issues, my Dr. explained that your brain is like a cup that starts full of serotonin in the morning and runs close to empty by night. Your sleep allows that “cup” to refill itself. Long bouts of sleepless nights or left untreated can lead to anxiety and furthermore, depression. That “cup“ NEEDS to be refilled.
I would take 1 dose at 5 pm, enjoy dinner with the Mrs. and by 7 pm I’d literally be crawling up the stairs to bed. The first night I slept from 7:45 pm until about 2 pm the next day. The meds were once a day for 5 days and it essentially retrained my brain to follow the stages of sleep cycles. I felt amazing when all was said and done.
That was 16 years ago, and I’ve never had these issues since. Sure, I still have restless nights from time to time… but I also have 2 kids now, who love to hop into our bed in the middle of the night. It’s like someone turned on the furnace in the summertime.
My Dr. and some of the gents on here have also mentioned some sound advice when it comes to sleep:
1) Your bedroom should always be as dark as possible
2) Your bedroom should only be used for sleep or extracurricular activities with your significant other
3) Do not keep or watch TV in your bedroom… ever
4) Stay off your devices 30-60 minutes before bed
5) Don’t check emails or read anything like the news, your financials or anything that gets you thinking or worried
6) Read a good book before bed (this does not work for everyone)
7) If necessary, have something that creates white noise (fan, white noise box, ocean or thunderstorm sounds.)
8) Listen to yourself breathing
9) Take a warm shower before bed so to cause your body temp to drop once you get into bed (climate pending)
These may or may not work for you. I’ve never kept a TV in my room, and I sleep with a fan on, because I like to be cold when I sleep, but also like to wrap myself in my blanket like a cocoon.
Good luck and hopefully you get some rest.
B.
I can fall asleep okay -- some melatonin helps. But I often wake up at 5 or 6 hours instead of the 7 I intend. Once a couple of weeks ago I woke up after only 4.5 hours, couldn't go back to sleep, and so dragged myself through the work day and crashed that night.
I get up, read, watch a little TV, browse here, drink coffee and some fruit juice, maybe smoke a pipe if I'm not going to work out. As I understand it, it's a good idea to avoid looking at computer screens for a couple of hours before bed, and certainly avoiding caffeine products after about noon.
Chamomile tea? May be worth a shot. It's hard for me to enjoy hot beverages at this time of year, though, despite my good A/C. I do my morning coffee both at home and at work, but rarely do I drink anything hot in the evening. Perhaps I need to make an exception.
I get up, read, watch a little TV, browse here, drink coffee and some fruit juice, maybe smoke a pipe if I'm not going to work out. As I understand it, it's a good idea to avoid looking at computer screens for a couple of hours before bed, and certainly avoiding caffeine products after about noon.
Chamomile tea? May be worth a shot. It's hard for me to enjoy hot beverages at this time of year, though, despite my good A/C. I do my morning coffee both at home and at work, but rarely do I drink anything hot in the evening. Perhaps I need to make an exception.
I guess you are in the company of many. So many ways to have little sleep.
I went to sleep Doctor. I have sleep apnea. Can not sleep on my back. It wakes me many times a night. So I sleep on my side.
Doctor recommended stopping all electronic viewing three to four hours before bed- no tv, pads, phones etc.
Listen to music you like (headphones could be good).
No alcohol after 8.
Read a book, magazine something written. Not on electronics.
So many other great ideas.
I went to sleep Doctor. I have sleep apnea. Can not sleep on my back. It wakes me many times a night. So I sleep on my side.
Doctor recommended stopping all electronic viewing three to four hours before bed- no tv, pads, phones etc.
Listen to music you like (headphones could be good).
No alcohol after 8.
Read a book, magazine something written. Not on electronics.
So many other great ideas.
I used to have a hard time falling asleep, but once I did I could usually sleep through the night. It is the exact opposite now. I fall asleep in no time at all but wake up during the night feeling restless.
Lots of good suggestions already! I had trouble insomnia and used Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). This was effective for me and for several years I've had no trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep. One helpful hint: Stop liquids long enough before bedtime so that you don't wake up to make your bladder gladder. For me, it's about two hours before I hit the hay.
20 years ago my problem in the middle of the night was restless leg. Now I'm at that age when the old prostate is acting up. On a good night I'm up 2x, a bad night every 2 hours. At least I'm retired and can take a mid-morning nap if needed. I don't do doctors and don't want their prescription prostate meds. I've added a saw palmetto (for prostate health) to my vitamins. Might be helping some. I should have begun taking it sooner.
My uncle had great luck with Pumpkin Seed Oil supplements.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I used to have difficulty getting to sleep, or back to sleep, in a silent house due to tinnitus, but lately I have had a lot of success with using free audio apps on my mobile. There are many available in the app stores, just search for 'sleep'. Typically they have free sounds and you can customise them if you wish. The sounds may be from nature such as birds, water, rain, wind etc. or man made such as trains, city sounds, clocks, and musical instruments. You can set a timer for up to eight hours. I have a few such apps and rotate between them, adding new apps when I get bored with the ones I have. There are even audio sleep apps with sounds specifically designed for tinnitus sufferers. It has been a big help to me, and to my wife as I sleep soundly and do not disturb her.
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