For the last month or so I have been having problems getting to sleep and even when I do get to sleep I never can sleep longer than 3 hours. This happens every single day. The rest of the day/night I sleep aprox 1 hour and then wake up. 3-4 hours awake and down for an hour. Over and over again.
Both wife and I have had the same thing happen to us at 73/me and 74/her, but, almost nightly now, we will take 1/2 CBD Gummy or I'll take a Salt Wrap (brand) MAG R & R capsule so I won't get leg cramps in the middle of the night and the capsule also has a sleep-aid in it. We still have some nights that we don't sleep that well, and sometimes that comes from either eating supper to late and/or too much to drink (water) before bedtime. Now, my SIL (1/2 brothers wife) says she only needs 4 hours of sleep a night. We could never survive on that little of sleep each night, but I guess there are those that can.
saffron maybe... Effects of Saffron Extract on Sleep Quality: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Trial "Based on the SF-36 scores, six weeks of saffron supplementation led to an improvement of the global physical score (p = 0.041), mainly due to an improvement of the bodily pain score (p = 0.035) and a trend to an increase in the physical functioning (p = 0.055) and general health score (p = 0.053) (Table 5). The placebo had no effect on those scores related to the physical well-being. Both placebo and saffron led to an improvement of the vitality score, the mental health score, and the global mentality score compared to baseline (p < 0.05). The social functioning score was improved after 6 weeks of intervention in the placebo group only (p = 0.002). The changes in the social functioning score between the baseline and 6 weeks was different between the saffron and the placebo group, with the placebo group decreasing this score but not the saffron group (p = 0.038). Finally, only saffron supplementation led to an improvement of the emotional limitation score compared to the baseline (p = 0.005)." hth
I can't remember the last time I slept right through the night. It makes no difference how active I may have been during the day or how tired I may be, every 2-3 hours I wake up,sometimes less, sometimes slightly more. Because of my copd I can't take sleeping tablets, not that I really want to be reliant on them anyway. For the most part, I'm really not that bothered about it, if I really need to, I can nap during the day, but prefer not to if I can get away with it.
What works for me is taking melatonin about a half hour before going to bed at night. I also take my magnesium and other nighttime supplements and I know that magnesium helps a person to relax and sleep and helps to stop nighttime cramps , if a person has that issue. I have found that not eating a heavy meal late in the day also helps me to sleep better, so I try not to eat my last meal after 4-5 pm. Going to bed feeling hungry is not good for me, either, but if I do eat, it is an apple or lighter snack like that. Also, my swimming or even just the walking exercise really wears me out, and on swimming days, I am often ready to go to bed by 7 at night, or at least to take a good long afternoon nap. Also, I do not watch television shows that would spike my adrenaline, and try to relax and knit or read something calming before bedtime; so this way, both my mind and body are ready to sleep. Most of the time, I fall right asleep and do not wake up until morning, unless I have to go to the bathroom at night, or there are unusual noises that wake me up from sleeping.
I wish it was that easy for me, Yvonne. I have followed all the "sleep rules" since I was in my twenties. I have tried and done everything you mentioned, and then some. Going to bed and getting up at regular times, I don't watch much TV at all. I read a lot but try to shut my ebook or computer down 30 minutes before going to bed, which again, hasn't made any difference one way or the other. Nothing works. I have taken magnesium at night to prevent leg cramps for years, which doesn't help me to sleep any better neither. I have tried various brands as well. I also use to drink tart cherry juice 30 minutes before bed. It was suppose to help, but no. There hasn't been too much I haven't tried except sleeping pills, which I won't take. I think I am just hard wired that way.
Melatonin is different than a sleeping pill, @Krystal Shay, it is a natural hormone that our bodies all make from the time we are born. It is released in our body as darkness falls, and it makes people (and animals) sleepy. Melatonin is found in mother’s milk of all species, and it helps the newborn baby to drink the milk and then sleep, even when it is not dark. As we get older, we naturally produce less and less melatonin, so our need for it can change as we age, and different people seem to need different amounts for the same results. Melatonin is also an anti-aging hormone, so it is actually healthy for our body to take it every day, giving it double the benefits for us. I was surprised that my son, who is quite a bit younger than I am , needed almost twice as much melatonin as i take, for it to help him sleep well; so it is one of those things that you just start out with a small dosage (1-3 mg) and then work up to the amount that helps you fall asleep easily.
There was a discussion on the breast cancer forum recently about studies that show melatonin helps prevent a recurrence of triple negative breast cancer. The recommended dose in this study is 10 mg so I upped my nightly dose from 5 to 10. I figured it can't hurt so why not. I sleep like a log once I'm out, but it usually takes a while for me to go to sleep. Contrary to the "sleep rules," I usually doze off while watching some boring TV show. If I turn off the TV, my mind starts reviewing all the things I've done wrong for the past 60+ years and keeps me awake.
most pf us here have had or still have sleep issues. I use to worry about it, because They say we should do this and not that ..blah blah . Don't worry about . As long as you feel well, function good when awake. OPD- old people disease affects us all in many different way. However if you feel tired when you get up, or confused, or nod off while driving.. go to doctor.
I have no problems falling asleep. However, I have really troublesome dreams that are so real, I wake up and react as though I am still in that dream. This is most troublesome to me as it seems I am having dissociation from dreaming and reality. Once I am fully awake, I must remind myself for awhile that it was only a dream. There are also some other issues, but too long to detail here.
Ditto on what Lois said for me too. My dreams are too real Sometimes about some of the horrible horrible things that have happened in my life. Usually, it is about not getting finished on an important job and worrying about getting fired. Like Lois, I wake up and it takes a while to talk myself down and realize it was just a dream. Sometimes I lay back down and try to redream it. If I do, it usually gets worse. My most effective method is my self-hypnosis. It has saved my life on more than one occasion. I find hypnotizing myself is getting harder the older I get.
Getting to sleep is a bit of an issue because of my legs, hard to get comfortable. Feeling rested after sleeping is really elusive, doesn’t seem to matter how much I sleep.
sounds a bit like rls... i stepped in for a caregiver who was taking care of a patient with restless leg syndrome. she had lived with it all her life and finally resolved it under my watch. found it very strange case because i wasn't really targeting her neuropathy.
Hi Richard, A few years ago I read the attached article written by an M.D. on the benefits of consuming honey at bedtime to get a good night's sleep (7 to 8 hours). Because there are emotional as well as physical reasons for poor sleep, it may not work for everyone. The author recommends raw honey and explains the physical reason why it works for some people. The best raw honey I have found is called Manuka honey, which is the gold standard for healthy honey. It works for me because I usually do get a good night's sleep unless there is an emotional issue bothering me.