I have found that as I have gotten older, I do not sleep well. I either have trouble getting to sleep, I wake up and cannot get back to sleep, or like tonight I am not sleeping at all. It is so frustrating. I do not nap during the day because that is a sure recipe for not sleeping when I go to bed at night. I only have coffee when I have my breakfast in the morning, usually around 8am. My doctor prescribed sleeping pills for me, and I took them for a short time and they were very effective, however; I stopped taking them because I did not want to become dependent on them. I have also taken some of the over the counter pm medications, but again, I stopped because I did not want to depend on them to make me sleep. Anyone have any suggestions to help me get a better nights sleep?
The worst thing you can do is worry about not being able to sleep. That will only keep you awake for longer. When I was young I did not function well on anything less than 8 hours sleep. Now I don't need to sleep so much and I'm always up early in the morning, even if I have only managed to get a little sleep. Like you I often have trouble sleeping but I don't let it bother me. I have radio ear buds that I can slip into my ear and lie awake listening to overnight shows. I occasionally start reading a book between 2 and 4 am. I'm much more likely to drop off by not trying to sleep and listening or reading. When I have a night with no sleep at all, or just a few short dozes, I just carry on regardless the next day. I find it easier to sleep when I don't eat or drink much in the evening and by winding down before going to bed.
Same here, I have big troubles with sleeping. There are nights when I go to sleep at 5-6am because that's when I finally fall asleep. It drives me instance.
I had trouble getting to sleep when I was younger. That is one thing that has gotten better as I grew older. I can remember being up most of the night worrying about not being able to get to sleep when I had a test the next morning or, later, a job to go to in the morning. Now it seems that I can't read for more than five minutes after going to bed before I fall asleep.
Most of the time, I do not have any trouble at all in going to sleep, and sleeping all night, sometimes longer than I intended to sleep. If I work outside during the day, that always seems to tire me out and i usually go to bed early and right to sleep on those days. Every night, about a half hour before bed, i take a melatonin supplement. They are a natural hormone that our bodies make at night to help people fall asleep when it gets dark. As we get older, our melatonin production slows down, and we do not make as much as we need to sleep well. Also, melatonin is produced when it is dark. Since we use aritificial light, we do not exxperience darkness as completely as we need to do to make melatonin. Using a yellow light bulb (bug light) in your lamp in the evenings is supposed to help with this. If you are watching programs on television that are exciting, then your body will produce adrenalin, which counteracts sleepiness and keeps us awake, so it is best to do or watch something that is relaxing to the mind and body before bedtime. Personally, I have found that eating a heavy meal later in the day also will keep me awake more than if i eat my main meal for lunch, and a lighter supper meal later. Sometimes, I listen to subliminal tapes or other ones that help me to relax, and that often puts me to sleep before the messaage has even ended.
Often when I am having trouble getting to sleep I will listen to mediation tapes also. I most remember to not drink anything after 7PM, or I will spend the night traveling back and forth to the bathroom.