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After sleeping for about 5 hours I usually wake up, and am looking for a remedy to fall back to sleep at around 3:00am. :wah:

ANY IDEAS ANYONE?

Cars :driving:

Try counting sheep, failing that Forum Garden is open 24/7

cars wrote: After sleeping for about 5 hours I usually wake up, and am looking for a remedy to fall back to sleep at around 3:00am. :wah:



ANY IDEAS ANYONE?



Cars :driving: Cars, i am having the exact same problem! you just retired, are not on a set schedule, i am off on leave for a while, so our respective alarm clocks aren't set. i fall asleep at weird times of day, and then wake up at 0300 also, it's frustrating i know. i have no answer, just wanted to tell you you're not alone, and it must be connected to our LACK of a schedule. i was on night shift for quite a while, 1800 to 0600, and have found myself adhering to that even when i don't want to. and never getting more than 4 hours sleep. i do get on the computer when sleep is hopeless. but then fall asleep on the couch at 1700! as to Buzzard's idea...counting sheep, we're not in Wales, so have to find another way. HAHAHAHA

lady cop wrote: Cars, i am having the exact same problem! you just retired, are not on a set schedule, i am off on leave for a while, so our respective alarm clocks aren't set. i fall asleep at weird times of day, and then wake up at 0300 also, it's frustrating i know. i have no answer, just wanted to tell you you're not alone, and it must be connected to our LACK of a schedule. i was on night shift for quite a while, 1800 to 0600, and have found myself adhering to that even when i don't want to. and never getting more than 4 hours sleep. i do get on the computer when sleep is hopeless. but then fall asleep on the couch at 1700! as to Buzzard's idea...counting sheep, we're not in Wales, so have to find another way. HAHAHAHA


Thanks LC, it's good to know I'm not alone. I to am sleepy at 8:30 -9:00pm, as I've been up since 3:00am. I wake up and start thinking of things that won't let me go back to sleep. (I have been in the Garden at 3:30am)

Capt- as for counting sheep, I seem to loose count after around 1,999,999.

Cars :driving:

hey Cars, make your wife wake up and talk to you! LOL....my sweetheart is in England, and 5 hours ahead, so at 0300 here it's 8 AM there so i can call and annoy him at his office. HA!

cars wrote: Thanks LC, it's good to know I'm not alone. I to am sleepy at 8:30 -9:00pm, as I've been up since 3:00am. I wake up and start thinking of things that won't let me go back to sleep. (I have been in the Garden at 3:30am)

Capt- as for counting sheep, I seem to loose count after around 1,999,999.

Cars :driving:
Maybe the answer is to try to stay awake when you feel sleepy & go to bed later, otherwise its a vicious circle.

My mum used to give us warm milk at bed time to help us sleep (i loathed it!) but she swore it helped & still does, maybe when your body clock gets tuned to your not having to get up for work you'll get into a better routine.

In the meantime why not do some exercise to tire you then a nice warm bath to relax you before you go to bed maybe that will help you sleep through till morning, good luck x :yh_sleep

lady cop wrote: hey Cars, make your wife wake up and talk to you! LOL....my sweetheart is in England, and 5 hours ahead, so at 0300 here it's 8 AM there so i can call and annoy him at his office. HA!


Lucky you LC, since my wife is on the same time zone as me, that would never work. Since "She" is still trying to "adjust to me now invading her domain 24/7". Fortunetly, She still is asleep when I'm up early, so I'm not invading her domain for a longer time! :wah:

Cars :driving:

abbey wrote: Maybe the answer is to try to stay awake when you feel sleepy & go to bed later, otherwise its a vicious circle.

My mum used to give us warm milk at bed time to help us sleep (i loathed it!) but she swore it helped & still does, maybe when your body clock gets tuned to your not having to get up for work you'll get into a better routine.

In the meantime why not do some exercise to tire you then a nice warm bath to relax you before you go to bed maybe that will help you sleep through till morning, good luck x :yh_sleep


Thanks for the advise abbey, anything & everything is worth a try. Hopefully in time my internal time clock will adjust to reality!

Cars :driving:

My husband is having a really tough time too. He is so frustrated he says he stays awake most of the night. I sleep in another room at times, when i stay with him he seems happier. He takes Nerve Tonic, Calms Forte & Advil Liquid Caps. I suggested hypnotics, or get some sleeping medication until getting back on a sleep schedule? Not sleeping is terrible...Coffee in the afternoon keeps me wide eyes all night. I always say you'll get tired sooner or later, lack of sleep is unhealthy.

A natural medication to try first, if the lack of sleep is causing you problems, is Valerian. You can get Valerian at any health food or vitamin store. It is a sedative (they derive valium from it) but in it's natural form is not addictive or harmful. Ask the health food store how many are normally taken or, even better, look it up on the web first. With herbal remedies you usually get what you pay for, don't buy the cheapest brand if you try this. I have used it for many stress related symptoms and it works extremely well.

Abbey's Mom had the right idea... but you don't have to drink warm milk.

Calcium has been called "Nature's Greatest Tranquilizer". Buy a bottle

of calcium tablets and take two when you wake up in the middle of the night.



Other things I do/have done...

It's a toughie, but give up ALL caffeine, and if you can't do that, no

caffeine after about noon.

No exercise within about 6 hours of going to bed. Exercise is good but

get it earlier.

Go to bed and get up about the same time every day. Even on weekends.

If you feel you MUST sleep in on weekends, limit it to no more than an

hour or so past your usual wake-up time.

Save the bed for sleeping and sex and that's it, no tv going before you

go to sleep.

Beware of outside stimulus. I for a while thought I was going to have to

give up Monday Night Football, too much excitement too late at night.

And I did give up (about 5 years ago) listening to music. Sometimes,

early in the day, I can still get away with some. I keep my hand poised

over the "mute" button on the remote, to avoid catchy commercial

jingles, 'cause I will sing 'em forever.

Keep a pad of paper and a pen by your bed, and when you wake up

thinking about something, WRITE IT DOWN. While you are writing,

try and visualize the thoughts leaving your head, travelling down your

arm, through the pen onto the paper. This way your brain think's it's

taken care of whatever. Might help you stop thinking about it.

Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. A "white noise" generator

helps some people. (Ocean waves, etc.)

On the caffeine thing, beware "hidden" caffeine, colas aren't the only

drink with caffeine in them. And watch painkillers like Extra-Strength

Excedrin, it has a lot in it.

Watch your food intake. Should have your last meal about 6 hours

before sleep. If it's a large, regular meal that is. Small snack later

on is okay.

Beware of trying for too much sleep, you need less as you get older,

but 7 or 8 hours is plenty.



And I wish you much luck in dealing with this!! When I get a good

night's sleep, I feel I can conquer the world!!



:-6

MELATONIN, VALERIAN, TYLENOL PM, A GLASS OF MILK(Tryptophan) ALSO IN TURKEY.(then of course perscribed medication from a physician, short term). Or turn the TV on, and watch those awful info comercials.

Any of the above will help induce sleep. I know as we age we sleep less. Don't know why we just do. Ironic isn't it, when we have the time to sleep, we can't. :-5

Forgot one important thing... limit or eliminate alcohol. I know it may



seem like it helps, but after a few hours your blood sugar drops and you

WILL wake up!





:yh_peace

cars wrote: After sleeping for about 5 hours I usually wake up, and am looking for a remedy to fall back to sleep at around 3:00am. :wah:



ANY IDEAS ANYONE?



Cars :driving:
My wife & I have had chronic sleep problems for the past 12 years (since retiring actually). She has difficulty going to sleep and I have trouble staying asleep for more than two hours.

She has been the Sleep Clinic route and sleep apnea and other potential causes have been ruled out. We have tried every home cure imagineable, all to no avail. Neither of us wants to go the sleeping pill route on a regualr basis. A new drug (Lunesta) has just been approved by the FDA and is supposedly a non habit forming hypnotic. It will be available next month I believe. Despite our sleep problems, we both seem to function pretty well during the day, although I will take a 30 to 45 min nap occasionally. Sleep problems are wide spread and as we age, seems to become a problem for may. ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz

Thankyou friends, you all have given me so many things to try that one of them is bound to work! I'll try some of them tonight when/if I wake at 3:00am.

Cars :driving:

hey Cars...get to bed!!

cars wrote: After sleeping for about 5 hours I usually wake up, and am looking for a remedy to fall back to sleep at around 3:00am. :wah:

ANY IDEAS ANYONE?

Cars :driving:
Cars.. I only sleep 5 hours also, This started happening about 4 years ago. I go to bed very early 8 or 9 Im up at 3. Some days I can go back to sleep till 5. Some days I get up, and just dont fight it. This is why I used to be on the Forum at 3 or 4 am. Most people I talk to in an older age bracket 50 and over say this is something that just happens. Your brain tells you you need less sleep. You can try to take a Tylenol Pm to break the cycle. Dont let it worry you. Being up when the rest of the world is sleeping is kind of magical.