Sleep [Archive] - Simple Living Forums

Florence

9-2-11, 11:25am

Is it just part of growing older to have trouble sleeping? Right now the only way I can sleep is propped up on 3 pillows or sitting semi-upright in the recliner. I fall asleep easy enough but wake about 90 minutes later. Some time between midnight and 4 am I will sleep 3 uninterupted hours. I have some arthritic pain in my shoulder that makes it difficult to get comfortable but I hate to take aspirin or ibuprofen every night, (Tylenol does nothing for it.) I can take a nap during the day and that helps but oh how I long for the nights of blissful uninterupted sleep!!
:(

goldensmom

9-2-11, 11:34am

I've read that as we age the body produces less melatonin which is a sleep inducing hormone. From visiting my mom in an AFC home at various hours of the night (to check out her care) there were many elderly up and around throughout the night hours. I too can fall asleep but wake up easily. I've always been a 'light sleeper' and any little sound may wake me then I have difficulty going back to sleep. Fortunately I am retired and it does not bother me much.

treehugger

9-2-11, 12:00pm

ApatheticNoMore

9-2-11, 12:03pm

Don't know if this will help but I HAVE to get some exercise in order to sleep (a 20 minute walk at least - really does seem to need to be arobic exercise, though of course not terribly strenous). If I don't get my exercise that day my body is like: ok that's it, no sleep for you. It's really quite a taskmaster and allows no slacking (well maybe when I'm horribly sick but not otherwise).

JaneV2.0

9-2-11, 12:23pm

I was going to advance the idea of low blood sugar and the consequent adrenalin rush. Here's a site that includes it among various reasons you may sleep restlessly:
http://www.stop-being-tired.com/tiredness-and-sleep/stop-waking-up/

I experienced some of this mid-life, but have historically slept well.

Sissy

9-2-11, 5:34pm

Yes, I have the same types of issues sleeping: I almost always fall asleep very quickly (because I'm so tired) but then wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble going back to sleep.

I sleep with ear plugs (have for about 20 years; my husband snores) but sounds can still wake me up. Also, the temperature and amount of light needs to be just right. Oh, and I need a bite guard because I clench my jaw in my sleep. And a pillow between my knees or my back hurts. And still my neck and shoulders are so so when I wake up and I very rarely feel rested. Sigh. Why am I such a high maintenance sleeper?? I swear I am not high maintenance in any other area of my life.

Kara

Don't forget that your pillow must be "just so" so your ear isn't on a bump and your neck doesn't get stiff. There can be no wrinkles of any kind, anywhere. No seams in sleepwear to rub skin. You must not be able to see a clock of any kind.

Sleep is hard to come by at nite, but I can sleep like the dead for 4 hours during the day, weird!!

CathyA

9-2-11, 5:42pm

Florence, are you going through menopause? That can cause all sorts of sleep problems.
Also, as I've mentioned in another post, its not uncommon for women after menopause to develop sleep apnea. A couple of us are using cpap machines, and its working great. When I was going through perimenopause, I would wake up about 4-5 times a night gasping. I have discovered that if I have caffeine earlier in the day, it makes me wake up around 4a.m. Fortunately, I can get back to sleep pretty easily when its that early.

One thing I learned is that people who have sleep apnea secrete more cortisol, which makes you have to pee more often. I was peeing like 3-4 times a night. Now that I'm using cpap, I don't get up at all. :)

Also, there are other types of sleep problems. With my fibromyalgia, I have alpha wave intrusion, which means that just as I'm falling asleep, my brain says "wake up!!" Its not unusual for me to wake up about 45 minutes every night after I go to sleep. So you may have a mixture of problems.
Good luck to you. Sleep is sooooo important.

Some people do have good luck with melatonin. And pain can definitely make you sleep less well.

puglogic

9-2-11, 7:05pm

I've been suffering from intermittent insomnia lately, despite all of my attempts to remedy it (I've read every book and web site available). I'm perimenopausal and I'm sure it's just my hormones going cuckoo-monkey.

I can peg which days I'm likely to need help sleeping, and have resorted to taking scullcap (scutellaria baicalensis, chinese scullcap) to help me sleep through the night. It works for me, and I don't feel it's quite as harsh as taking a chemical sedative.

poetry_writer

9-2-11, 7:22pm

Florence, same here. I think I have some arthritis starting up and the aches and pains wake me. Ibuprofen helps but like you I hate to take it every night. Melatonin has helped some and I am going to see a doc who prescribed me Ambien a few years ago during a difficult period. It works really well. I have also taken Remeron for sleep. It works but left me groggy. I find that it is almost impossible for me to fall asleep before midnight. If i do, i wake up more. So i just try to follow my natural body clock. Hope you are snoozing soon!

Florence

9-2-11, 8:26pm

poetry_writer, I will try melatonin; I'm not sure what dose to start with.

puglogic, I'm well past menopuase. I've never heard of scullcap. Do you get it at GNC? I'm going to try melatonin first and see if that helps.

CathyA, "One thing I learned is that people who have sleep apnea secrete more cortisol, which makes you have to pee more often. I was peeing like 3-4 times a night. Now that I'm using cpap, I don't get up at all." Yep, that's me, wearing the carpet out between bed and bathroom...

Sissy, I sleep deeply for about 90 minutes during the day. I wonder if that is what is keeping me awake at night??

ApatheticNoMore, I get very little exercise other than the usual housework and light gardening. I have a very dusty exercise bike that I really do need to put into better use that hanging clothes on.

Kara, "Why am I such a high maintenance sleeper?? I swear I am not high maintenance in any other area of my life." LOL. Me too. It used to be so simple--just lay down, close my eyes, and go to sleep. Now, the pillows have to be stacked just so, the temperature adjusted, etc. and I'm still awake off and on. Ack!!

CathyA

9-2-11, 8:29pm

Supposedly if you have trouble sleeping at night, you should never nap in the daytime. I know that could be a challenge to start, but maybe you could try it out and get into a better sleep routine.

Dragline

9-3-11, 12:56am

Re the exercise, walking would be fine. Try to do it 3-5 hours per week and outside is best. And make sure you do not spend days in darkened rooms without natural light.

redfox

9-3-11, 1:18am

I thought I had insomnia - turns out it was obstructve sleep apnea. Tree hugger, has your husband been checked for OSA? I recommend getting checked out for it.

pony mom

9-3-11, 9:20pm

Melatonin dosage is usually one pill a day--I think they come in a standard size.

My mom hasn't slept a full night since she went thru menopause many years ago. I think it's because she dozes on the couch while watching tv (although she always denies it) and it takes the edge off her sleep.

One of my coworkers is beginning menopause and she is complaining that she can't sleep anymore. I gave her a bunch of melatonin pills that she will start taking soon.

***Warning---it may be just me, but whenever I take melatonin, I have the wildest most vivid dreams ever! In the morning, I'll wake up and think "Wow! That was crazy!" Curious if anyone else experiences this.

puglogic

9-3-11, 9:33pm

Melatonin helped me to get to sleep but not to stay asleep. Falling asleep has never been my problem. Staying that way more than 3-4 hours has. So I like the scullcap thing - it keeps me sleeping for at least 6 hours. That, and exercise, fresh air, stress reduction, not drinking liquids within 2 hours of bedtime, no caffeine, and all the other stuff. Sleep is SO important to me -- I'm a different (worse) person when I'm not sleeping. :(

goldensmom

9-5-11, 7:32am

New theory, for me anyhow. While I do agree that sleep patterns change with age and there are many other physical factors to consider, I find that weather is a factor for me. After weeks of very warm temperatures and using the AC, last night it was 54F when I went to bed and 44F when I awoke. I opened the windows as there was a nice breeze, went to bed, went right to sleep and slept through the night. I don't like AC or warm temperatures. Nothing else has changed recently so the cool fresh air and breeze seemed to do it for me.

CathyA

9-5-11, 9:32am

pony mom......I think some of the wild dreams is from having more REM sleep. I know since I started using cpap, I dream all the time.

iris lily

9-5-11, 12:10pm

Isn't it ironic that the older we get and the less we have to do (well, sort of) the more time nature gives us to do it.

I guess in the tribe we old crones would be rocking babies and keeping them content while staying up keeping the fire going, while the moms and dads were getting much needed sleep, they being exhausted from hunting and gathering and tending crops, breast feeding children and being constantly pregnant, etc.

pinkytoe

9-5-11, 1:58pm

My sleep is not as sound as when I was younger. The room must be pitch black, very quiet and cool. That has been a real issue since our neighbor has a street light in his backyard and the temps have been 95 at 10p this summer. The AC going on and off is what wakes me up most times. I also know if I eat at certain restaurants or have a spicy meal, it is as if I took amphetamines as far as getting good sleep.

Mrs-M

9-5-11, 5:37pm

I definitely notice a change (and turn) in the quality of sleep I get now, as compared to when I was a teen and in my twenties. The two chronologies don't compare.

Maxamillion

9-6-11, 1:26am

My whole life, I've had horrible insomnia, mainly being unable to fall asleep. It's not unusual for me to spend 2 or 3 hours tossing and turning before sleep finally hits. There's even been nights where I didn't sleep at all.

I was prescribed a cpap machine last November. And I still can't seem to get the hang of it. It takes even longer to get to sleep with it on, it's so uncomfortable; most nights when I try using it, after 3 or 4 hours of not being able to get to sleep, I give up and take it off. Even on the rare night when I can fall asleep with it on, I wake up a few hours later to find I've taken it off and don't even remember doing it. Even during the few weeks when I somehow managed to use it consistently, I didn't see any benefit from it and still felt tired all day and found myself falling asleep during the day. I really wanted it to work too. It amazes me that other people love their cpap machines.

treehugger

9-6-11, 12:16pm

I thought I had insomnia - turns out it was obstructve sleep apnea. Tree hugger, has your husband been checked for OSA? I recommend getting checked out for it.

He has, and didn't have it. His snoring was instantly, greatly reduced when he bought a Temperpedic pillow specifically for snore-reduction 4 years ago. I still need earplugs though, since I discovered that so many different kinds of sounds wake me up.

What's funny, is that last week he got tired of me complaining about my sore neck (and not feeling like I could do anything about it) so he traded pillows with me. His is a lot more comfortable for me, but I can't stand his increased snoring. So, tonight we will switch back our pillows and I am back to pillow square one.

I have a positive sleeping update though! I bought a 3" memory foam mattress pad from Costco and it arrived on Friday. We let it straighten out/air out over night and then slept on it Saturday night. Wow, just wow...I haven't woken up feeling that rested in a long time. And this mattress pad makes my shoulders, my hips, and my back feel so much better. Better sleep, all for $160, amazing.

Still need a new pillow though, but it will have to wait a couple months for the budget to recover from the mattress pad.

Sweet dreams everyone,
Kara

P.S. I appear to be someone for whom melatonin doesn't work. I think it works better for people who have trouble falling not staying asleep. I do occasionally take 2 generic Benadryl (on the advice of my OB/GYN) if I know I will have trouble staying asleep, e.g., Sunday nights, the week before my period).

Glo

9-9-11, 5:09pm

When I was young I always slept like a rock. Now I'm 64 and don't sleep much at all; this has been going on for about 10 years. Melatonin does nothing for me. A couple times a week I take three bebedyrl tablets; they sort of work but only for 3 or 4 hours. I exercise a lot and eat right, but that makes no difference. I just think its an age thing. Also, I never nap during the day. Once in a while I'll fall asleep watching TV; when I get up and get in bed, I 'm wide awake. Its very frustrating!

Florence

9-9-11, 5:31pm

For now, I am just accepting that I have an interupted sleep pattern. I seem to fall asleep easier if I am listening to an audio book. I seem to get enough sleep even though it is interupted. I count my noontime nap as just part of the interupted sleep pattern.

redfox

9-9-11, 9:31pm

I was prescribed a cpap machine last November. And I still can't seem to get the hang of it. It takes even longer to get to sleep with it on, it's so uncomfortable; most nights when I try using it, after 3 or 4 hours of not being able to get to sleep, I give up and take it off. Even on the rare night when I can fall asleep with it on, I wake up a few hours later to find I've taken it off and don't even remember doing it. Even during the few weeks when I somehow managed to use it consistently, I didn't see any benefit from it and still felt tired all day and found myself falling asleep during the day. I really wanted it to work too. It amazes me that other people love their cpap machines.

Here's how I acclimated to my APAP (adjustable positive airway pressure) machine. I took amytriptaline, a med prescribed for me when my PCP thought I just needed sleep meeds, before the OSA diagnosis. I set up a 3 month plan. First, I went away for 10 days to a friend's quiet cabin. I started off taking 10 mg. of this med, as it keeps one asleep.

During that 10 days, I had the chance to experiment with it by myself, with no worry of waking my DH. When I got home, I kept the dosage at the high level for a total of 6 weeks. Then I tapered it off over another 6 weeks. By that time I was used to the feel of the mask, annd could sleep through the night with it. I take melatonin to get to sleep, and I don't like the mask or machine, but I really like being rested.

Please try to get used to it- the data about cardiac stress and risks of heart attack & stroke with OSA is scary.