I'm just wondering if anyone has any advise for a very physically active man in his 60s who has trouble remaining asleep at nights. Going to sleep at bedtime is not much of a problem, but sleeping more than 3 or 4 hours is.
Remedy for insomnia
- Thread starter JLM
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Seems you have a very active mind that wakes you up during the night. Could try 2 Benadryl pills (over the counter) before you got to bed. (1 over normal dose)
They have same ingredients that are in some sleeping medications.
They have same ingredients that are in some sleeping medications.
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Tea is always a good idea. Soaking in a hot tub just before retiring will sometimes help.
The question I have is do you nap at all during the day? What time do you go to bed and get up?
The only reason I ask these questions is to see if you have a reflex wake up time. What I mean by this is for example with myself, it doesn't matter how late I go to bed I always wake up between 5:30 and 6 AM. I tried to break myself of this wake up time but have been unable to.
If you are accustomed to getting up at a certain time then that is when you will wake up.
The question I have is do you nap at all during the day? What time do you go to bed and get up?
The only reason I ask these questions is to see if you have a reflex wake up time. What I mean by this is for example with myself, it doesn't matter how late I go to bed I always wake up between 5:30 and 6 AM. I tried to break myself of this wake up time but have been unable to.
If you are accustomed to getting up at a certain time then that is when you will wake up.
Normal bedtime is about 10 PM. Ideally I would like to wake up about 5 AM and get up. I love the solitude of early morning. I'm a retired active person who likes to get anything that has to be accomplished done by noon, after that take it easy and relax.
Something is waking you up. Do you get up to go to the bathroom? Snore yourself awake? Have you been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea?
I would suggest the usual no nap during the day no caffine after 2pm, no eating after 8pm. You may also want to check your bed. You should be comfortable and not wake up achey. Beyond that, talk to your doctor.
Melatonin. It's produced naturally by the body and regulates sleep patterns. You can buy melatonin over the counter and it's quite effective in small doses.
Perhaps you don't need more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep. Everyone has a different rhythm.I usually go to bed between midnight and 1AM and get up at the first light of the sun and I feel great all day long.
If I fall asleep before that and sleep through until morning I feel like crap all day because I got too much sleep.
I agree with you on the beauty and solitude of the early morning. Do you feel fatigue during the day with only 3 or 4 hours sleep?
Try going to bed at midnight or 1. The amount of sleep doesn't really matter now that you're no longer a growing boy. It's the quality of sleep you get.
I can sympathise with you - my consultant gave me a CPAP machine to establish if I have sleep apneoa, but it turns out I only stop breathing 4 to 5 times a night, which is not enough for a diagnosis of sleep apnoea. I watched a programme recently which stated that if we split the eight hours a night sleep we are led to believe we need and have a siesta, it would be more beneficial. Through trial and error, I gave it a go - although I work and it would be impractical to take a siesta - what I do is take an extra "hour" sleep just before I set off for work and find that when you stop worrying about it or thinking about it - it does help. Also, not going to bed with a full stomache or full mind helps!
Three or four hours two nights in a row pretty well wrecks me. Five hours a night is good, I feel fine, lots of energy. I'm a pretty highly strung person, who can't stand sitting still while there's things that I feel should be done and if there's an unresolved problem my mind won't leave it alone until it's solved.
Get Viagra or Cialis or Levitra, (or all of them) take advantage of their effect until your mate is comatose. Then, if you are still awake, pick up a real good, exciting book to read. Read it! And if the excitement does not tire you out enough for a good night's sleep, you could try a bowl of chicken soup. Or a glass of warm milk. Or you might just as well resort to sedatives.
Same with me, Rufus. Even if I sleep at 2.00 a.m., I still wake up between 5:30 and 6.00 a.m. Then I wash up, have breakfast and then again go back to sleep. I also nap in the afternoon.
Not me.... I'll sleep 'til noon but before it's dark I'll have every picnic basket....
Wait a minute.... That's the Bear!
Best piece of advice has already been given.... Don't worry about it. It's like ED. The more you worry, the more you have to.
Wait a minute.... That's the Bear!
Best piece of advice has already been given.... Don't worry about it. It's like ED. The more you worry, the more you have to.
JLM, I would advise against taking any pills or medications unless absolutely necessary. It is never a good idea to get outside help to go to sleep, it is much better if you can do it internally.
Let me tell you a technique that works for me. If I become awake during the night, I lie still and let my mind go totally blank, I do not think of anything. It is thinking that keeps you awake.
How do I do that? Simple, I chant the same short phrase in my mind again and again. Any short phrase will do (e.g. two plus two is four, or grass is green etc.). I concentrate on that phrase and nothing else. That lets my mind go totally blank. I am not thinking of anything, I am totally focused on that phrase. I fall asleep in minutes.
Yoga people or Hindu gurus give you a mantra to chant, when meditating. This works on the same principle.
Let me tell you a technique that works for me. If I become awake during the night, I lie still and let my mind go totally blank, I do not think of anything. It is thinking that keeps you awake.
How do I do that? Simple, I chant the same short phrase in my mind again and again. Any short phrase will do (e.g. two plus two is four, or grass is green etc.). I concentrate on that phrase and nothing else. That lets my mind go totally blank. I am not thinking of anything, I am totally focused on that phrase. I fall asleep in minutes.
Yoga people or Hindu gurus give you a mantra to chant, when meditating. This works on the same principle.
"Let me tell you a technique that works for me. If I become awake during the night, I lie still and let my mind go totally blank, I do not think of anything. It is thinking that keeps you awake."
SirJosephPorter,if I were a nasty person I would ask you why would you need the night for that, when you display that ability post after post.
But I am too nice to do that.
SirJosephPorter,if I were a nasty person I would ask you why would you need the night for that, when you display that ability post after post.
But I am too nice to do that.
JLM, counting sheep works for some, but the problem with that is that you have to count from one forwards. So you are not really saying the same thing over and over again (which helps keep your mind blank), but you are thinking at least to some extent, e.g. what comes after eighteen? Then what comes after nineteen and so on.
While that much thinking may not bother some, it may be enough for some others not to fall asleep.
