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A good night's sleep - sometimes

(16 Posts)
overthehill Tue 24-Nov-15 13:49:43

Sleep I find very hit and miss. 9:30 if I'm not careful I will drift off in front of the TV. If I do I can more or less guarantee I will have difficulty getting to sleep. Added to this most night it's two trips to the bathroom so I'm not always as perky as I would like.

I stopped having tea or coffee after 9pm and nothing to eat after my evening meal to help.........or so I thought.

Last night I threw caution to the wind had a cup of tea, 3 crackers with cheese and a pickled onion around 10pm. Went to bed around an hour later expecting the worse.

What happened? I slept like a baby and woke feeling great at 7pm.

Blondehedgehog Tue 24-Nov-15 13:55:26

It is not so much the tea that stops you sleeping, but eating crackers ie. carbohydrate that helps sleep. I was advised to have a digestive or cracker before sleeping when I could not sleep. It has always worked

Ana Tue 24-Nov-15 15:10:50

overthehill I'm assuming you meant 7.00 a.m. not p.m.! grin

I do think a lateish snack can sometimes aid sleep (not sure about the pickled onion) as blondehedgehog says. Toast is good if you can be bothered to make it.

loopylou Tue 24-Nov-15 15:55:28

Just don't try chocolate, coffee and cheese in one 'snack' made by DH......I don't think I slept for more than 2 hours ( serves me right for eating cheese on toast, a chocolate mousse as well as a coup of coffee!)

lilian1 Tue 24-Nov-15 16:59:18

Hi overthehill I find eating strawberries with low fat yoghurt instead of cream helps me to sleep funnily enough my hubby always ate fruit in the evening and slept like a baby all night if I go to sleep on an empty tummy I don't sleep at all so like to have supper not before 7pm hence have the strawberries as a pud at supper time which seems to help .....

Sadiesnan Tue 24-Nov-15 17:02:59

I nearly always have a bad night. Either my legs ache, my head aches, I get acid reflux or I just can't sleep. When I get really bad I take Amytriptiline and that helps.

Indinana Tue 24-Nov-15 17:39:44

I have slept badly for years and am used to waking up anything between 3 and 8 times in the night to spend a penny sad. I usually manage to drop off to begin with, though, and after each loo visit I don't normally have trouble getting back to sleep. On the occasions when I can't even get to sleep in the first place I get up and have something to eat - crackers, or a slice of bread and butter or cake. It is definitely true that it's the carbs that help me to sleep. You'd think it would give me indigestion, especially as I suffer from reflux and heartburn (I've got a sliding hiatus hernia) but it doesn't seem to!

ninathenana Tue 24-Nov-15 18:58:27

DH and I have supper about 10pm every night. He has toast I either have cereal or toast. We both sleep well usually from midnight till about 7 am

overthehill Tue 24-Nov-15 20:28:40

Ana yikes!! Yes 7am silly me

rubylady Tue 24-Nov-15 21:51:26

My dad has complained of getting up every hour in the night to go to the toilet. He wanted me to ask any of you if this is normal? He is 76 years young. smile

Ana Tue 24-Nov-15 22:06:25

Every hour is far too often. Has he had his prostate checked?

Charleygirl Tue 24-Nov-15 22:12:02

A fellow going so frequently could well have prostate problems and he should visit his GP.

i am up at least twice to go to the loo but I do sleep well in between. It is very rare that I have a totally sleepless night. I have supper around 7.30pm and one cup of coffee around 8.30pm and no more liquids until morning. I do like to read for at least an hour each night and I usually get up around 8am.

Anya Tue 24-Nov-15 22:24:30

Think I'll try blondehedgehog's tip and grab a cracker now. Interesting.

ClaraB Wed 25-Nov-15 19:58:18

I have absolutely no problem getting to sleep as I'm always really tired when I go to bed. I get up to the loo in the night and find it very hard to go back to sleep if I've got anything on my mind. I can lay awake for 3 hours and then it's time to get up for work, needless to say I don't feel very refreshed when this happens.

whitehouse Thu 26-Nov-15 11:05:25

Other half had prostate removed a few years ago and he is still up every night needing a pee at least twice! Now insist he does not flush loo during the night as he wakes everyone else up [uses toilet gel for freshness & hygiene].blush.

Have the benefit of sleeping in the other bedroom when we have no visitors ~ best night's sleep ever. I also always sleep like a log after looking after the two dear little grandsons, especially when they have been on a sleepover. grin.

We all need a good sleep to get us through the following day. smile.

TriciaF Thu 26-Nov-15 17:12:19

My sleep pattern is hit and miss too. It's unpredictable, usually restless leg which goes on for hours. Even if I'd had a busy day.
I once wrote on here that if I couldn't sleep I got up and made toast jam and tea. I tried that last night and it worked!