Unexpected moment of bliss

I was thinking about this thread as I swam this morning - the waters sparkling and sunlit and my mood one of absolute joy in the moment.

Annaraml
I'm glad to hear that.breath of fresh air.

I'm sure I would sleep better if it wasn't for the snoring bear at side of me. Good job he keeps me warm in Winter.
Sometimes he wakes himself up and then can't get back to sleep so goes into the other room to read. Bliss

Thank you Coolgran.

grannytotwins you mention Requip. I’ve been on it for 13 years. Unfortunately it has now augmented and is causing symptoms to be much much worse and are now in arms also. I’m weaning off the Requip, with great difficulty and very slowly. Please keep your Requip dosage as low as possible.

Eloethan that was lovely.

Hi - I’ve Bi-polar Disorder so endless insomnia - Although dirt poor at the time the 2008 financial crash news weaned me off listening to the rolling news on the World Service and like a fellow poster, sadly, I’ve now got similar negative associations with the Shipping Forecast.
A friend suggested BBC Radio FourX (DAB) which has worked for the last four years, listening is like stepping back to the fifties sometimes and it takes getting used to (repeats are tedious) but it has made for if not sleepy nights pretty relaxed ones.
Statistically pets are supposed to disrupt sleep but I’m very comforted by the company of my cats at night.

Sazz1 Those are pretty much my natural sleeping times too. This is not a problem now I am retired (unless DGC are there) but when I was working it meant about 4 hours sleep a night. Nevertheless I survived! What's so special about mornings anyway? I'm sure you'll all let me know but I am not impressed! I love watching the moon, stars, satellites and always wave to the ISS. Even if it is cloudy it is peaceful!

pinkquartz I agree Nature has so many moments of bliss, spotting a rabbit or a frog, hearing birdsong, bluebell woods at this time of year and the blackbird couple who currently are searching for food on my lawn and are almost tame. Not to mention sunsets, cloud formations, rainbows and the smell of cut grass. I could go on.....

Some years ago we were going out for the day to Brighton. We'd spent so much time discussing where we were going that by the time we set off it was late. The traffic was bad and got worse as we travelled towards the coast. Then the sky turned grey and the heavens opened. The rain pounded so hard against the windscreen, obscuring our vision, that we could only crawl along. We started to grumble, blaming each other for our late departure. A stony silence ensued.

By the time we got to Brighton I was thoroughly fed up and thinking what a waste of time it had been coming out for the day.

AS we left the car park, the weather brightened unexpectedly. We went to sit on the beach, which was quite crowded with families and young children in fairly close proximity - normally something I wouldn't enjoy. But, having had a tiring and horrible journey, we just lay down on the pebbled beach for a nap. The sun came out fully and suddenly the temperature was just perfect - hot, but not uncomfortably so, with a light, warm breeze. I drifted off to sleep, with the sounds of the sea against the pebbles and little children playing receding into the distance.

We both awoke, refreshed and feeling suddenly very happy. Unexpected bliss.

I don't have insomnia but can't get to sleep until between 1am and 3am. I'm resisting going to the GP for sleeping tablets as they are addictive, but if anyone knows a natural product or method I would try it. I don't wake until 9am or 10am most days so miss the mornings. This started due to shift working as midnight until 3am was our busiest time of the shift.

If I can't sleep, I either read or put on a you tube program on my laptop - about something boring and repetitive - and I'm usually asleep in minutes!

This is all so familiar although I don’t suffer with restless legs. Had sleep problems for years and never, never slee all night. Feel really sluggish most days and child care days can be particularly trying. Also a little more difficult as my son and family are living with us at the moment and I have no bedroom to escape to.

Over the counter Magnesium tablets for me too - it really works. I take mine in the morning. Tried taking it before bed and it didn't work - I think it needs time to be absorbed. If I do wake, radio 4 or 4 extra sends me back to sleep.

I don’t know if it would help or not but mu mum suffered terribly with RLS for years, read in a book to drink a glass or fresh orange juice with a little salt in before bed.
She was so tired one day that in the end she thought blow it, has two chances, work or not. She said it tasted awful but had the best nights sleep she could remember.

Wow BradfordLass! What strange and interesting bird sounds! Almost like the percussion section of an orchestra warming up!

I am another insomniac who cannot switch off and fall asleep, no matter what I try. I have to take drugs at night to help me drop off. I feel slow and sluggish the next day and I really dislike that feeling. I have to fight it or I'd get nothing done! I never nap during the day (I cannot drop off in a chair) and my energy seems to peak just as people are going to bed!

One of my friends remarked I was lucky being able to survive on so little sleep and didn't I have amazing stamina! If only she knew!

Glad you were able to enjoy a few unexpected hours sleep Coolgran. It's amazing how much better a properly rested body feels. Sleep is so restorative.

I listen to LBC. A twenty four hour conversation programme.

It can be very interesting to switch on if you can’t sleep, but be warned, they do have a lot of advertising which sometimes makes me switch of.
Steve Allen, on from 4am to 7am is very witty.
But I would much rather be asleep than listen to the radio.

I listen to the World Service all night. I love it. Even if I can’t sleep I am very well informed! but the shipping forecast drives me nuts! I have to go up the airwaves to Radio 3 when that comes on.

I have “discovered’ that if I have a light snack before bed I sleep much better. Perhaps you had just had your lunch.

If you have slept 5 hours during the day, waking at 8pm, you cant reasonably expect a good night sleep! That wouldn’t be insomnia. That would be “just not tired!”

RLS is quite awful. Totally distressing IMO. Think I've said before there are some 'cranky' suggestions out there. I opted for bar of toilet soap in bed. Worked for me. Psychosomatic? Maybe. The result is sufficient for me to live with that.

But won’t this mean dreadful insomnia now that night?

Never thought about magnesium for restlessness legs . Thank you for that. Husband is on that for cramps.

I have severe restless legs and mentioned it to the neurologist when I was seeing her about something else. She gave me a prescription for Requip, a Parkinson’s drug. It works perfectly, but I need to take it at 7pm otherwise it doesn’t work in time for bed. It is blissful having my legs still at night!

Bradford Lass
Thanks for the wonderful Tui bird. I love the song of blackbirds and robins in my garden. Such a shame that British birds have declined in numbers, some by as much as 90%. Partly due to the rise in the numbers of cats, and of course partly due to gardeners putting down harmful slug pellets which slugs eat and then birds eat the slugs and unfortunately they are poisoned too. There are safe alternative slug killers you can buy. Also farming practices such as the use of chemicals and destruction of hedgerows to make larger fields which are more easily ploughed.
As for sleeping, I am an insomniac but I don't worry about it . After all, I have got to 78 and all I need is a cup of coffee in the morning and I feel fine. All those experts who say you need 8 hours of sleep are just nuts. You don't, if your body needs less just be thankful and accept it. We are all different.

I seem to manage now on 4 or so hours a night. It’s been going on for twenty years plus. At first I worried about not sleeping .... now I’m thankful if I get 4 hours ... and it’s never unbroken sleep. Never taken pills for it although once in hospital the ward had a very disruptive patient, and none of us could sleep , and nurses come round to dish out sleeping pill each. It worked for all except me... they gave me another... didn’t work. They gave up.