What type of insomniac are you?

Bags I am not meaning to upset you but you do often on GN launch into a thing about not worrying or fretting over adult offspring because they are adults etc. You may mean it kindly but I don't think it comes across that way. So that is feedback and you can do with it what you choose.
You seem to be reading an awful lot into my original remark that I had an in-the-background minor concern about my son driving across the desert on his own. "la la la" was meant to express that I was choosing not to dwell on it, worry about him, think of things that could go wrong etc.
You don't know whether he is looking forward to it or worried about it himself. And you certainly have no idea what kind of communication there has been about the topic, if any.
Maybe your line: actually, I have been in a similar situation more than once is telling and that the issue of parents worrying about their adult children is a bit close to home?

Misunderstandings clearly abound, as we often find with only the printed word, limited at that, and no facial expressions to go on. I suggest a truce.

(btw, just to be clear, my kids have not been in a similar situation to the one your son is in; I have. The analogy ends there)

Back to insomnia

I do wonder how many here have followed numero uno advice given by all sleep experts. To declutter the bedroom, make sure it has total light blocking curtains, and take TV and computer out of there and keep heating down, if at all possible with some fresh air getting in (not always possible here in a blizzard and - 20C, lol). Eg to keep bedroom as a sleep nest and nothing else.

They also advise that if you are fretting, you should get out of bed and go to another room, then return when you think you are ready to sleep.

Also to try and not nap during the day if at all possible - unless it is after lunch for a hort-time, max 1 hour. And not nap in the evening - keep yourself awake if you feel yourself 'go' if at all possible + not go to bed too early.

I have discussed this with a friend (guess who) from GN- and she disagrees as having a routine is not important to her (we agree to disagree of course) but all the experts agree that it is paramount to regain good sleep patterns.

I follow all those 'rules' apart from the fresh air one - it would be far too noisy in the early morning - but then my problem is often waking up at 3, 4 or 5 a.m. and not being able to get back to sleep again rather than not being able to drop off at all. I know the advice is to get up and do something, but quite honestly my body is tired and doesn't want to, even though my mind won't stop going over things again and again...

Reading for a while does help, if it's early enough, otherwise I'm worrying about not getting enough sleep...

I follow none of these rules and regularly sleep 7 hours a night, usually with a short loo break. Now I am convinced that at least 50% of G'netters will hate me.

anno I'm in the non-hating group. . After many years of sleeping badly, I find it's now rare to have disturbed sleep (apart from the loo visit - but hardly wake up for that). I go to bed early-ish most nights, and wake up early.
I do adhere to two personal 'rules' - no caffeine in the afternoons and no alcohol in the evenings (staying hydrated) - and when I do - it's a given I have a bad night!

Come to think of it, Butty, most days I don't have anything with caffeine in it after my breakfast 'bucket' of tea. Living alone, I don't indulge in alcohol, not out of principle but because I am only a social drinker.

I don't hate you, anno! I admit to a touch of though...

Those 'rules' are only for those who are insomniacs. 'Normal' people can do what they want - including those who are not bothered about insomniacs and are happy to sleep as and when. Which is fine.

Oh good. I was afraid I might be doing something wrong. I tend to have forty-ish winks sometime in the afternoon.

Normal??? Am I abnormal, then?

I am a stay up late person due to arthritis etc.,I can't settle and get comfy.

It's fine for me as I am happy watching utter rubbish on the tele and I function well the next day.So no problem really, 4/5 hours quite normal. I do find that about after 10 or so days I have a fairly good nights sleep, suggesting my body is saying, "For goodness sake get some rest idiot".

Failing that Tramadol and Bicardi and Coke does the job.

Please nobody tell me I am stupid, it's only a thread.

Quite, POGS - whatever does it for you!

Ana

Phew

As I can worry for the world I have problems trying to get back to sleep so I try to concentrate on making lists. Eg
All 50 states in USA
Host cities of the Olympics since 1948
Winners of all series of Strictly
It keeps my mind off the
worries and anxieties

It's not all bad suffering from insomnia. It's 3.54 am and I've just come back from Tesco, my Christmas shopping completed. Shelves full, car park empty, no queue fir the checkout, staff very smiley. The best bit is no one ( except one of the dogs) even knew I'd got up, dressed and gone.

The clue will be the fresh croissants for breakfast.

Nanado me too awake early, so funny because I was contemplating going to 24hr Tesco..

Me too! Awake early, that is; it is pouring down again and I am going nowhere until late afternoon when we go over to DD's house. (Still loving this!) The men are going to the pub, (tradition) and the women (including DGD) will be drinking fizz and eating canapés. Mmmm.

I may contemplate a small encounter with the Hoover..

Meant to say, re insomnia, that this is very much my pattern - I slept for a good ten hours the night before, and feel as if I've had enough sleep to be going on with. Yet we had a good, if slowish (his hip, my knee) walk on the cliffs above the sea yesterday, so we're well fresh airified and exercised. I'm just not sleepy.

Did you go cheelu ?

Have a great day Ariadne and everyone who is looking forward to Christmas
Hope it passes quickly for those who are not

good sentiments Nando

I'm having real problems sleeping since gradually giving up HRT in January after taking it for 4 years. I wake on average 3 or 4 times a night feeling really hot and/or needing the loo and then can't get back to sleep. I have one caffinated drink in the morning, the bedroom is dark and cool, I run for 30 mins most days and only drink at weekends! Help! Has anyone tried a Chillow or that special cool nightwear that is advertised?

I'm much the same as Gracesmum and often wake up around 4am . The only way I seem to settle again is to get up and make a drink. Somehow this seems to work and I usually fall asleep again fairly quickly. Occasionally I
wake nearer to 6am ,in which case I switch on our local radio programme and then tend to snooze until around 7am ,when I am sufficiently awake to listen to the programme properly!

Once upon a time I was out for the count every night, then the menopause struck and for the past few years my sleep pattern has been really disturbed by getting really hot and having to hang limbs outside the duvet, then of course it's cold, so back under the duvet again and so it goes, on and on and on.............then finally drift off to sleep and 5 mins later it's time to get up, a bit like the book "Peace at Last"

I have developed several strategies .. first strategy:go to the loo then put eye drops in dried up eyes, then put on or take off bed socks. Second strategy : scribble down thoughts/irritations which are troubling you. Third strategy (if other two fail) fire up my Nintendo and do some sudoku - the concentration necessary for that soon obliterates worries. Fourth strategy: if fairly close to getting up time, get up and do something useful..ironing/tidy a drawer out/plump sofa cushions and tidy round.
Absent loved your snoring report!