Weird sleeping

I've posted this before - I decided a while ago to have a drink of warm milk with honey and a pinch nutmeg around 9 p.m. and since then I sleep much better, deeper, more soundly. Then by chance I read that nutmeg is a sleep enhancer.

I have no idea why I started doing this, excepting somewhere in the far recesses of my memory, I think my mother would give it to to us as children. (Note to self, I must ask my sister).

I agree with all of the above. I too have occasions when I struggle to wake up, I dream that I cannot open my eyes and only see through a tiny gap. Then eventually wake up with a start. Occasionally I also feel I can't breathe, I believe I sleep with my mouth open and this is causing the feeling. Then the troubled sleep, nothing like when I was working and just crashed as soon as I touched the pillow. But when you don't have to get up early in the morning it doesn't matter. Same as if you feel you then need a nap during the day. Just take it easy and do what your body wants instead of fighting against it.

If possible try not to stress about not sleeping. Try to establish a pattern.

TV for me these nights is rubbish so I have an early shower and go to bed to read for up to 2 hours. I switch off my light before midnight and try to sleep in the same position every night and it seems to work for me.

My attitude is I am no longer working- it does not really matter if I have the occasional night awake.

I recognise the 'not knowing if I'm asleep or not' feeling. I have had that sensation when life has been particularly stressful. I also get weird dreams that are so life like....as in I'm dreaming I have woken up, everything is normal at first but then something happens that is not quite right I then realise I'm dreaming and struggle to wake up....but am still actually dreaming. When I finally really surface I am exhausted and disorientated. Thankfully it does not happen that often!
I agree that the quality of sleep is far more important than the actual time.....when I was having some counselling we talked about my poor sleep and I was advised to stop trying to sleep - get up and do something fairly unstimulating but do not view the getting up as a failure. See it as a choice.....try to enjoy the alone time, the time to potter about or just to read and relax. Once you are not fighting the wakefulness is does seem to diminish.

A couple of points: Don't read your devices in bed, apparently the blue light causes sleep issues. Fitbit can also show how little sleep you get so might cause more worry. Also it assumes you are asleep if you are not moving! Worry is a frequent cause of insomnia so distracting your mind may help. If you can recite something, poem, song times tables etc which you know well but just need to think about a little may take your mind off whatever it is. Also a notebook by the bed to write down the worry can help. Things always seem much worse at 2 am.

Having made those suggestions, they don't work for me!

The last two nights I have slept until 12.30 then I am awake until about three, then I over sleep, it happens every few weeks I then feel dreadful all day.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Are you on any drugs that might be disturbing your sleep pattern?

I would try the herbal Nytol - they do work. And lavender drops on your pillow.

I track my sleep on a Fitbit and find it very reassuring

It’s not your overall hours that matters as much as how much deep sleep you get . We fluctuate between deep, light and rem sleep all night with periods of (hopefully) brief wakefulness. I wake up once most nights to go to the bathroom but sleep reasonably well with the odd bad night. I find I need the bedroom very dark and use blackout blinds and also like it very cool so no heating on in bedroom and window open or fan on in summer

I sleep between two merino blankets, one underneath and one covering me and I just go " unconscious " all night.

There was a health program on tv yesterday evening and a gravity blanket was mentioned. People seemed to like it. It is weighted and seems to be comfortable. I don't sleep well but this blanket is quite expensive so I doubt if I will buy one.

The older we get, the more erratic our sleeping patterns.

Your current sleeping pattern, Nanmarch is much like mine, although I usually manage three hours before I wake. I read or have the radio on quietly under my pillow so I am listening, but not listening, and usually get back to sleep.

It is annoying when this starts. I used to be capable of sleeping all night, on the proverbial clothes line, boasted of my capacity to sleep anywhere any time, but no more.

Providing you are not dead tired during the day, enough to possibly impair your driving capacity, I would just roll with it, accept this is what happens as you age. Do that and acceptance of a disturbed sleeping pattern can actually mean you sleep better.

Reported

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

I think it’s more about acceptance, if you start worrying about it it becomes a big old problem, just accept that just as your boobs droop, and your bum is less peachy, and your skin less elastic, your sleep pattern may change
Every once in a while I will have a night where I don’t sleep a wink but I refuse to let it worry me i just accept it as one of those things and I don’t feel any tireder the next day

I can't complain about the odd blips I have now and again as I mainly get 6-8 hours sleep most nights. Nine times out of 10 it's hunger so I have a couple of rich tea biscs.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Are you doing enough physical activity during the day? I find it's the best way to get a good night's seep.

I’m afraid it is common problem as you get older I have found. I usually turn on the radio and set it for thirty minutes by which time I have nodded off again.

I have the same problem inishowen some nights only one visit to the lavatory other nights as you say four or five. I have accepted the fact that I don't sleep as well and don't stress about it now. I read for a while then back to sleep, repeat through the night.
Fortunately my husband & I have separate rooms so nobody is disturbed.

I wake up after a couple of hours' sleep and can't get back to sleep if I go to bed too early, so my advice would be to try going to bed an hour later.

Are you tired all day because of this change in your sleeping pattern?

If not, don't worry about it.

I can't help wondering if there is something worrying you, or niggling away at the back of your mind? In my experience that causes me to lie awake at night. The cure is to identify the worry, and solve the problem.

I have an odd sleep pattern too. I go to sleep immediately, then wake up at around 3 am. I try to go back to sleep but usually end up reading for an hour. Some nighst I am up 4 or 5 times to go to the loo. I would give anything to sleep all night.

My grandson has to take melatonin to counteract the medication he takes for ADHD , it does work very well , I have taken on occasions, and it works for me . I have discovered that eating a couple of kiwi fruits an hour or so before bed time helps sleep as it is rich in serotonin!

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will definitely be giving them a go. I do have some melatonin tablets, has anyone tried them?
It is quite reassuring to know that many people have the same issues. I sometimes long for the time (long ago) when I put my head on the pillow and did not stir until the morning!!?