Sleep Week - post to win prizes! ?

A must for me every night is a few pages of my current book which has to be a 'real' book not a kindle or audio - even though I run the risk of dropping the hardback on my nose it must be a book.
I've noticed that if I haven't been out for a walk then it is quite hard to get to sleep - which is so frustrating as I used to fall asleep so easily when I was at work.
I also don't seem to need as many hours asleep - last night it was only about four and a half - bu then I did fall asleep in the chair watching TV!
If I ever can't fall asleep or wake up unable to go back to sleep then the radio tuned into the World Service - NOT music - and turned down really low is guaranteed success.

As a child my grandmother used to advocate Eau de Cologne on my forehead. As an adult I still find lavender or rose and geranium on my pillow and inhaling the smell as I concentrate on my breathing, really helps me drop off. I try not to sleep during the day.

I've tried so many different sleep pillow sprays, sleep balm, rescue remedy, etc. etc. and they all have helped at times. However, I found that for me the source of the problem has been knee pain or back pain and now that this has been dealt with I am sleeping like the proverbial log!

As a young mum I slept lightly but slept well being exhausted. Same as a working mum, teenage problems, then divorce, future worries all affect the sleep. I guess a pattern developes as even retired, with grandchildren, getting by, at peace, it's hard to turn off thoughts, have a good sleep. I read for 45 mins - turn off thoughts, makes eyes tired, and sleep happens sooner. Blackout curtains help. If can't get back to sleep during the night don't just lie there but read the book for another 20 mins then settle down again. Do not sleep on if woken in the night but get up set time each morning.

I generally sleep okay although sometimes I wake up randomly and takes ages to get back to sleep! Super annoying.

My sleeping pattern changes every night, some nights I drop straight off but I do not wake up refreshed.
Then other nights I seem to cat nap all through the night and for some reason I have started snoring which I never did a few years ago my partner as started nugging me telling me to turn on my side. He says I sound like a tractor Now he knows how I feel with his snoring lol.

I usually manage a good night's sleep but don't get enough hours as I spend too long reading in bed. I do sympathise with insomniacs though as the odd night I do wake up and can't get off to sleep again I lie there for hours dwelling on all sorts of worrying things and it's horrible

I take ammytriptallin

Don't know what happened there ,I take amitriptyline at night for nerve pain I read for 1/2to one hour usually up to toilet once or twice .Usually go to bed between 10_11 wake several times get up about 8_9 .don't drink caffeine at all ..

I sleep fairly well and do use a Fitbit. I usually sleep 6-7 hrs with average score in the 80s which is good enough for me. Sometimes to get off to sleep I use a Fitbit Meditation and Mindfulness recording - very relaxing as it focusses on breathing slowly - I soon drift off.

Think I'm going to sleep better tonight having read these responses. I used to always do the standard 8 hours, but more recently it's gone down to 7.
I was thinking I was becoming my Grandmother who always woke at 5.30 or 6. ? Just when I need as much beauty sleep as I can get! Feeling more Normal now ?

For several years two house burglaries whilst we were all asleep made me afraid of falling asleep and not knowing what was happening around me.
Now that we have a burglar alarm I feel more secure, but no matter how well I sleep or how long for, I always feel wrecked when I wake up. It takes me ages to get going in the morning.
I am thinking of getting a Fitbit to monitor my sleep but Idon't know which one to get.
Any recommendations, please? I don't want to spend on extra features I'll never use.

I find I wake up and can’t go back to sleep. I end up browsing on my phone which I know is the wrong thing to do! I’m doing it now.

As you will see from the time I posted this I don’t get a good sleep ? usually I struggle to fall asleep, then sleep for about 40-60 mins then I’m awake again ?It takes me hours to get back to sleep ?

I’ve never been a good sleeper and I don’t understand people saying they were asleep for 8 hours!
Since lockdown began its been even worse, horrible nightmares too. I usually sleep for around 3 hours then am awake for a couple of hours, then sleep again for 2-3 hours.
My partner also snores quite a bit so more often then not I end up in the spare room.

I usually sleep OK after dropping off quite quickly but I do tend to wake around 3am and then catnap until 7am. I'd love to get a good seven or eight hours without waking up.

Interesting to see that some people sleep badly if they’ve eaten too much. I’m now connecting my restless night with the Mother’s Day chocolates I polished off yesterday.

Sleeptime - it's a bit hit and miss for me.
Due to health issues I often have to get up to the bathroom at night, sometimes every hour so disrupted sleep has become normal for me.
But in saying this, sometimes I do sleep through all night.
I need about 6 to 7 hours, in summer I am fine with 5 hours.
There are times when I sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow and some times I can take one or two hours to fall asleep. Then I make up stories in my head, sometimes the story is so nice I don't want to fall asleep - so maybe not a good thing.
What I find really difficult is finding a good matress that I am happy with. I often wake with a sore back. I am a side sleeper but find it difficult to find a comfortable position.

I get about eight hours sleep a night although it is rare for me not to have to visit the bathroom at least once in the night - fortunately I don't usually have a problem getting back off to sleep.

I tend to sleep well but some nights my mind races and worries. I tell myself that I can’t do anything about it at that time and try to calm myself by breathing exercises

I am unfortunately on a lot of medication which causes havoc with my sleep. Some nights I can sleep all night but others I am awake on and off all night then I find myself nodding off during the day. My husband works early so I get up at 4.30am every morning and sometimes don't get to bed until 11.30pm so a full nights sleep is still only 5 hours!

I used to be able to sleep very well but now it's a lot more difficult to drop off and I wake about 4am and then can't get back to sleep. Now I don't have any "blue light" two hours before bed, a warm bath, no caffeine at all during the day, limit my alcohol and read in bed!

What I want to know is, why do I fall easily into a deep sleep while reading in bed (only waking when the book falls on my face), but then take ages to fall asleep again?

And then there's bladder alerts .... !

Like others on the subject, eating too late really keeps me awake and causes disturbed sleep

I can go weeks without waking up during the night and then, all of a sudden, I wake up after a couple of hours sleep and am then awake for hours. Nothing worse than laying awake and everything whirling around your head!