Sleep Week - post to win prizes! ?

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

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

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'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 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.

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.

I usually sleep very well, on the few occasions I do wake I have BBC sounds on my phone and I choose a story or drama to listen to. I seldom hear the end.

I usually does not wake up when sleeping, but do not rest properly as still tired in the morning

I have found my sleeping pattern has change dramatically since lockdown, although I follow the same bedtime routine I am often awake into the early hours of the morning. I rarely get 7-8 hours sleep.

What causes a bad night? For me, it's when I have something on my mind, something stressful...like my recent house sale, purchase and move!
How to sleep better? I've learned over the years that there will be times when sleep simply won't come, times when my brain is buzzing with questions, worries etc. At times like these, I reassure myself that my brain will come up with solutions ....and, come morning, it often has. I also tell myself that one sleepless night isn't the end of the world. I focus on relaxing physically, bit by bit. When morning comes, I really don't feel too bad, even when I've had no sleep at all. The next night, I tend to sleep like the proverbial log.
And what to do if you find yourself wide awake in the wee hours? Again, I focus on relaxing physically...and relaxing mentally tends to follow.

I am the same, but no cat! Once spring is on the way I know my poor sleep will be even worse due to lighter mornings and birdsong

Ive always been an insomniac. I never used to worry about it and could function very well on about 3 hours. Now there is all this health information and I heard lack of sleep could leave to dementia, it has now become a big issue for me and I often only get 1-2 hours or none at all. I have tried everything. It really didnt worry me till I heard all these health scares.

I can be a light sleeper and wake easily. I find it easier to drop off if I am relaxed. A lavender bath before bed can help.

I'm not a great sleeper, it can take hours for me to fall asleep. I'm also a very light sleeper so wake up as soon as the birds start tweeting in the morning.
This is not helped by a snoring husband and a cat that jumps onto the bed multiple times during the night. Send help !

I don’t drop off easily but take a sleeping tablet but still wake up. It plays havoc with my daily life especially work. I have tried everything to help.

Only in the last two years have I experienced lack of night time sleep. I get about 5 to 6 hours of quite restless sleep a night with lots of thoughts going through my head so I can't relax. Also a trip to the bathroom in the early hours doesn't help either!

The lockdown has been a blessing in some ways. The lack of traffic definitely helps me sleep, but when it's too quiet I start to feel sleepy during the day.

I fall asleep usually o.k, but I am lucky if I manage to sleep for 4 hours straight without waking up for a moment at least a couple of times. I don't drink nor do I snore. I am sure it will sort itself out, I have decided not to get too concerned as stress won't help.

Unfortunately, even though I have between 7 and 8 hours sleep at night I sometimes wake up feeling exhausted!

In general, I don't sleep very well. I think it's mainly to do with my medication that gives me night sweats - some nights worse than others. I generally get too hot, waken up, throw duvet off, go back to sleep, waken up because I'm too cold, pull duvet back over. This goes on for most of the night. I drive my DH bananas because the duvet usually gets thrown over him then he gets to hot. I'm kind of used to it now as it's been going on for so long.

I sleep quite well but have to get up a few times to go to the loo which makes it hard to get back to sleep. I have tried cutting out coffee but it does not help. I try to think about something nice before I go to sleep because if you have got a lot of things running through your mind it makes it harder to drop off

I used to sleep well. Then I had two babies and haven't slept all that well for nearly 40 years.

Sugar affects me. Poor quality chocolate, sugary drinks, caffeine etc keep me awake. My sister could eat anything and drink whatever she wanted and sleep like a baby.

Covid has knocked my sleep pattern out even more. I have found that falling asleep watching Poirot helps a lot. I usually manage to watch a whole episode. There's something about the brilliance of the production and acting that soothes me.

I know it's probably the wrong thing to do but it works.

I find it very hard to drop off to sleep even when I feel tired then when I do fall off to sleep I'm waking up 5ish and finding I'm laying awake for an hour before I drop off again then have to be up for work its can sometimes be quite draining

I enjoy a hot chocolate an hour before bed - currently have a white raspberry chocolate - delicious and works well