Sleep Q&A with Lisa Artis of the The Sleep Charity

Hi Lisa, welcome to Gransnet. As you get older do you simply not need as much sleep? I'll be honest, I feel like a need more and I blame my lack of sleep (it's been years - possibly decades - since I got a full 8 hours) for my constant brain fog and lack of energy.
Also, what are the cognitive issues with lack of sleep? How do people like Maggie Thatcher survive on so little and still manage to be productive and coherent? I feel like my vocabulary completely deserts me if I haven't had decent sleep.

I have definitely noticed it is harder to sleep since the menopause - hot flushes wake me and then it is hard to return to sleep. I am taking CBD oil as I find it a great help but wonder whether it is a potential problem? Whilst not addictive in any way, is it bad to be 'dependent' on something to aid sleep?? I do wonder whether, if I ran out of the oil, I would be unable to sleep simply because I would expect to sleep badly???

Hi, I have a question for you Lisa.
What suggestions or solutions do you to help someone who experiences continuous daytime theta waves to be able to get to sleep easier and quicker rather than lay awake for hours?

correction: do you have to help.

Hi Lisa, my question is "how do I get back to sleep quickly if I wake in the early hours of the morning?"

I know most people can't sleep but I have the opposite problem. I can sleep the clock around if left to my own devices. I've set myself a sleep routine and go to bed/get up at the same times every day. I aim for 10 hours but I'm still tired. There is no medical reason as my GP has checked me over. Why do some of us need far more sleep than others?

Why can my DH snooze in the morning, the afternoon and the evening-in fact whenever he sits down, yet still fall asleep quickly when he goes to bed and stay asleep for at least 8 hours?
I never sleep during the day but still have trouble dropping off and tend to only sleep 6-7 hours.

I don’t have troubles falling asleep but do staying asleep. I can wake up up to 8 times a night. When I wake up after 0430, it is extremely rare for me to go back to sleep. I usually wait for the heating to come on (in winter) and get up around 0530. I am fortunate that I manage a nap in the afternoon, but the constant napping all night is a bother. I have stopped worrying about it as it doesn’t help!

I am so sleep deprived. I just can’t sleep at night. Put me in a comfy chair with the TV and I’ll be asleep in minutes. Though if I move from chair to my room I cannot sleep! What is going on? How do I change this?

I keep getting woken up by overheating. I’m post menopausal so it shouldn’t be hot flashes bothering me.
I go to bed and everything is the right temperature but often I am woken by being too hot and I can’t work out what to do about it, other than stick my foot out of the bed or throw the covers off until I’ve cooled down somewhat.

There are times when I will go to bed really tired only to be wide awake by the time I reach my bed. There are times when I go to bed ready and willing to allow myself to fall asleep and hours later am more awake than ever. Any ideas? It is so very frustrating that neither will work when my head seems to be in this mood!

Over the years I've tried things like drinking hot chocolate (dairy/lactose-free) or herbal teas (like Chamomile) before bed. I've had essential oils for massage, in a warm evening bath, in oil burners, on tissues or dry flannel/cloth under the pillow or a few drops on nightwear, on 'sleep stones'. I've tried relaxing in a bubble bath with essential oils, clean freshly-laundered nightwear and bed linen. Reading in bed and even (admittedly many years ago) natural sleep remedies. But would like to know if there is anything else that might help get a decent night's sleep? A long time ago I was prescribed sleeping pills but I take medication for other health problems so am reluctant to resort to this method again (I don't take anywhere near the amount of medication I've been on previously, as decided about 15 years ago only to take what I absolutely felt I needed and no more, so cut a lot of it out, with support from my GP). I find it difficult to concentrate or remember things so meditation or visualisation-type techniques do not work for me. Would combinations of any of the aforementioned more natural techniques help?

As soon as my head hits the pillow, I feel hot. (I have a cool bedroom and thin quilt) I wake up several times feeling hot or with a very dry mouth and uncomfortable throat. I take a sip of water and usually go back to sleep. Sometimes I get through a glass of water during the night, which reflects how many times I wake up. I feel terrible by morning, not rested at all. I am a bit desperate to know how to get a good nights sleep.

I get to sleep easily and wake after about 4 hr for the loo. Then it is on and off for the rest of the night. Never used to be like this. Past 4-5 years I think.

Has anyone found hypnosis works well as a sleep aid?

I find this too, I’m always cold during the day, but once in bed I overheat. I need the water for the dry mouth too despite drinking copiously during the day.

Hi Lisa. What can I do to get to sleep when I find my mind racing with all sorts of problems and thoughts? Rescue remedy sometimes helps but I'm never sure whether it will work or not.

Why do I randomly wake up in the middle of the night? I don't need to use the loo so it's very random.

As many others I experience a dry mouth at night - I have Sjrogrens - so my poor husband is always nudging me to stop snoring - and I wake frequently throughout the night, finding it hard to get back to sleep. For some bizarre reason, I then feel compelled to look at my clock and in my mind predict what I think the time will be. The amazing thing is that no matter what the time actually is, I can guarantee that I am accurate within a couple of minutes. How on earth can this be?

Hi Lisa
I usually get to sleep but always wake after a couple of hours and that continues through the night until about 4.30 when I stay awake.
This is despite taking phenerghan. When I wake I am more tired than when I went to bed. I can’t sleep during the day and I worry about the effect on my health especially risk of dementia because both parents had it and I am a big forgetful.

Some many women have problems getting a good nights sleep after the menopause. Why can’t we take tablets to help? Melatonin is freely available in the US, but not here in the UK?

We are repeatedly told that sleeping tablets are for short term us only, why? If it’s a long term problem?

Often I go to sleep then, boom, it’s as if a light has been switched on. I’m wide awake and have only been in bed for less than an hour. Why does this happen? I’m then usually awake tossing and turning for hours. Until I was widowed 9 years ago, I slept like a log but it’s all been down hill from then. If I have a really sleepless night, the next night I sleep well - catch up time ?
I too play the ‘what time is it’ game and am usually bang on!

I don't usually have a problem falling asleep, just with staying asleep. Some nights I wake half a dozen times. If I wake after 4am, I can rarely get back to sleep. I am usually in bed by 10pm, and some nights do get 7-8 hours - but it's all in little bits. Never uninterrupted. I am always tired, but can't sleep during the day.

Hi Lisa
Im 60 and for about 10 years I haven't slept well I dream of a good nights sleep. I fall asleep ok around 11.30 but then around 3am wake and its as if all the lights go on and an alarm sounds then I am wide awake. I have to get up as I would just toss and turn I try to avoid tvs tablets etc and just listen to audio book or music I drink a hot milk and basically wait until about 5am then go back to bed often going back to sleep but my husband always wakes up around 7am so I always up starting my day. I was once pescribed sleeping tablets for a short period but these only made me feel groggy and when I stopped taking them I went back to the same routine so have not used them again. I would really appreciate some advice.