Sleeping through the night better?

[CopperBolt]

I find I can drop off to sleep pretty easily most nights.
My alarm goes off at 6.45, I'm usually asleep by midnight the night before.
But I wake up at 3 o clock, think great, 4 hours to go, wake up at 4 o clock great, 3 hours to go, 5 o'clock etc etc.
Maybe an age thing (56) but I wonder if theres anything I can do to sleep longer without constantly waking up?

camomile/lavender tea before bed?

Any ideas wlecomed.

Thanks.

[HairyMaclary]

No booze at all. It kills your rem sleep.

[CopperBolt]

HairyMaclary said:

No booze at all. It kills your rem sleep.

I only booze at the weekend, how long does it remain in the system to affect sleep?

[ReallyReallyGood]

I feel that when I don't have confidence that my alarm will wake me up. A proper loud alarm perhaps?

[Gary29]

Are you stressed? Lots of things on your mind?

[Leylandeye]

I thought it was an age thing and I just get up, do some stuff and go back to bed when tired. Even if that stuff is posting bks on PH, it beats tossing and turning, well turning at least.

[CopperBolt]

I dont wake up and toss and turn, usually go back to sleep prettty easily. Just annoying waking up again an hour later.

I do sleep better when I know the alarms not going off in the morning I must admit. However no way round that I need it on to get up for work.

Am I stressed? Good question, dont think I am but could be and dont realise it.

[Carrot]

Since giving up drinking and also the addition of the odd melatonin tablet, my sleeping is amazing.

Used to be rubbish.

Mid 40's here

[Norfolk B-roads]

Try no caffeine after 3pm for a week.

[K12beano]

CopperBolt said:

I find I can drop off to sleep pretty easily most nights.
My alarm goes off at 6.45, I'm usually asleep by midnight the night before.
But I wake up at 3 o clock, think great, 4 hours to go, wake up at 4 o clock great, 3 hours to go, 5 o'clock etc etc.
Maybe an age thing (56) but I wonder if theres anything I can do to sleep longer without constantly waking up?

camomile/lavender tea before bed?

Any ideas wlecomed.

Thanks.

I'm a (about) 10.00pm to 5:10am (Alarm) on three to five nights a week.

I think it's an age thing, because I rarely sleep all through (usually twice), unless I have completely worn myself out with a bit of exercise - but I rarely do "enough".

So possible improvements?

- get some exercise during the day
- don't take (or make sure you seriously limit) any daytime naps
- caffeine in moderation and tail off in the pm
- cocoa or "sleep-time" tea seems to help
- good curtains and no light (no problem this time of year!)
- room should be a bit cooler than where you sat before
- luxury of a bath (but only very occasionally) helps me, since you sleep well as your temp starts to drop back
- I sleep to an Audiobook, radio (news program), podcast or Meditation app - which helps drop off very quickly (and means I have to listen to the rest of the chapter etc next day!!)
- 'phone and tablet only there for audiobook/podcast/radio/meditation!
- if I wake and don't think I'll sleep again I try BBC World Service - or get up and complete a timesheet or invoice! - occasionally I just get up half an hour early and go to wherever my work is at Stupid O'Clock and get something done!
- I gave up alcohol over 500 days ago
- not too much fluids in the evening!

Reading up about sleep research, you can never really "accumulate" sleep or make up for it after the event, so a routine helps, I think. Feel sorry though for shift workers - they seem to be buggered whatever happens!

[CopperBolt]

cheers all, my last caffeine of the day is usually 2 o clock or thereabouts. De-caff maybe one more after that, nothing in the evenings apart from squash usually, Unless weekend when, as said, a wine or two is partaken of.

[V8covin]

Norfolk B-roads said:

Try no caffeine after 3pm for a week.

I've gone decaf for the past 10 days and it hasn't improved my sleep at all,if anything it's worse but I've always been a poor sleeper.
I've tried sleeping tablets,they just make me tired.
The last time I had a good nights sleep was 4 years ago after a night on the ale in Benidorm

[Hereward]

“Alexa, play rain sound”. Works for me.

[CopperBolt]

Hereward said:

“Alexa, play rain sound”. Works for me.

1. I havent got an alexei
2. how does alexei know when to stop playing the rain sound?

3. If you want to listen to music on your alexei in the kitchen the next day do you have to unplug it and relocate it to the kitchen?

[Zirconia]

Hated that 3 or 4 am wake up knowing you were up at 6. Even worse for the 4 am starts.

Kill your brain waves waking up, stop thinking, I used to pick up a book for 1/2 hour, stop the thinking going on and send the remaining brain cell back to sleep, don't engage the little bugger by thinking. Already booze free but when working it was very stressful, and know the feeling.

[viggyp]

I'm in my mid 40's and my sleep during the past two decades has been awful.

In my mid 20's it would take me two hours to drop off but once out it would be my alarm which would wake me up. Since 2008 after my dad passed away, I'd drop off like a log and sleep for 1.5 - 2hours uninterrupted but then I could wake up anything between 6 - 12 times. I wouldn't stay awake, I'd just wake up, look around and go back to sleep. Can probably count on all my digits the amount of decent sleep I've had over the past 5 or so years.

I don't have daytime naps and the latest time I have a coffee is before 4pm just before I head to the Gym.

Stress? Plenty which can be bad but at times fizzles out and I tend to relax.

[Greshamst]

CopperBolt said:

Hereward said:

“Alexa, play rain sound”. Works for me.

3. If you want to listen to music on your alexei in the kitchen the next day do you have to unplug it and relocate it to the kitchen?

Does your house defy the laws of physics in relation to physical objects being in more than one place at once?

It’s a speaker, not a magic teleporting box of magic.
(Or you could have an Alexa in your bedroom, and another one in your kitchen)

[Belle427]

I've been trying cbd oil and although I do still wake its not as bad.
I generally feel better though as I feel it puts me into a deeper sleep, dreams seem to be more intense too but I don't mind that.

[Fordmoore]

It is funny you say that, dry january has not done my sleep any good. And i dont drink coffee either!

[WestyCarl]

Yup, I'm 49 and been going through this for yrs. Tried everything, booze, fee, noo coffe afternoons, etc.

I got fed up of lying there clock watching and getting more frustrated, now I don't fight it. If I wake at 4am and can't get back to sleep in 15mins I get up and do stuff (quietly ), it's actually strangely satisfying. Also means I'm more tired in the evening so generally sleep through that night.