Aw, you poor thing. I'd be happy to oblige, but my vast repertoire doesn't include "Soft Kitty".

Big Bang theory....yeah...I know Soft Kitty...but my voice would keep you awake! ha ha

Take as hot a shower as you can stand just before bed (get right into bed after drying off) to really sweat out the histamines in your body. Drink some warm milk or camomile tea, have a quiet table or floor fan directed at you to create a nice, cool breeze, and maybe a radio with a timer, say 60 minutes, and listen to classical music, or some other "soft" kind of music at a very low volume.

Caroline,

I absolutely didn't sleep last night. I think there were four periods of 15-30 minutes each and that was it. Guess I should've come kept you company. I think mine is new medicine side effect :( Nothing made me sleep. TV with a soft low volume timed to go off in 30 minutes (and reprogrammed at least six times), didn't help. UGH! Not sleeping is the worst.

Sounds like we all have the same problem. I get maybe 1 hour of sleep and then I'm awake. Lather, rinse, repeat. I get my best sleep from 5AM - 7AM but it's still interrupted.

Yuck!

When I can't sleep I take a Benadryl or sometimes two.

Another member of the no sleep club. I had trouble sleeping last night too. Are the planets misaligned? Let's hope for sweet dreams tonight.

I never had trouble sleeping when I was young, but that old insomnia seems to affect a lot of us as we age. I can go to bed so tired but the minute my head hits that pillow I am wide awake. I finally get up and take a sleeping pill.

I too took a sleeping pill at 10PM and another at 3AM. Still a no go on sleeping.

And don't eat anything for at least four hours before going to bed. Just the warm milk, add some honey.

I have the same problem. Its rare if I can sleep the whole night through.

Wow......I'm surprised how many of us are suffering from this. I never had a problem falling asleep but would wake up to go (old lady syndrome) then have trouble falling back to sleep. I blamed it on my job, which I was miserable in, but I retired in December and it continues. I toss and turn. Sometimes I come downstairs, like last night, watch TV for awhile, get something to eat and go back and sleep for a few hours. I feel worse if I take Benadryl. If I've had a few sleepless nights in a row I will take 3 Advil and that seems to help, but I don't want to end up with ulcers so don't do this often. DH sleeps like a baby....not fair!

It's been mentioned here before, there's a relatively new area of medical specialty called "Sleep medicine". There are dozens of different sleep disorders and causes, these physicians are trained to diagnose and treat them.

They're finding that many sleep problems trigger MANY serious medical problems - like heart attacks, just for starters. Sleeping problems have much broader consequences than simply how you feel and how you look and for that reason should be treated.

Visits to sleep specialists are covered by most insurance plans. As for Medicare, I can't say. You sleepy heads really need to get yourself to the right doctors. Sleeping pills are often not the right answer because they can be used to avoid a problem that otherwise needs to be addressed.

My sleeplessness is from a doctor! ;) But they know. It's a new medication and the side effect is, you guessed it! insomnia (and acid reflux). If insomnia is ever a possibility with a medication, I will get it. Grr. I feel super hung over today and I better sleep soundly tonight.

The one big problem that menopause brought me was night wakefulness. I know I am sensitive to caffeine, so I don't drink tea, coffee, cola or cocoa after noon. I have been enjoying a black tea this week, and I am not sleeping as well as I would like. I think I will switch back to my jasmine green tea for a few days to see if I note any difference.

I need more exercise than I've been getting. I don't have the same sleep troubles if I am *physically* tired. I'm also not going to sleep if I have pain. One Tylenol can often be enough. The last few nights I've used that plus the heating pad on my hip/lower back for 30 minutes. (Weird to use that while the A/C is on!)

It's supposedly best not to watch TV or turn on lights. I can find my way to the bathroom without lights. DH uses a small, dim flashlight. A good sleeping atmosphere is 68F, dark, maybe a light breeze. A sound machine/white noise helps some people. Spend some time 'winding down' before you turn in.

If I wake and my mind is racing, I give it 30 minutes before taking a bite of a 5 mg Ambien. If my mind races -- not "worries", just this-and-this-and-this without calming -- no matter how long I wait, it doesn't stop without intervention.

I doubt I have slept soundly on a regular basis since I became a mother. Conditioned behavior. I should be able to 'condition' myself out of it!

Chisue, try sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees. That will help your lower back tremendously. It really works.

And yes, exercise! Walk for an hour each day helps with sleep enormously. I sleep MUCH better when I've been physically active during the day.

I second the pillow between the knees trick. I too do that.

I can always get to sleep, but don't stay asleep. I sometimes wake up in the morning with a headache, and it's hard to get rid of it. If I have a headache going to bed, for sure I'll wake up with it.

I've not drunk (drank) tea late in the day, and I have had my usual cup of tea in the evening, and neither one seems to make a difference. I don't drink pop, just water, but I do like coffee in the morning and tea in the evening.

I blame my sleeplessness on menopause, but I will have lots of thoughts going through my head when I wake up, which is regularly at 2:30-ish

Hey....I agree with Snidely! May wonders never cease....lol. Have a sleep test people! It will get to the root of things most of the time and is easy peasy. In any case sleep disorders do cause more medical problems such as stroke, heart attack, etc. At least have the sleep test to rule out any sleep disorders and then go from there.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD) is a phenomena that affects those folks who get depressed and thus have problems with sleeping when the nights are long and the skies can be cloudy. Typical winter weather in much of north America. Some professionals recommend a special light that one has to sit near for hours on end!
Then there are those that are the opposite. For decades, my sleep cycle in the summer is rotten. My body does not do well with the shorter nights. In the summer (like now), the sun rise is before 5:30 and I am awake and up by 5:00 as the sky lightens! And that is with MD prescribed sleep aids (notice that is plural). I am sometimes able to take a nap during the day, but that is still not the answer to the problem. If I lived near the equator, then the days and nights would be closer to even that where I live now.
And, for whatever it is worth, I do not do caffeine anything. It makes me nutso in the whatso!

Jim, is that a sleep doc you're seeing? If not, you may have an addressable issue that isn't being addressed.

I've learned about what they call sleep hygiene- habits and factors to sleep better. As far as the room is concerned, it's best if it's quiet, cool and dark.

There's no reason to be woken by an early sunrise, get blackout drapes.

I fall asleep maybe 30min after I go to bed because I usually am rehashing the day's events or what I have or want to do the next, and like Jasdip for the past week or so I've been waking up at a little before or after 2:45am. - every night. Sometimes I get up to go or just shut my eyes again and I fall right back asleep until 7a. or 8a.

I take an hour or so to fall asleep, then wake up after four hours. I can't get back to sleep after that. It helps to turn on a radio and hope NPR isn't talking about all the bad news in the world. Anyway, it keeps me from turning all my problems over in my head all night. I also use a sleep mask since my idiot neighbors leave a floodlight on all night. I often fall back to sleep for another three hours or so. It is so much more restful to not have that two hours of wakefulness during the night. If I am desperate I take Ambien.

I have consulted with a 'sleep' M.D. and he has indicated that there is nothing organically wrong. I go to bed 99% of the time within 5 minutes of 10 p.m. all year. When we bought the house we had room darkening shades installed. I don't read in bed, there is no TV in the bedroom. And, I do not allow the missus to turn on the lights when she comes to bed, generally 11:30 or so. She has a nightlight and that is it. I take out my hearing aids when I go to bed, thus I cannot hear the C-Pap that the missus uses (or should be using).

I take two medications to assist with my somnolence, but not at the same time. One was prescribed by my rheumatologist and the other by my psychiatrist. They are both aware of what the other has done. I have rotator cuff problems so I often take a mild analgesic about one hour before going to bed.

I have noticed that my sleep habits have modified since I retired 30 months ago. More restful sleep, but never long enough in the summer. I even have the problem when I cruise. The gentle movement of the ship does not bother me, nor does it lull me to sleep. I awaken early. I have my clothes laid out and try to get into the hallway as quiet as possible. I read and strike up conversations with the overnight cleaning crew.

Is your room too hot? I remember times when i lived 'down on the farm' I could not sleep in summer when the nights were hot. I would not fall asleep until shortly before dawn when the temperature lowered and then it was time to get up - red and bleary eyed.

I find I have a window of opportunity to fall asleep quickly. Sometimes it arrives so early in the evening that I ignore it, and then I have trouble falling asleep later. It happened that way tonight. I didn't exactly ignore it, but the dishwasher had over an hour to run and I didn't want to turn it off. Nor did I want to go to bed while it was running. So I stayed up, and got to bed at 10:30--not an unreasonable hour, but I couldn't fall asleep. After a sleepless hour or more, I got up to do some writing. I'll try again soon.

Wanted to add that like another poster, I have a small fan blowing on me until early morning when or if I awaken for a bit and turn it off. There is definitely a change in how well I can breathe plus the white noise seems to lull me and no sounds of traffic on the highway. But I also don't get to hear the crickets or the rain. :( Sometimes I wonder if I need a CPap, but I don't want one so I refuse to do the sleep test even tho I understand all the benefits. lol

my family calls me vampire...lol...it started waaaay back when ds1 was working at kmart til 11...i'd stay up til he was home...then we'd end up watching startrek reruns...so he graduates, off to college, and i'm still waiting up, lol....

Oh, DH and I have used knee pillows for decades. I think I was first, losing cushioning at the knee even before menopause. I have no cushioning on my backside; I'm sitting right on my pelvis. I remember when that started. I was black and blue after sitting on a picnic bench on the Fathers Day DIL announced she was pregnant with DGD. She's now four, so I was 69.

I don't know what a sleep clinic could diagnose in me that could be treated. My respiration is limited by the condition of my lungs -- there's no way to get more air in (well, actually, out). I'm not having another surgery to correct my 'bad' hip replacement (right) unless it gets much worse. I have osteoarthritis.

If anyone thinks I'm missing something a clinic could do, please say so.

will a hug help? (((chisue)))

"If anyone thinks I'm missing something a clinic could do, please say so."

Sleep patterns worsen as we age. That doesn't mean there isn't a root cause that can be addressed. Interrupted sleep or feelings of sleepiness/lethargy during the day aren't normal and shouldn't be ignored. Treatment doesn't necessarily mean surgery, or getting attached to a machine, or taking pills.

I don't understand why some of the people here are so attached to their self-diagnosis and resistance to treatment, unless they don't have coverage through medical insurance or they live in a rural area where such services aren't easily available.

chisue, if you feel sleepy or less than clear mentally during the day or find yourself with less energy, whatever exercise you can do is always a good start but maybe there's more going on. Maybe all is well on that score. If you feel sleepy, it wouldn't hurt to have an appointment at a sleep clinic. Head to one of the excellent medical schools downtown if you can.

It could be your sleep habits are fine and what you have is just the sum total of the medical barnacles we all accumulate and need to deal with.

(There are few topics that get me really excited and enthusiastic but my own experience with Stanford's sleep clinic is one of them. I think rhizo has had a similar experience, perhaps others too.)

Good luck.

so what was your underlying cause snidely? You seem so sold on sleep studies! ;)

I must have gotten the sleep you missed! Had about two days of sleepiness during the day and night. Slept from 1-4 yesterday and still got 8 hours last night. Figured it was from being out in the heat.

My first sleep study (over 15 years ago) disclosed I have sleep apnea and leg twitches (restless leg syndrome). It was a study done at the Stanford facility, not one of the take home kind that they've told me can be incomplete and inaccurate.

Both of my sleep problems are 100% controlled and I sleep like a baby every night and have alertness and energy as I did in my 20s. I'm very alert all day and all evening until I decide to go to bed. I fall asleep usually within 5 minutes, and wake in the morning. I'm very grateful for it, and it's a big change from how I slept and felt during my 30s and part of my 40s.

Did you suspect you might have restless leg before diagnosis?

That was actually part of medication problem the other night! I would just about doze off and my arms would twitch, waking me up. I'm so glad I am off that medication! I still feel awful today.

I'd hear "you kicked me last night" every once in awhile but not even as much as weekly. The test showed that the twitches continued all night.

It's controlled with a medication I take just before bedtime. If I drink more than just a little alcohol within a few hours of going to bed, it negates the medication and I'll wake hourly. I can enjoy beer or wine during the day and at dinner (and often do) but I usually stop drinking at the end of the meal. That's usually long enough before bedtime that it doesn't cause me a problem.

I've thought about doing a sleep study but haven't done it. I generally sleep ok away from home, where the cat is not hollering about something in the middle of the night. I'm not tired during the day or anything else like that; just annoyed that I'll wake up multiple times for no apparent reason. I probably haven't gotten 8 solid hours of sleep in years so I've adapted.

I recently got a FitBit and have been monitoring my sleeping habits, which confirms that I wake hourly. I generally go right back to sleep but sometimes not. It's more of an annoyance than a serious problem.

I'd hear "you kicked me last night" every once in awhile but not even as much as weekly. The test showed that the twitches continued all night.

HA! See, now if they'd find that, I'd do a sleep study. CPAP and I wouldn't even try like schoolhouse. I cannot stand noise at all.

" recently got a FitBit and have been monitoring my sleeping habits, which confirms that I wake hourly. I generally go right back to sleep but sometimes not. It's more of an annoyance than a serious problem."

Waking every hour can be annoying dees, but it can also be a sign of a serious problem. I think I have said this before....if you have sleep apnea (you stop breathing many times during sleep) you don't even know it until a sleep test is given and then you are very surprised.

Also, the CPAP machines now do not even make any noise. They have humidity and heat adjustments also.

"feelings of sleepiness/lethargy during the day aren't normal and shouldn't be ignored. "

Large meals, pregnancy, and other normal occurrences can cause daytime sleepiness that is normal. Some people take a short nap in the afternoon, there are cultures in some parts of the world where a heavy noon meal and subsequent nap are expected.

But yes, if you begin to feel extremely tired or sleepy without an adequate explanation, get yourself checked out.

Yes, I decided to face my sleep issues head on a while back. I went in for a couple of sleep studies and discovered to my shock that I had numerous episodes of apnea....I had no idea!

But I also knew that I had insomnia, as well. That was the difficult nut to crack! I had to find a sleep specialist, someone trained in resolving sleep problems unrelated to apnea.

It took a couple of years of trial by error, sleep diaries, making changes to my bed, my bedroom, my bedtime habits.....all of which helped. But the clincher came when my very patient and thorough doctor taught me how to do deep breathing and thought clearing exercises. Sitting in his office, in a chair, I could drop my pulse rate significantly within five minutes.

After that, I never had a sleepless, anxious night again. I do the deep breathing meditation every single night.

All told, I have a new, much needed mattress, a new pillow, a dark and cool room, no naps allowed, a routine bedtime, no alcohol after dinner, and the deep breathing thing.

Edited to add that apnea and insomnia are different issues. The doctor I went to for the sleep study was not trained in nor even very interested in my other sleep problems. I had to seek and find a phychological specialist. We had to deal with nightmares, anxiety, terrible habits, etc.

Now, I fall asleep within five or ten minutes and sleep all night other than one bathroom break...deep breathing exercises put me straight back to sleep.

Oh, I like that: "Medical barnacles!" They are exactly what I believe are waking me: Poor lung capacity; arthritis; sinus issues; that sloppy right hip replacement! (Left hip replacement is perfect; same MD.)

I'm not tired during the day. It's just annoying to lie awake in the wee hours of the morning -- watching DH silently snoozing. (He has RLS, controlled by a *minute* 1 mg of Abilify taken at bedtime -- although that means he has to continue with the minimum 20 mg dose of duloxetine, taken in the a.m.)

Rhizo -- Thanks for the reminder about deep breathing. I need to try that again.