I usually fall asleep initially within minutes but occasionally will wake up for a few hours in the middle of the night. I'm an early riser anyway, so sometimes I just start my day, but sometimes I will read gardening posts for a while and then go back to sleep.

I get up and do something. It's the perk of not having to rise to work or get kids to school anymore.

I read an Accounting Text Book.

I stay in bed and watch tv. I find that Law & Order is great as it's enough to keep my mind from wandering too far, but I've seen them all so many times that if I drift off, that's ok too. But no shows with sirens...they wake me up again. I remember for awhile there was a commercial on that had an alarm clock going off. I hated that thing...woke me up again every time.

I try to find something interesting to watch on TV. Before I know it, I'm fast asleep. On the other hand, if it's something boring, I'm wide awake.

Melatonin really works for me. If I can't sleep I take one 5 mg pill and I'm out. No grogginess in the morning. The only times when I really can't sleep is when I've had coffee late in the day--that's a horrible feeling. Then nothing works, so I just lay there or try to read and plan for a better day when morning comes.

Listen to NPR. Take an Advil PM (rarely).

Melatonin 3 mg without water dissolvable pills. Keep them by my bedside. I use it maybe once a week.

I watch tv, get onto Gardenweb or read. If it's later than 4 am I just get up and start my day.

I probably shouldn't even respond, neither DH or I really have sleep problems which doesn't seem to be the norm - so many I know struggle to sleep when they want to. The very few nights a year - maybe 3 or so - I don't seem to be sleeping well, I turn on the TV, stay in bed. I figure I'm better off resting even if not asleep and will watch something on Animal Planet, American Pickers reruns, Food Network. Luckily the television in the bedroom doesn't seem to disturb DH.

I guess I am lucky in that I don't have insomnia. I know a lot of people do, but I am fairly active during the day, don't drink caffeine so maybe that helps? I love my sleep and although I only get about 6 hours during the week I sleep in on the weekends.

I very rarely wake up during the night. If I do it's because I need to use the washroom, or I get a muscle cramp. The odd time, I just have stuff on my mind. For each of these occasions: I NEVER LOOK AT THE CLOCK. If I do that, I'm hooped. Then I worry I won't get back to sleep. I keep my bedroom pitch black (we are that house with tin foil on the windows....), and blankets are pretty much over my head. No noise in the house, with the exception of the furnace when it kicks in. I'm lucky in that I can drink a coffee and fall right to sleep. I have an article on tricks to help people who have insomnia, to get to sleep better. I know going to bed at the same time every night helps. Some people drink warm milk with cinnamon. No caffeine after noon. Relaxation exercises when you lay down in bed (tense feet, then relax. tense legs, then relax. tense stomach, then relax, etc...). Counting. Things like that. I usually go to bed at about 9:30 to have my alarm go off at 5:15. I don't get up until about 5:30 though. ;)

Seldom do I sleep through the nite. This morning I was wide away at 4:45 (usually it's 2:30). I was so tempted to get up and go to the couch. I guess I could have done my pie crust at that time, didn't think of that till I was doing late this morning.

I had been taking Aleve PM until my doctor said not to. So I got ZZZquil which has two capsules a dose and I take one. When I see him for a checkup in a few months I'll ask about this.

I get up walk around the house and get back in bed. Laying there at least rests your body and if I do anything I am wide awake. Always want to read another chapter etc.

See a doctor. You might have sleep apnea. So many people do. Or, there might be some other underlying health issues. A good physical can't hurt.

Others things to think about. As we age, I'm assuming you are older, we just don't need the same amount of sleep that we did when we were younger. Try pushing yourself to stay awake longer.

Naps during the day are not the best for everyone.

Get yourself tired. Some evening exercise might help get you tired. But I know I had to find the right balance. Too late and it was more energizing.

Make sure your room is dark, quiet and cool. We have our temp at 67.

Fresh linens. Make it a point to change your linens when you particularly need to get some sleep.

Yoga or meditation. My daughter was diagnosed with sleep apnea but she refused to use the machine. She is a young woman after all. She had greatly improved her sleep pattern with yoga and relaxation techniques. She has one on her phone that talks her through how to relax.

"Sleeping solidly for 7-8 hours should be considered unusual."

I believe the sleep doctors I've been going to at Stanford for the last 20 years might disagree with this.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder and it can be a symptom of more significant medical problems, although the lack of quality sleep is itself a problem. You could say that many people suffer from insomnia and that's true. But similarly many people suffer from diabetes, it doesn't make either of them a harmless condition.

Those having trouble sleeping, whether from insomnia or other (perhaps unknown) causes, and anyone who doesn't feel rested and alert from the morning until bedtime, could very likely have their problem relieved by seeing a sleep medicine specialist.

Falling asleep is no problem, but staying asleep or going back to it after a trip to the loo is an issue for me. I try to go back to sleep but I often just get up and watch TV. I think I have seen every episode of Law and Order by now. I may have a snack or just a glass of almond milk. When I feel sleepy again, off I go to bed. Since I have been going to bed around 12 lately, I wake around 2, back to bed between 3-4 and up around 6 or 7. The average is 4 hours of sleep, so by the afternoon, I crash for a nap.

I was told by my doctor this is common for post menopausal women. I sound like that Pysh Today article.

My ex- (who departed 45 years ago ... and died 12+ years ago) used to say that I could sleep any place and any time.

Seldom have insomnia ... but seldom get the 8 hours of sleep that I should have, either.

On such rare occasions ... read a magazine, a book, etc. or do some household chore, usually.

Keeping one eye open and looking at myself in the mirror should do the trick: maybe should try it, someday.

ole joyful

I pull out the kindle and read. Or I pull out the kindle and come here.

The roku we have upstairs has a remote that supports ear plugs. I will either play a few games like solitare, textword and backgammon or listen to the news. Usually within a couple of hours I'm able to sleep. I really like that the roku offers that option so using it doesn't impead on my husbands rest.

Of course you were Elizabeth, thanks for the information it makes sense.

My problem is staying awake. If I get up in the middle of the night to feed baby animals, sometimes I have a little trouble going back to sleep. The radio is always on, so I listen to it until I fall asleep again .

I'm also a lucky one, I've never had a serious run of insomnia -- just a few nights here and there. Usually it's caused by my mind racing on a problem of some kind. To break that temporary "obsession" I get out of bed (don't want to wake DH) and read something until I'm sleepy again. Almost hate to say it, but reading the Bible is great for lulling me back to sleep. If I kept an exciting novel nearby, I'm afraid my body would get used to a midnight reward and I'd have insomnia every night!

It's also helped me avoid insomnia to have a pencil and notepad in my bathroom. That way, if my brain woke me up because of an "important idea", I can write it down (again without disturbing DH) and feel calm that I can address whatever it was in the morning.

I put the radio on or listen to something on my iPhone. I find that hearing voices is relaxing. I don't get out of bed.

i installed an app on my iPhone called Relax Melodies. Put my ear buds in my ears and listen to rain or heavy rain. There are over 50 different sounds (i.e. distant train, ocean, oscillating fan, humming, chimes, white noise...) I listened to them all before deciding that the rain was the most soothing to me. I even wake up in the morning thinking that it is raining!

Read. If it's early, I'll take half of a 'Simply Sleep' & read for a while. If not I just hope for the best with the book and hope I'll drift off again. I try to close my eyes, relax and clear my mind by counting down from 100. Usually works.

tough it out -- just stay in place--quiet--take long deep breaths

read, count backward from 100 in 7's (100, 93...)

Focus on my breathing works for me too. Why does that work? I guess because you have to breathe, and if you focus on it, everything else drops away? Something like that.

I would never get out of bed... I always have the hope of falling back asleep! It usually happens. Lately I've started doing the dissolving melatonin tablets too, if it's not too soon before it's time to get up.

If I put the TV on, then I want it on an old sitcom that I'm familiar with so I don't have to pay attention and that usually works. If it's something too interesting then that will keep me awake watching.

I only give up and get out of bed if I've tried to sleep for about half an hour. Then I go in the other room (dh is a light sleeper,) and read or watch tv while doing a crossword for an hour or two. I don't have a problem on a regular basis, thank goodness.

Read

Hoovb: I'm a fan of your blog and love all the pics & info. you gave about roses & your gorgeous garden. I recently learned of the dangers of ROUND-UP in our foods, esp. Cheerios at 1,125.3 ppm compared to Trix cereal at 9.9 ppm glyphosate residue. The levels in tap water is alarming high, esp. in California. Round-up weed-killer messes up with one's sleep & UP the risk of many cancers. I was plagued with insomnia for decades, until I cut out cereal & soy-milk before bed-time. See below link in Houzz for data of Round-Up residue in many common foods:

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/worthy-roses-2018-and-favorite-products-and-health-and-glyphosate-round-up-dsvw-vd~5197301?n=107[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/worthy-roses-2018-and-favorite-products-and-health-and-glyphosate-round-up-dsvw-vd~5197301?n=107)

Are you on some kind of a campaign, bumping two old threads with the same comment?

Hoovb, the starter of this post, helped me when I asked her questions about her roses. It's the least I can do to re-pay her kindness & generosity in sharing info.

See below link for round-up residues in food & link with insomnia & cancer:

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/worthy-roses-2018-and-favorite-products-and-health-and-glyphosate-round-up-dsvw-vd~5197301[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/worthy-roses-2018-and-favorite-products-and-health-and-glyphosate-round-up-dsvw-vd~5197301)

Straw - this post is more than one year old. If you really wanted to repay the OP's kindness, you would have posted months and months ago. Now, you're just shilling your own agenda.