Trying to narrow in on credible sources, the late snack does seem to have merit but not so sure about the no carb aspect. Nuts are mentioned, with almonds, walnuts, pistachios and cashews each having specific benefits. Maybe mixed nuts would be best? No salt though.

The point of no carbs is carbs will spike the blood sugar and the subsequent crash can wake you up. He also points out that alcohol will cause a wake up...I know that's true as any time I used nyquil, I knew I'd be up in 4 hours.

Does this person have any real credentials, relevant background?

I've been enjoying some peanut butter mixed with maple syrup as sweet treat before bed and it does seem to make a difference.

The thing that wakes me up after 4-5 hours is a full bladder, and that trip to the toilet can wake me enough to make it very hard to get back to sleep right away.

^ Wear warm socks, or, Have one of those microwaveable rice packs. Only 1 min in the microwave for 3-cup pak.

“The point of no carbs is carbs will spike the blood sugar and the subsequent crash can wake you up.”

Well that’s a theory. And other sources say you should balance with carbs. And plenty of medical sources that say you should avoid eating altogether for several hours before going to sleep.

“Does this person have any real credentials, relevant background?”

Well that’s the question! I hope so because if I can stop my sugar cravings instantly by smelling my wrists for 20 seconds, my weight loss will be dramatic!

The Facebook Fenomenon. Or, maybe it's the Phacebook Phenomenon.

When otherwise thoughtful people with sensible habits other than cowering from a ringing phone (out of concern who or what may be calling), nonetheless fall hook, line, and sinker, for random and unsubstantiated third-party content (not from friends and family) on Facebook.

Here's the thing on this particular topic - eminently qualified and respected medical science researchers have been carrying on sleep research work for decades and decades, certainly for more than 50 years. None of them have YouTube channels, or a TikTok presence, or get mentioned in Facebook. The same is true for most experts in other areas. Their work or the results of their work can easily be found - ask your medical provider, or look for their work in PubMed.

When you come across a random person in a setting or context when it's most unlikely to encounter someone who has any clue what they're talking about it, treat it like an unrecognized incoming phone call - ignore it.

“cowering from a ringing phone”

Haha, I actually think of you occasionally throughout the day, for a couple months now. I get dozens of spam calls a day. Dozens. Tax relief or loans. Every one of them from different numbers, all of them with a blue check saying Verizon has deemed them legit numbers. Dozens. To the point where I put on a call screener offered on the latest ios that asks callers not in my contacts to identifiy themselves and the reason for their call. Many calls get caught, and a few times a day I go through them and report them as spam. The ones that don’t get caught I send to voicemail ans later manually go through and block and report spam. It’s a few extra pushes of the button. None of this seems to help any but at least I’m trying. And while I go through these routines I do occassinally find some humor in imagining you in a similar situation interrupting your day, dozens upon dozens of times. ”Hello?” Because you’re not afraid.

Hint: I’m not afraid, either. Just would rather multitask on the toilet a couple times a day than allow myself to be interrupted. Dozens of times a day.

Suggestions welcome, as long as they don’t involve answering the phone.

I just can't imagine that but I believe you. I'd maybe try to reach out to Verizon security and ask what can lead to this happening and what can be done. Have you received any or many notifications from companies or credit institutions advising you that your personal information here or there had been unlawfully accessed?

In situations when I need to give a number but I don't want to get a call or message, I use my "home phone". It's an Ooma device connected to the old kind of Panasonic wireless phones. The system is fully functional to call in and call out on but calls from numbers not in my uploaded contact list go to voicemail without ringing the phone. There are few of those, once or twice a month. I check it every 10 days or so, there's rarely anything on the recorder.

My cell phone number is only given out to people I wish to allow to call me. I get maybe one random or unwanted call a week. I always answer numbers I don't recognize because it can be a medical office, a call from my insurance agency but not using the main number for caller ID, or any one of other calls I don't recognize but want to get.

I have a second cell phone and number that I use for a particular application. It gets maybe the odd text message "Hey Fred, are you home" or call "this is the tax agency, we're coming to get you". a few times a month. No one has that number so the call ringer is off and I don't place calls from it.

In your situation, if it isn't feasible to shut it down altogether, I would probably reassign the problem number to something like an Ooma device you can check at your convenience. And change your cell number. Give it only to people you wish to have calling you.

I'm not saying that what I do is right and what others do is wrong. Maybe I've just been lucky, who knows? I would do whatever is necessary to prevent my getting unwanted calls and making my phone unusable to me in the manner that I want to use it.

I also don't give out my email address automatically. When I need to give one but don't want to be contacted n my mail number, I have one in the name of a cartoon character that random people are welcome to send to. My phone is set to not display notifications of new messages for that account. I check it about once a week, it takes only a few minutes to find what needs to be read. There's usually little. That way, my "real" email isn't bogged down with advertising and other garbage

Good luck with anyone burdened with an unuseful phone. Change what you need to change to make it convenient.

Yikes! I must be terribly lucky. I get the people who want to buy my house but that is about it. If I don't recognize the number, I don't answer. That seems to work great for me.

Annie, thanks for the info from this Kyle guy. I just passed the suggestion about waking during the night along to a friend. We just had a conversation about this yesterday. She will try it and report back. I'm always open to hearing ideas and willing to try something as long as it's not harmful in any way. You never know.

murraysmom, Well that's the thing about his suggestions. Whether they work or not, whether it's placebo or not, they are pretty benign. And if it gives you a smidge of improvement, more's the better.

@Annie Deighnaugh, does he have a suggestion for sleeping thru a full bladder? I agree with Carol...I never wake up at night for anything but having to use the bathroom.

@foodonastump, I just spoke to an old friend yesterday who is not very tech savvy and she had the same complaint as you....she said her phone is driving her crazy, ringing DOZENS of times a day, almost continually and even often during the night. All spam calls. She has an Android, which I have no experience with, but I looked online to find direction on how to block spam calls and sent them to her. She now has her phone set to allowing only contacts to ring thru. Others who are not in her contacts that she might want to hear from, like a friend or family member with a new phone number or a business calling from a back line, even tho their main number is in the contacts, are able to leave a message so she can call them back. Spammers don't usually leave messages. She can also, if she's expecting a really important call that might come from an unrecognized number, simply flip the switch for a few hours and allow all calls if she doesn't want it to go to VM.

I never give my real phone # to anyone who doesn't need it, but put my old disconnected landline # on forms that require a number, but who won't ever need to call me. I get virtually no spam calls.

I also told her about DND that she can turn on at night, but she worries about missing an urgent call from one of her kids or grandkids, so I showed her how to allow just those numbers to ring through when DND is on. I do that for my phone and because my grandson's parents are first responders who might be called out in the middle of the night and need me to go stay with him (tho he's a teen now and probably no longer necessary). Everyone else can wait until morning.

I haven't heard yet if she's gotten relief.

Here's one on peeing at night: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5IReuo192nY

Lol, Thanks! It's an interesting theory but not a false alarm in my case!

The only thing I can suggest is to limit fluid intake in the evening.

DH is of the age where he's up every 90 min or so to pee. Part of the issue is, when you are prone, your kidneys work more efficiently.

Here's one on how to get to sleep: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2214601332365407