My hormones started shutting down as I turned 50. Good sleep appears to be related. For the past 6 years, I struggle to get more than 3.5 hrs of sleep.
I fall asleep just fine. I just wake up for no good reason. Being retired, I have no stress at all. I exercise quite a bit and am otherwise very healthy.
Here's a few notes from my experience.
1. I solved the waking up to pee problem by exercising my bladder during the day. I just hold it until I am uncomfortable. This helps condition the muscles involved.
2. I believe I have early rising cortisol. My cortisol just starts its cycle at the wrong time. The causes of this vary, but I have settled on the idea that my brain blood sugar drops during sleep and this triggers a cortisol response to wake me up. I have had recent success by eating an apple and some granola within an hour of going to sleep.
3. I have also been eating more beans in my diet; black beans and baked beans. The idea is beans contain a resistant fiber that breaks down in the large intestine. This fiber feeds bacteria in the large intestine and this (somehow) restores a natural balance.
With these lifestyle changes, I can generally sleep atleast 5 hours and sometimes can get 6... Woo Hoo!
Also, when I must get good sleep (like motor-home driving days), I take 5mg extended release melatonin.
Me too, what a drag! I rarely had trouble with sleep when I was younger. Fell asleep quickly and slept solid 8+ hours, through a full bladder and various noises, such as the commercial ice machine that was on the other side of my bedroom wall in the apartment where I lived for in my 20s. But ebbing hormones have put an end to that. Since then I've tended to wake up around 2-3 a.m., often needing to make a bathroom run. (I shall try your bladder expansion exercise, U.S.!) Then I start tinkering with thoughts, and anxiety kicks in. Funny how the silliest little things can trigger anxiety at night, but the next morning they don't bother you. I've found a small dose of melatonin, around 1.25 mg, helpful for getting back to sleep if it's not too close to morning.
When we go on road trips and sleep in our van, I sleep great, 8 or 9 hours no problem. Maybe it's the combination of the daily adventure, the coziness of the van, and the fresh air blowing through. Possibly, these effects would wear off if we were retired and spent more time on the road.
Haven't noticed if beans help me sleep or not...they might help, but I think DH's sleep suffers.