Sleep

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl My problem with this is that I'll read for 25 minutes, then just be 5 minutes into a lovely nap when the alarm goes off. What I want is an electronic device that will ring 30 minutes after I've dozed off.

Uh...maybe set your alarm for 55 minutes?

[unclemick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R One of the best aspects of my (so far, 41 day) retirement has been the freedom to go to bed when I want to, and sleep when I want to, for however long I want to. When I awaken like that, and can't get back to sleep, I just get up and start the next day. I will probably feel sleepy later on, and take a long nap when I feel like it. One thing that I have noticed that to me is very odd, is that some days I need a lot of sleep (like, maybe 10-11 hours) and other days I seem to need only 5-6 hours. One would think that my sleep needs would be consistent from day to day, but I guess they are not.

Yep - 16th year of ER. Neither sex nor exercise seems to make that much difference.

?? Possibly not enough of either one? .

heh heh heh - since I have mastered the art of doing nothing in particular really really well - being non regular hasn't bothered me too much.

Driving 16-18 hrs stopping to gas/pee/refill coffee cup is easy when I roll out to go 'visiting.'

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl My problem with this is that I'll read for 25 minutes, then just be 5 minutes into a lovely nap when the alarm goes off. What I want is an electronic device that will ring 30 minutes after I've dozed off.

Your bladder?

[Caroline]

It seems counterintuitive, but sometimes I can get to sleep by trying to stay awake. I pick a spot in the room and try to keep my eyes on it and not close them (apart from blinking, that is!). I generally find my lids getting heavy pretty quickly.

Apparently, not sleeping makes me worry about not sleeping, which keeps me from sleeping, which makes me worry, and so on... Trying to stay awake interrupts this vicious cycle.

[Orchidflower]

I just heard on tv the other night that when the American Indians wanted to wake up early they drank gobs of water the night before. Practical solution in the age of no alarm clocks. (Just had to pass that one on.)

Wonder what they did to make themselves go to sleep?

Has anyone tried one of those small clock-size machines that puts out sounds? Everything from white noise to the sound of rain or the sound of waves on the shore (that one makes you want to pee)? I had one and loved it. I know the store Tuesday Morning was selling them this Xmas according to their flyer, but you could probably find one on Amazon.
I didn't own this model, but I do like the one on the right side of this ad--even at the price. I'd pay it if the machine lasted at least 3 years figuring what's $114 divided by 3 when it comes to sleeping well? I'd get a different machine as the reviews on this one were just so-so, but you get the idea, anyway.

http://4alarmclocks.com/whnoslma.htm...FRQhnAodM0N8Kg

Here's some more ideas built into a clock form often:

http://4alarmclocks.com/nasoalcl.html

(I love the reviews on Amazon as they will guide you best as to what you should buy. But this gives you a start if you are interested.)

[simple girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower Has anyone tried one of those small clock-size machines that puts out sounds?

We use a white noise machine and LOVE it. We travel with it, and it blocks out most noises (i.e. in hotels, etc.). We love it so much, we have significant difficulty sleeping without it!

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower Has anyone tried one of those small clock-size machines that puts out sounds? Everything from white noise to the sound of rain or the sound of waves on the shore (that one makes you want to pee)? I had one and loved it. I know the store Tuesday Morning was selling them this Xmas according to their flyer, but you could probably find one on Amazon. I didn't own this model, but I do like the one on the right side of this ad--even at the price. I'd pay it if the machine lasted at least 3 years figuring what's $114 divided by 3 when it comes to sleeping well? I'd get a different machine as the reviews on this one were just so-so, but you get the idea, anyway.

Oh my!! Orchidflower, what a terrific idea. I think I might really like something like this for sleeping.

[vicente solano]

It´s been more than 15 years since I´ve slept 6/7 hours non stop. My defective bladder has been making me hurry to the bathroom every 3 hours. By the second trip I´m fairly wide awake.
This was a real nuisance when I worked. Now that I am ER it isn´t a nice thing either... it´s a terrible long day to face being up and about at 6.30 am....At least here in Spain. My consolation is that I´ve always been an early go-to-bed guy.
My wife, who still has to work for another 13 years, gloats over the situation

[ItDontMeanAThing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower Has anyone tried one of those small clock-size machines that puts out sounds? Everything from white noise to the sound of rain or the sound of waves on the shore (that one makes you want to pee)?

I bought a sound generator, returned it the next day. The sound loops were so short that what my brain heard mostly was the loop ('ok, it's about to start over ...') and not the waves or rain. Sometimes having rhythm is a curse ;-)

A radio with analog tuning can be positioned between stations. Cheap source of random noise.

I bought some mp3 files of environmental sounds. Hour long pieces with no repeating. I played them on my computer (which usually ran all night anyway) and liked it. Some of the enviornmental or ambient CDs have new age flute and other such instruments mixed in - I didn't like those at all for sleeping. Or anything else.

Environmental sounds help me fall asleep but loud random noises wake me up, so I went back to ear plugs.

[simple girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItDontMeanAThing I bought a sound generator, returned it the next day. The sound loops were so short that what my brain heard mostly was the loop ('ok, it's about to start over ...') and not the waves or rain. Sometimes having rhythm is a curse ;-)

Our is a white noise machine. Just sounds like a fan running continuously. No sound loops. That would wake me up, too!

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by simple girl We use a white noise machine and LOVE it. We travel with it, and it blocks out most noises (i.e. in hotels, etc.). We love it so much, we have significant difficulty sleeping without it!

I had to travel to England 10 days back so DW gave me an early Christmas gift - noise reduction headphones. They worked brilliantly - best I have ever heard an airplane movie.

PLUS, you can unplug the lead but leave them switched on and it still cuts out all the background noise making it much easier to sleep.

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan I had to travel to England 10 days back so DW gave me an early Christmas gift - noise reduction headphones. They worked brilliantly - best I have ever heard an airplane movie. PLUS, you can unplug the lead but leave them switched on and it still cuts out all the background noise making it much easier to sleep.

Details please Alan.....I want a pair of those!

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh Details please Alan.....I want a pair of those!

DW said she looked at various makes and decided on the Koss QZ/900 because they work as regular headphones even when the AAA battery runs out, and also because the lead can be removed completely and the headphones used to simply cut out background noise.

Quote:

The QZ/900 is the addition to the Koss Quiet Zone line and adds a new level of performance and comfort. The electronics package inside each Koss QZ/900 is designed to monitor outside noise received through specifically mounted microphones in each ear cup. Once this incoming noise can be analyzed, the Koss QZ/900 circuit introduces a sound wave which is 180 degrees out of phase with the incoming signal. The result is what engineer's term "zero earth" at the point of the eardrum. This means that most low frequency distractions from an airplane, lawn mower, fan, or even the din of an office can dramatically reduced. Once the QZ/900 reduces the outside noise, the sound of Koss takes center stage. Deep rich lows and sparkling highs in a stereophone you'll want to take along everywhere. In fact the noise canceling ability is so good in the QZ/900 that you'll find less need to turn up the volume and overdrive the tiny amplifier in your portable electronics. This means greater efficiency, less distortion and all the excitement of a live performance. The QZ/900 operates with or without its active noise canceling circuit engaged. A handy removable cord features an in line volume control and one standard AAA battery provides approximately 50 hours of active noise cancellation.

[hguyw]

I have several sleep CDs but my favorite is this one: Sleep Deeply

There's more to these than just soothing music. According to the jacket, there's some sort of subtle beat hidden in the music that "resets" or synchronizes your brain waves into the sort that you should have when sleeping soundly. Whatever, these really work. After many, many years of waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep I saw one of these in a music sampler kiosk and decided what the heck. It worked like a charm from night 1. I have listened to it every night for over two years - rarely do I have a problem any more. It literally "cured" my sleep problems overnight.

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan DW said she looked at various makes and decided on the Koss QZ/900

Do you sleep lying down? What kind of pillow do you use to cushion these things?

http://www.koss.com/koss/kossweb.nsf...c%5Enp%5EQZ900

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonBoyd Do you sleep lying down? What kind of pillow do you use to cushion these things? QZ900 - New Product Introductions from Koss - Koss

If you read my post, I was talking about sleeping on an airplane and listening to in-flight movies. I don't think they would work in a bed, but I bet they work well in a recliner

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan If you read my post,

Oh! Never mind.

[Orchidflower]

Here's Alan's suggestion for headphones. Looks good to me. Good reviews even if there are only 2.

Amazon.com: Koss QZ900 Noise Cancellation Headphone (Black): Electronics

[tibbar]

At my house we have a saying..."Sleep is Precious". My Husband can't sleep well and is currently in a pattern of getting to bed around 5am and getting up in the mid afternoon. I go to bed around 1am and get up at 8AM to start my stock trading day.

Over the years I have been in many sleep patterns.

Many years ago I had trouble sleeping and was put on Zoloft for a while. I slept really well while I took it.

After a time I would have trouble getting to sleep so I would get up and read on the internet till I got sleepy.

Even later I found that I had to brush my teeth 30 minutes to an hour before I went to bed or I was wide awake even though I had been dozing off in front of the TV just minutes before.

Forget having sex, that was guaranteed to keep me up for hours. Apparently the Mars Venus opposite thing applies to sex also, puts males to sleep and wakes up women.

I have found now that I fall asleep easily when I get in the same position every night. If I vary my position I can't fall asleep. I don't drink much before bedtime unless I want to wake up early...I call water I drink at night "Liquid alarm". Now we have a nightly ritual where we watch recorded TV shows for about 3 hours before I go to bed. The shows are NCIS, CSI, CSI Miami. CSI New YORK, Cold Case, and Without A Trace. I am beginning to think an overload of murder and death initiate sleep!

[metabasalt]

Outside of regular exercise the best method I've found for falling asleep, and staying asleep, is a large cup of Sleepytime Tea about 60-90 minutes before bed. I also limit my coffee to decaf and rarely after mid-afternoon. And no more than 1 1/2 glasses of wine at supper. Works well for me I'm happy to say. Contrary to some I've not at all found that I need less sleep as I get older. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. Perhaps this will change when I finally retire. Could be that there will be much more reason to hop out of bed in the morning!