Sleep

[bbbamI]

You can still have nightly sex you just need a lot more partners !

Nah...I swing with a multitude of partners only on the dance floor. Besides, I don't have enough towels...

 

[Goonie]

I just read something that said we sleep our best when the room is 60-68 degrees and that people with higher core temperatures have a harder time getting to sleep and staying asleep.

Turn off the heat and open the windows!

Oh, yeah...that's me! I like it very cool (almost cold) when I go to bed. So I normally have the window open...especially in the winter...and have a fan near the foot of the bed blowing on me. And the most I ever cover with is a sheet...no blanket or quilt for me! I very seldom, if ever, get cold.....as an example, my normal attire for being outside in winter is a regular pullover sweatshirt....if it's really cold (10° or below) I'll wear a nylon wind-breaker over that.

 

[bbbamI]

I have a tendency to sleep hot too. We have a dual control electric blanket..thank heavens. I leave my side turned off and DH cranks it up on his side. Last year we bought a Tempur-Pedic mattress and it soaked up the heat from my body making me way too hot to sleep. So, I put a towel under the fitted sheet and I sleep blissfully now...as long as DH is not snoring...

Oh yeah...the ceiling fan and small fan on my nightstand are always on.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Along with caffeine, I've heard cutting back on alcohol can also help solve sleep issues--from webmd.com:

Alcohol often is thought of as a sedative or calming drug. While alcohol may induce sleep, the quality of sleep is often fragmented during the second half of the sleep period. Alcohol increases the number of times you awaken in the later half of the night when the alcohol's relaxing effect wears off. It prevents you from getting the deep sleep and REM sleep you need because alcohol keeps you in the lighter stages of sleep.
With continued consumption just before bedtime, alcohol's sleep-inducing effect may decrease as its disruptive effects continue or increase. The sleep disruption resulting from alcohol use may lead to daytime fatigue and sleepiness. The elderly are at particular risk for alcohol-related sleep disorders because they achieve higher levels of alcohol in the blood and brain than do younger adults after consuming an equivalent dose. Bedtime alcohol consumption among older adults may lead to unsteadiness if walking is attempted during the night, with increased risk of falls and injuries.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

If I have more than one alcoholic beverage at dinner, I do not sleep as well at night. I also sleep better in a cool room so my thermostat is programmed to go down to 60 in the early evening. Cotton sheets(not flannel) are also more comfortable for me, as is 100 percent cotton sleepwear. I keep the bedroom very dark. Getting some fresh air everyday is probably the most sleep enhancing thing I can do. I do not drink coffee late in the day. If I order coffee after dinner, it is decaf. I also try to eat dinner on the early side and not go to bed with a full stomach. If I am a little peckish at bedtime, I have a cup of yogurt or a piece of toast or a handful of crackers. I try hard not to think about things that bother me before bed...like Scarlett O'Hara I resolve to "think about those things tomorrow". My little pug does snore, but he sleeps down at my feet so I find it not too disturbing.

 

[RonBoyd]

A couple of years ago, we discussed my cure for difficulty sleeping at night:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/better-sleep-with-earplugs-43598.html

 

[Tesaje]

Interesting how variable the sleep patterns are when there is no external schedule to drive the hours. I've been wondering how I will settle in when I join ER in 2 weeks. Sounds like there is no reason to worry about it when I don't sleep very well.

 

[Orchidflower]

Any wine, beer, anything like that at night--and just one, too--and I do the same thing: wake up at 2 am and just rest in bed not able to really sleep. One little bit of overheating too in the room and no sleep. Now the sex thing...I hit the sack pretty well if I do that. Must have too much testosterone in me..ha!

 

[simple girl]

Some things that have worked for me in the past:

1. Progressive muscle relaxation technique (google it)
2. Deep breathing practice while imagining in detail the path a particle of air takes from your nose to your lungs and back out again
3. Distraction techniques - ABC mental game - think of a word that starts with the letter of the alphabet, starting with "A". Focus on a theme like, fruits/veggies, positive attributes of yourself or a loved one, geographic places in the world, etc.

Children's benydral (liquid) also is helpful, as you can take as small amount as you need to, and it gets into your system fast. I know you asked for non-medication techniques, but sometimes you get desperate.

Hope this helps!

 

[W2R]

Interesting how variable the sleep patterns are when there is no external schedule to drive the hours. I've been wondering how I will settle in when I join ER in 2 weeks. Sounds like there is no reason to worry about it when I don't sleep very well.

Tesaje, I am so excited for you about your upcoming retirement!! One of the most wonderful things to me about the first month of ER was sleeping in as much as I wanted. I felt like I was in sleep deficit prior to retirement. I don't think I sleep too much now (for example, yesterday I napped for about an hour and last night I slept for about 7 hours), but just awakening naturally seems to have an incredibly restorative and rejuvenating effect for me.

I keep the bedroom very dark.

After retirement, one day I was thinking about how frightened I was as a little child without a nightlight. It occurred to me that at 61, after all these years of sleeping in a completely dark room, there is no reason to sleep in a completely dark room unless I want to. I don't like awakening in the middle of the night in a completely dark room because I find it to be disorienting. So, I have been leaving my dressing room light on really low (it is on a dimmer). I love it.

 

[Coach]

I've always been fascinated by sleep. And I've been disappointed as I age that I sleep less well. So I decided to give Zeo a try. It's a device that monitors your sleep. I've only been using it for about a week, but it's really interesting to review last night's sleep -- time to go to sleep, time spent awake, time in deep sleep, light sleep and REM sleep.

I don't know if it will actually help me sleep better, but it is a bit reassuring that apparently my sleep patterns are pretty typical for someone my age.

I haven't decided if I'll keep it after the 30 day trial.

Coach

 

[TromboneAl]

Same boat here. I've worked hard on this issue, and have read about four books. Here are some things I've learned:

The best book was The Insomnia Answer. It suggests you use a sleep log like this (click twice to be able to read it):



to help you identify which type of insomnia you have. The primary tool that the book has you use is this: You restrict your sleep for a while -- that is you go to bed later or get up earlier, and thus train your body to sleep more efficiently. It's as if your body says "Well, I'm only getting x hours in bed, so I better sleep the entire time."

That book also explains how when problems with sleep begin, there are certain behaviors that reinforce the problem (e.g. long naps or drugs).

For me, exercise or mental effort does not guarantee a good night's sleep, despite what some books say.

The solution of getting up if you are awake for 20 minutes doesn't work if the temperature of the house is around 60 degrees.

Some books say naps are good, others bad.

Some books say that although we get less sleep as we age, it doesn't mean that we need less sleep.

I've tried some things that seem to work great, but then lose their effectiveness (such as a baby aspirin before retiring).

I found that napping has no clearcut effect on my quality of nighttime sleeping:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4007&thumb=1&d=1216478040

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I'd really like to solve this, because when I'm awake at night, I'm very uncomfortable -- it might be that restless legs thing.

 

[Meadbh]

I too have noticed the wine effect. One time I was at a banquet and had two glasses of wine. They came around with the (Starbucks) coffee and it smelled so good that I had two cups. Big mistake! The wine put me to sleep, but 90 minutes later I sprang awake and was so wired that I couldn't get a wink for the rest of the night and nodded off several times during the conference the next day!

Steroids are known to be associated with euphoria. Maybe you are so full of the joys of life that you are too excited to sleep!

In my case, if I drink wine with dinner, I'll sleep like a baby til about 2ish a.m., and that's it for the night. A co-worker shared that she has the same experience; we're calling it the wine effect. If you normally have wine with dinner, try skipping it a couple of nights and see if you can stay asleep longer. Also, various medications will disrupt my sleep pattern. Right now, I have to take steroid tablets for 5 days in a row for pleurisy, and I would swear these darn pills are keeping me awake even though I take them in the morning. Review your medications and see if sleep interuption is indicated with use.

 

[Meadbh]

The sound of aircraft engines makes me sleepy. I've been on more than one flight where I fell asleep prior to takeoff and wasn't awakened until the wheels touched the runway on landing. And on a couple of these flights I was a passenger...

Whereas I, on the other hand, am a white knuckle flyer and any tendency to nap is immediately interrupted by a change in the engine noise (is that the wing falling off?) or turbulence, which makes me quite anxious. I know perfectly well I'm being irrational, but I keep visualizing the plane going "splat".

I don't want to hijack the thread. Now back to sleep! ZZZZZZZZ

 

[haha]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I see that many others have some difficulty getting enough sleep.

Ha

 

[Cattusbabe]

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.

I read through the entire thread so far. Like this response the best. DH and I usually do not surface before 10 AM. If I get up earlier then I read something. I like the idea of starting the day then and there however. Gonna try that.

 

[TromboneAl]

One thing that helps me is that I know that even if I am awake a lot at night I'll be able to function OK the next day.

 

[REWahoo]

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.

I had one of those nights (days) today. Barking dogs woke me around 4 this morning. Rather than get frustrated by my inability to get back to sleep, I got up, made a pot of coffee and started my day. At 8:30 I took a one hour nap and woke up feeling fine.

One of the many nice things about being retired is the luxury of being able to do this no matter what day of the week it is.

 

[freebird5825]

Sex, alcohol, towels and darkened rooms, all in 1 thread.

I just love this forum.

 

[ItDontMeanAThing]

To fall asleep, I:

Have my favorite room temp

Do everything I need to do before getting into bed at least one hour before I intend to to go sleep (except removing my clothes and taking a piss)

Put on boring TV (which is most of it) until I have my first involuntary muscle twitch or close my eyes longer than a blink

.. then visit the John, drop clothes on the floor, lie down and imagine myself sinking.

To stay asleep:

Melatonin. Its a hormone, not a drug. Older people produce less, so they don't go back to sleep easily after waking up

Ear plugs. Regular noise doesn't bother me, it's the irregular noise sources that wake me up.

My bed room has:

Blackout drapes. If I know the sun is up, I'm likely to wake up.

Tempurpedic matress. This. Made. My. Life. Better.

 

[scrabbler1]

Reading makes my eyes tired and helps me go to sleep.

I often eat a late-night snack, but I have to sit up for about 20-30 minutes afterward to let it digest some or else I will have stomach gurgling and hiccups if I try to lay down.

As for naps, I take an afternoon nap so I will feel more refreshed when I go out dancing in the evening. But.....I like the naps so much I take one every afternoon LOL! It is the best quality sleep I get sometimes. Years ago, it affected my nighttime sleep but not any more.

I don't drink coffee and I don't have soda ny later than with dinner so it has no effect on my sleep.

And of course, not having to wake up early to go to work enables me to sleep when I want instead of "forcing" myself to go to sleep when I am not ready to. That is the biggest reason I would have trouble sleeping over the years.

 

[TromboneAl]

Sometimes I think brushing your teeth has a "wake-up" influence on you. You're watching TV, and falling asleep. You go upstairs, brush your teeth and get into bed, and you're wide awake.

Sometimes I brush them an hour or so earlier to avoid that.

 

[haha]

Sometimes I think brushing your teeth has a "wake-up" influence on you. You're watching TV, and falling asleep. You go upstairs, brush your teeth and get into bed, and you're wide awake.

Sometimes I brush them an hour or so earlier to avoid that.

I do the same. If I have been very active during the day, I am almost guaranteed to fall asleep on the couch, either reading or watching football or basketball. Much better for me if I can take a leak and head straight for bed when I wake up.

Ha

 

[kyounge1956]

You might also try soft music or an audiobook (but not one that is too absorbing—that will keep you awake). I have always been accustomed to have a radio or other sound in my bedroom and find I have problems sleeping without one (e.g. when traveling). I think you can also get CDs with the sound of ocean waves or rain on the roof that might be soporific.

 

[Fireup2020]

This is a topic that scares me more than the thought of ever having the medical need for Depends. At what age did sleep problems begin? (still sleeping soundly at 39) I know too many people older than me troubled by sleep disturbances.