How to sleep better

[Wonderer67]

I’m an insomniac. I rarely sleep through the night. I think I have good sleep habits. I go to bed around the same time every night.

I am 55, I eat well, lots of fruit, veggies, and not too close to bedtime. Im in decent shape and work out 3-4x a week.

I’ve started doing yoga stretches and also meditation before bedtime.

I’ve tried getting high, I’ve tried cbd, melatonin, masturbating when I wake up or go to bed. I’ve tried staying off of my phone and being on my phone.

I am a very light sleeper and also unfortunately have ptsd. I wake up almost every morning at 2-330am.

Any tips or advice you all have on staying asleep or getting back to sleep when you wake up?

 

[twister947]

Do you drink? Nighttime booze puts me out like a light, and then wakes me up 4 hours later.

 

[redroses3377]

I use black-out curtains, white noise, "night light" on my phone or computer to block out harsh blue light, and keep the temperature fairly cool in my bedroom.

When you wake up, are you hungry? Do you need to use the bathroom? Or is it a result of dreaming? Do you have sleep apnea?

 

[IrisAlthea]

Waking up at the same time every night could have reasons like a sound or light that starts, needing to pee or getting hungry as @redroses3377 mentioned.
Getting to bed at the same time, probably means sleep cycles being fairly consistent, so dreaming could certainly be the reason too.
Do you wake up at the same time if you sleep elsewhere or go to bed at the same time? That could help you figure it out perhaps.

You do post in the dream thread fairly often, so I would guess that you wake up during a dream phase. Not being able to go back to sleep could be because the dreams upset you, that you already have had enough sleep, that you are hungry, need to pee or some othe physical discomfort or that the thoughts start to race.

Personally I think my trick is being slightly sleep deprived most of the time. Not to be recommended.
When I wake up to thoughts that don’t let me get back to sleep it is usually a sign of stress and it often helps to structure the things that stress me out on paper before going to sleep. If I feel I have a plan for the next few steps, it usually gets me through the night.
When it is about something that upsets me (and with ptsd I’m guessing that could be a thing for you) it does help to get up and write about it for a while. Then I can usually fall asleep again, as if I’ve gotten it out of ny system for the time being at least.

Both kids have had issues waking up from hunger. One solved it with a glass of milk before bed and the other with nut butter on apple slices before bed.

The needing to pee thing is a bitch though.

 

[PersonalFavors]

I’m an insomniac. I rarely sleep through the night. I think I have good sleep habits. I go to bed around the same time every night.

I am 55, I eat well, lots of fruit, veggies, and not too close to bedtime. Im in decent shape and work out 3-4x a week.

I’ve started doing yoga stretches and also meditation before bedtime.

I’ve tried getting high, I’ve tried cbd, melatonin, masturbating when I wake up or go to bed. I’ve tried staying off of my phone and being on my phone.

I am a very light sleeper and also unfortunately have ptsd. I wake up almost every morning at 2-330am.

Any tips or advice you all have getting to sleep?

At 2-330 when you wake up is that when you find you cannot sleep?
I pee need to or not. I do not look at the clock and very dim automated light like a buoy. Room is blacked out. Cooler the better. Specially if I am not home. I have many feather pillows that very in texture. They are usually above me as i sleep flat. In cooler months they can increase heat if needed. I like the tv on quiet movie. I know they say the blue light is supposed to be bad. I have trouble sleeping if I am hungry. Sweets also make me sleep. But I eat very few sweets. Decided long ago breakfast is usually just an excuse desert and eat neither.
My thoughts are random. Often sex related. Or a project I might consider. I like working with wood. So how to build a jig. Or make measurements to add a drawer inside a cabinet are complex but also easy to get lost in.
Or sex. Something unlikely but sensual. Imagining how she wants or likes it. Or imaging she takes the lead and is very sensual And fall asleep sometimes before I have a mess to clean up.
Another thing I did was sleep on the massage table. Took a while to find a masseuse that understood I wanted to be relaxed completely trusting their touch, not all poky and proddy like I need stress knots removed. When it worked it was a set of breathing exorcises and kind of a mind trick. Like in tantra you breath in and relax slow exhaling like when you have to pee real bad and can’t. Every muscle relaxed and an idle thought or peaceful place for your mind to go. Unlike a processor your mind is capable of only one thread. If you can teach yourself to sleep like that or sustain a semi sleep state you can study how your body sleeps it not only feels good but you can take yourself to that place. And sleep.
I also have been fortunate in that I do not use an alarm clock unless there is something I have to get up early for. Waking when my body does is way more healthy than a jolt from an alarm clock. Like the other post white noise of some kind can help. Mine is the tv down low. Or spwatching a movie that might have a boob or some nudity. Watching to wonder who does it I fall asleep in seconds…..

 

[AXCheyo]

That would put me to sleep for sure.

 

[twister947]

Sometimes, but not always, I can get up, take a leak, get a drink, and then start reading. Like I said sometimes it puts me out.

 

[Wonderer67]

Thank you all for the excellent advice and ideas. I really appreciate it. I updated the question to be clearer that it’s waking up in the middle of the night, not getting to sleep.

Do you drink?

Drinking makes me feel full if it’s too much, or it makes me pee.

I use black-out curtains, white noise, "night light" on my phone or computer to block out harsh blue light, and keep the temperature fairly cool in my bedroom.
When you wake up, are you hungry?

I find blue light is not good for me, so I minimize it. Dark is good. The moon consistently shines in our window, so maybe something there… Never hungry tho.

Do you wake up at the same time if you sleep elsewhere or go to bed at the same time? That could help you figure it out perhaps.

I was on a biz trip to London and Munich a few weeks ago and it was even more pronounced. I was up around 3am every single morning for two weeks. A little better since I’ve been home…

I am a very light sleeper. I remember a lot of dreams.

At 2-330 when you wake up is that when you find you cannot sleep? I pee need to or not. I do not look at the clock and very dim automated light like a buoy. Room is blacked out. Cooler the better. Specially if I am not home. I have many feather pillows that very in texture. They are usually above me as i sleep flat. In cooler months they can increase heat if needed. I like the tv on quiet movie. I know they say the blue light is supposed to be bad. I have trouble sleeping if I am hungry. Sweets also make me sleep. But I eat very few sweets. Decided long ago breakfast is usually just an excuse desert and eat neither.

Good advice here. Thank you!

My thoughts are random. Often sex related. Or a project I might consider. I like working with wood. So how to build a jig. Or make measurements to add a drawer inside a cabinet are complex but also easy to get lost in.
Or sex.

When I’m up I like to be productive. I walk laps around my house. I’ve walked up to 5k steps at night before. Sometimes I think about stuff like you describe. Or plan my day mentally. Once I’m up and doing stuff, I’m prolly not going to sleep.

Maybe 30 mins of pumping your hot load into my young pussy will help put you to bed.. I'm spreading my lips an begin to rub my needy little clit as we speak..

I sure hope so. Waddya doing at 3am tomorrow morning??

Sometimes, but not always, I can get up, take a leak, get a drink, and then start reading. Like I said sometimes it puts me out.

Reading works for me occasionally, especially if it’s a real book.

 

[twister947]

I've slept on this, and two more things come to mind. The first is, I knew a guy years ago who I judged to be a bit nutters, who wore a sleep mask and ear plugs. As I said I thought he was a bit nuts. Now I'm not so sure. The second thing is talk to your doctor. Discuss your sleep issues with him or her and ask if a referral to a sleep lab is a possibility. There are a lot of people running around with sleep apnea that don't know it. My CPAP really changed my life.

 

[the_single_gal_unconfidential]

I’m an insomniac. I rarely sleep through the night. I think I have good sleep habits. I go to bed around the same time every night.

I am 55, I eat well, lots of fruit, veggies, and not too close to bedtime. Im in decent shape and work out 3-4x a week.

I’ve started doing yoga stretches and also meditation before bedtime.

I’ve tried getting high, I’ve tried cbd, melatonin, masturbating when I wake up or go to bed. I’ve tried staying off of my phone and being on my phone.

I am a very light sleeper and also unfortunately have ptsd. I wake up almost every morning at 2-330am.

Any tips or advice you all have on staying asleep or getting back to sleep when you wake up?

I'm just like you, wake up right about 330.
I'll get up and have a cup of coffee or two - yep!!
I'll watch a little tv, usually news or something light - and after an hour or hour and a half I get real sleepy - I'll go back to bed and have that super deep sleep for a couple of hours.
the coffee relaxes me. make it in my keirug.

 

[jsmiam]

Do you snore? Being in good shape doesn’t mean a person may not snore or have more severe sleep apnea problems. Consider a doctors visit, sleep study, etc., and go from there. (Even if maybe/possibly an answer you don’t like comes out of it. Getting older sucks!)

Edit: oops,I didn’t see @twisters similar post.

 

[PersonalFavors]

When I’m up I like to be productive. I walk laps around my house. I’ve walked up to 5k steps at night before. Sometimes I think about stuff like you describe. Or plan my day mentally. Once I’m up and doing stuff, I’m prolly not going to sleep.

When I am working through the plans or ideas I am in position ready to sleep. If I get up and walk around I would not sleep either.

 

[Lady2020]

Aging changes sleep patterns. I think the best thing to do is nap when you can, give yourself some slack.

 

[PersonalFavors]

I'm just like you, wake up right about 330.
I'll get up and have a cup of coffee or two - yep!!
I'll watch a little tv, usually news or something light - and after an hour or hour and a half I get real sleepy - I'll go back to bed and have that super deep sleep for a couple of hours.
the coffee relaxes me. make it in my keirug.

I don't drink coffee at 3 am but otherwise think you an I have a lot in common. I think I would enjoy having someone that woke up the same time I did in the middle of the night.

 

[brightsmile]

I will go to the bathroom and if I can't go back to sleep, I will either read or turn on the TV to a documentary (the monotone voice will make me sleepy) set to a timer.

 

[Goldenfinger]

I’m an insomniac. I rarely sleep through the night. I think I have good sleep habits. I go to bed around the same time every night.

I am 55, I eat well, lots of fruit, veggies, and not too close to bedtime. Im in decent shape and work out 3-4x a week.

I’ve started doing yoga stretches and also meditation before bedtime.

I’ve tried getting high, I’ve tried cbd, melatonin, masturbating when I wake up or go to bed. I’ve tried staying off of my phone and being on my phone.

I am a very light sleeper and also unfortunately have ptsd. I wake up almost every morning at 2-330am.

Any tips or advice you all have on staying asleep or getting back to sleep when you wake up?

I had a short period of time after I got out of the Navy where I could not sleep. The Doc gave me 4mg of lorazepam and it zonked me right out. Not wanting to have to take pills to sleep I tried a few things. Turns out it was too quiet for me to sleep. Got me a noisy fan and told my wife to not be so quiet when she gets up

 

[Wonderer67]

Thanks again for the second round of advice! Appreciate all your sharing your sleep and get back to sleep tips!

The second thing is talk to your doctor. Discuss your sleep issues with him or her and ask if a referral to a sleep lab is a possibility.

Do you snore? Being in good shape doesn’t mean a person may not snore or have more severe sleep apnea problems. Consider a doctors visit, sleep study, etc., and go from there. (Even if maybe/possibly an answer you don’t like comes out of it. Getting older sucks!)

This is definitely something I have considered. Thank you both for confirming that this might be a good path to go down.

I'm just like you, wake up right about 330.
I'll get up and have a cup of coffee or two - yep!!
I'll watch a little tv, usually news or something light - and after an hour or hour and a half I get real sleepy - I'll go back to bed and have that super deep sleep for a couple of hours.
the coffee relaxes me. make it in my keirug.

That’s interesting, I have no problem falling asleep when I have coffee after dinner. I will try this one time.

When I am working through the plans or ideas I am in position ready to sleep. If I get up and walk around I would not sleep either.

If I wake up gently, there is a chance I may be able to go back to sleep. If I have a bad dream, or awake with a start, I’m in PTSD land, and then I’m just gonna be walking or trying to do something productive like walk and plan.

Aging changes sleep patterns. I think the best thing to do is nap when you can, give yourself some slack.

I like the way you think, there’s nothing like an afternoon nap!

I will go to the bathroom and if I can't go back to sleep, I will either read or turn on the TV to a documentary (the monotone voice will make me sleepy) set to a timer.

Not sure if this would work, unless I got up and went into the other room. I wouldn’t wanna wake my wife. But an interesting idea.

I had a shot period of time after I got out of the Navy where I could not sleep. The Doc gave me 4mg of lorazepam and it zonked me right out. Not wanting to have to take pills to sleep I tried a few things. Turns out it was too quiet for me to sleep. Got me a noisy fan and told my wife to not be so quiet when she gets up

My daughter sleeps with a fan. I could try it, although I don’t like extraneous noise.

Thanks again all for your ideas and tips and tricks. I must say I’ve been sleeping a little bit better the last few weeks maybe five hours of sleep a night. In September and October I was only getting 2 to 4 hours of sleep a night and that was really bad.

 

[redroses3377]

You mentioned having PTSD. I know that pills aren't the answer, but they can temporarily help. There's Prazosin, which helps suppress dreaming so you're not having nightmares and it has a calming effect. It's not an addictive medication.

Someone mentioned lorazepam. 4 mg is a lot and it's addictive. I'd avoid benzodiazepines (lorazepam, alprazolam, diazepam, etc) and sedatives (zolpidem) for that reason.

 

[Wonderer67]

I’m so anti-pill… I’m afraid tbh…

Anything mood altering is kinda a hard no for me… maybe I should just try it.

I took anti depressants for a while after I got out of the army and it was the worst thing in the world for me. I feel
Like I touched a hot stove with medication.

Here I am at 1135 not having done my breathing and stretching AND on my phone!! Bad wonderer67!

 

[redroses3377]

I’m so anti-pill… I’m afraid tbh…

Anything mood altering is kinda a hard no for me… maybe I should just try it.

I took anti depressants for a while after I got out of the army and it was the worst thing in the world for me. I feel
Like I touched a hot stove with medication.

Here I am at 1135 not having done my breathing and stretching AND on my phone!! Bad wonderer67!

I understand that. I hate the trial and error that comes with psychotropic medication. However, there is a new genetic test called GeneSight that involves a mouth swab and then you get results showing which medications would be good for you, which medications are so so, and which medications you should absolutely avoid. This takes the guess work out of it. I wish more doctors did it. It's worth asking your doctor though.

 

[IrisAlthea]

If I wake up gently, there is a chance I may be able to go back to sleep. If I have a bad dream, or awake with a start, I’m in PTSD land, and then I’m just gonna be walking or trying to do something productive like walk and plan.

The PTSD is what stood out to me in the OP and made me wonder how often that is the actual problem waning you up and keeping you from going back to sleep. Sleep problems are a common symptom.
If you are getting treatment or have the option of getting treatment, I think it would be a good idea to ask about treating sleep issues in that context. They should be able to offer other options than meds.

I wouldn’t wanna wake my wife.

While I get not wanting to wake her, ask how she feels about it. Because connecting to a loved one even if it’s just snuggling up to them, can be calming and grounding (not the new age mumbo jumbo kind of grounding).

As for getting up and being productive, I think it depends on why the sleep issues are bothering you. If you are getting physical problems because of not sleeping enough, finding a way to still get physical rest (meditation, reading, watching or listening to something) is probably better.

 

[Wonderer67]

The PTSD is what stood out to me in the OP and made me wonder how often that is the actual problem waning you up and keeping you from going back to sleep. Sleep problems are a common symptom.
If you are getting treatment or have the option of getting treatment, I think it would be a good idea to ask about treating sleep issues in that context. They should be able to offer other options than meds.

It depends. Went thru a phase where it was almost every night, but right now, not nearly as much. (Maybe once 7-10 days, but it’s sporadic). It really varies.

More often, I just wake up. I’m a really light sleeper. Not ptsd land, but I’ve gone from just walking laps to going to that place. (I am much better now at managing that and most times I can avoid tipping over.) does the ptsd trigger the sleeplessness or is it the other way around?? Yes. Not sure/yes/occasionally.

I went thru this bad phase for 3-4 weeks in Sep/Oct where I was only getting 2-4 hrs of sleep. It’s better now, more like 5 hrs. It’s much more tolerable.

A few of you (and my wife) have suggested a sleep study and I am lining one up. Thank you.

While I get not wanting to wake her, ask how she feels about it. Because connecting to a loved one even if it’s just snuggling up to them, can be calming and grounding (not the new age mumbo jumbo kind of grounding).

As for getting up and being productive, I think it depends on why the sleep issues are bothering you. If you are getting physical problems because of not sleeping enough, finding a way to still get physical rest (meditation, reading, watching or listening to something) is probably better.

I just don’t want to bother her. If I’m in bed, I may try to snuggle up against her, but sometimes I need to walk it off, esp if I’m in a bad place. Really depends. I hate waking her.

I have a friend who’s on the west coast, also a trauma survivor and a therapist. She sometimes helps ground me online. Just thru IMs and chats can be really helpful and help me ground. The three hour time diff helps.

Most often I just wake up. I am not going thru anything bad. Just waking up at 330am. If I can sleep, great, if not, I walk and I plan. My wife thinks it could be hormonal.

Perhaps the sleep study will help. I’ll let ya all know!! Time for work.

 

[twister947]

Re: sleep studies, I have 2 friends who I pushed/prodded into getting the study; both now have CPAPs, and literally won't leave home without them. Both of them sounded like they were being waterboarded at night.

I'm glad you're getting checked.

Another thing comes to mind: separate beds. For a light sleeper, this could make a difference.

 

[Diosax]

I'd recommend therapy if you aren't going already to help threat your PTSD. I just started taking calm magnesium and OMG that shit is life changing. I use it in combination with melatonin sometimes and have been sleeping through the night. Because you said you are a light sleeper I also recommend an eye mask and earplugs. It's uncomfortable at first but it really makes a difference. I use those two when traveling with friends and they're game changer.

 

[redroses3377]

I'd recommend therapy if you aren't going already to help threat your PTSD. I just started taking calm magnesium and OMG that shit is life changing. I use it in combination with melatonin sometimes and have been sleeping through the night. Because you said you are a light sleeper I also recommend an eye mask and earplugs. It's uncomfortable at first but it really makes a difference. I use those two when traveling with friends and they're game changer.

Is it called calm magnesium?