I’m one of those people who hates white noise. Drives me crazy. I don’t even like a fan on. I like it quiet and dark.
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I have an old creaky house. The white noise machine is a life saver for me because my H is a night owl and is up until midnight where as I’m in bed by 9:30/10. I can’t sleep without one now and have an app on my phone when I’m traveling.
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Me too @Sweetgum! I’m not sure if I would just have to get used to it or if I just don’t like it.
I have to have the room completely dark. I had a charger plugged (to the outlet, not to a device) that has a tiny light. Had to unplug as just that amount of light impacts me. Turn off the heat at night. That can be a problem when someone is over who likes it warm at night or when I sleep elsewhere where the heat stays on.
Sleeping separately, at least occasionally, can also help. Having a spouse get up for the bathroom or who also can’t sleep can impact the number of times you wake up.
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Sleeplessness reminds me of migraines,in that everyone’s version is different, and so are the remedies.
I have found these things to reduce my sleepless nights:
50 min of exercise every day
absolutely no screentime 2 hrs before bed.(except TV)
No phones or devices in the bedroom
No eating after dinner
No caffeine, period
No chores after dinner
distinct bedtime routine
Spend a fortune on truly comfy pajamas
If I wake and want to just fall asleep but my worry-brain gins up, I have been trying this distraction technique suggested by a doctor: pick a category, a four or five letter word, rearrange the letters and then think of a word that begins with each letter for your category
Example: Food/ “rope”/ “erop”/ eggs, rhubarb, oranges, pretzels. Apparently the distraction can reset your brain w/o giving you something substantial to think about.
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Have you had a full physical and blood work recently? I ask because my mother, who was a lifelong good sleeper, started experiencing sleeplessness…up most of the night, dragging herself through the day. She chalked it up to aging, anxiety…
It turns out, her kidneys were failing and among the long list of symptoms…sleeplessness was right up there. Not saying that’s what’s going on, but just saying it is worth mentioning to a doctor that you are experiencing it, especially if it is anew thing for you.
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I think it’s also important to realize (and accept) that being a different age (I choose not to say “aging” because I don’t know that it is only an old person problem)might mean different routines and needs are needed so a revamp of the sleep routine you’ve had to years needs to be reset.
Dumb question but people talk about a sleep doctor - is there a better name for a doc who evaluates sleep - like how to you find one???
Someone else mentioned this up thread, but I also turn on a podcast as soon as I jolt awake and start thinking- I set a timer for 30 minutes and am almost always back asleep in about 10 minutes. My dh and I don’t share a room anymore so that helps. Consistent wake up times and plenty of exercise during the day are the other factors that help me.
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yup. White noise drives me INSANE! H bought a sound machine at some point. It was a source of many, many arguments… It finally left. It’s not like he ever needs it to help fall asleep either!
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Sleep Medicine Specialist.
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Lifelong bouts of poor sleep due to both anxiety/worry and physical discomfort. It seems any little disruption to my system makes it difficult to fall asleep (usually more a mental reason - which can include noise or light and I start obsessing about it) or stay asleep (usually more a physical reason). I thought I might have sleep apnea and tried a sleep study but failed to fall asleep enough to record after 8 long hours lying in a bed in the medical center. I don’t think at home would work because any time I have to sleep “on demand” like I have to wake up for an early appointment or flight I just don’t fall asleep. My brain is strong!
I had a white noise machine but currently have 2 fans since lack of air movement makes me feel hot and constrained and it’s also white noise. I have a good sleep mask that blocks out even that little bit around the nose where light can seep in and annoy me. DH insists on having some light on; he would prefer every light on, and the tv, and would peacefully sleep through it in his CPAP. I wear wrist braces when my carpal tunnel is bothering me. Occasionally I take ibuprofen for aches but I try to limit doing that even though it makes me sleepy. I make sure to drink enough water during the day. I feel like dehydration has been a culprit of waking up a f ew hours after I fall asleep. Of course I try to make it day long hydration so I don’t have to get up to pee so much. No caffeine after about 1 pm. Some exercise and fresh air each day. Bigger breakfast and lunch and smaller dinner no evening snacks. Nighttime indigestion was a big problem. And I’ve found taking my multivitamin and, especially this time of year, Vitamin D helps. Often when I’ve had a couple of days in a row where I wake and can’t fall back asleep I realize I haven’t taken my vitamins for a couple of days. For worry/anxiety I try to deliberately replace my bad thoughts with others - think about the plot of a movie, say the words to a favorite song, count backward by 3s, tell myself I can’t do anything about it now but will think about it in the morning, etc. That works better now than it did when I was younger.
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I think I was waking up in the middle of the night because I was snoring, and that’s why I tried a neckhaven pillow. It positions my head in such a way that I don’t snore as much. I have used it for a week now. My neck/shoulder don’t hurt as much and I do feel more rested.
I also read that better nigh sleep helps with high blood pressure.
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My very unscientific heartburn remedy is turmeric extract. It was initially recommended to me by an ortho doc as a general anti inflammatory. Two months into taking it I noticed that I haven’t had to take any antacids even after eating spicy foods. Googled it, and there are some unconfirmed studies that turmeric is beneficial for this purpose. That said, it apparently can affect liver function in some folks so I’m careful not to take too much and pay attention to my annual bloodwork. YMMV as this is an experiment of N=1 with no controls. 
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In addition to my earlier list, I’ve found it useful to wear a fitness tracker watch while sleeping. This allows me to review how different things I do during a particular day tend to impact my sleep, as well as review long term trends in sleep over time.
An example graph from last night is above. There are 4 REM → Light → Deep → Light → REM cycles, which is my norm. With each cycle, there are fewer minutes of deep sleep, which is also my norm. Beginning sleep at approximately the same time seems particularly important for the first cycle, with largest amount of deep sleep.
What is unusual about last light is the longer awake period near the 4:49 AM marker. This is the only awake period I remember, aside from start and end. I believe it primarily relates to a change in diet. My dog and I had ~17 mile hike on the previous day, which resulted in numerous changes from my usual diet. The combination of an abnormal dream and more water/salt let to waking up in the 2nd cycle. I went to the bathroom without turning on light, then fell asleep relatively soon after. I’ve found this type of longer hike helps with falling and staying asleep on subsequent night (low glycogen). However, HIIT workouts have the opposite effect (high stimulation), negatively impacting both sleep quantity and sleep architecture.
I don’t feel anxious and my mind isn’t racing but I still have sleep issues. It comes with age. Last night I was up at 4, ate something, read something on the computer (usually I do a book) and slept 5:30-7:30 which was amazing! That’s 6 hours total. I find that not fretting about sleep is the key for me. Doing tai chi in my head helps with initially falling asleep.
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@Data10 – I am struck by how accurate your screen name is. You do enjoy data, don’t you!
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The username is from a nickname I received based on similarities to the Star Trek character. However, I do enjoy this type of analysis.
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I’m 55, not on any hormones, but am on Lunesta 2 mg. Been using a CPAP for a year, and it’s been very helpful. Also use an air filter that serves as great white noise.
I’ve recently added ear plugs to my sleep hygiene bc wearing them helps me fall asleep faster.
I need a dark and cold room, firm mattress and pillows, a ceiling fan every night of the year (most months it’s set to hurricane speed), and have been
“ sleep divorced” (sleep in separate rooms) from my hubby for several years bc we have different sleep needs (he doesn’t like failing fan or darkness, etc etc). When we travel out of town it’s always a bit anxiety producing to sleep in same hotel room but we manage (ear plugs, and cold thermostat, darkness and Lunesta for us both helps).
I hope some of these post are able to help you get the relief you need, bc insomnia or disrupted sleep isn’t healthy and obviously makes one exhausted and anxious, etc. I know. Been there. Please keep us posted on what you try, etc.
Big hugs to you.
ETa: super comfy and temperature appropriate pajamas is also a huge must for me. And fresh ones every night.
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I find it helpful to have separate beds when we travel. We both sleep better. I sleep in a different rooms when the kids are away but we are in same bed when the kids are home. We manage ok.
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Deleted.
My mother took Lunesta for years and developed some tolerance, so we added 100mg gabapentin. In her 90’s MD’s considered it palliative. This is what I have read:
In reality, most doctors will only prescribe Lunesta for short-term, acute insomnia because of its high potential for addiction and abuse.
(Withdrawal symptoms are possible when stopped…)
and
Sedative-hypnotics like Lunesta may carry risks of cognitive decline and dementia.
The latter is true for benzodiazepines. I do 1/4 Klonopin sparingly and even after that I notice memory glitches the next day.
I wish I could take Klonopin every night. There is no magic bullet and drugs like Ambien and Lunesta are so tempting. Are you taking Lunesta long term?
Up at 4 again, just yielding to it.