<p>From the number of posts I see on Facebook from people around my age complaining that they can’t sleep, I imagine it’s not just me. I used to be able to sleep like a teenager. Could sleep in 'till practically noon if I stayed up late. But now, I’m lucky to make it to 5 am. Have absolutely no problem falling asleep and generally sleep straight through, but if I go to bed at 11 p.m which I almost always do, I sometimes wake up at 3 or 4. Sometimes I can fall back asleep for a little bit, but most times I can’t.</p>
<p>Have tried the Benadryl route and that does help, but still only sleep until 6 at the most and I feel funny all day long. Melatonin did absolutely nothing. I do not drink caffeine except one cup of coffee first thing in the morning, relax before I go to bed, sleep in a quiet dark room with no distractions but now find myself getting sleepy during the day. Napping only makes it worse. </p>
<p>I used to hear my parents complain about this and always thought they were exaggerating. Also thought that they must just need less sleep, but I am so tired all day long!</p>
<p>Have any of you found anything that helps? What are you doing about this? My husband so doesn’t have this problem. He goes to bed by 9 or 10 and sleeps about 12 hours. Is it just a female thing?</p>
<p>Sorry about this! Lack of sleep is so crippling. What do you think it is that makes you wake up at 3 or 4? Are you hot? Thirsty? Did you hear something that woke you up? </p>
<p>I’ve been waking up at 2:30/3 and can’t fall back asleep until 4 or 4:30 lately, but I am a very light sleeper so it’s usually because someone has gotten up to use the bathroom or I’m hot or thirsty.</p>
<p>Do you exercise during the day? Not late in the day but maybe in the morning? I wonder if being more physically tired would help.</p>
<p>I am having the same problem. I hoped that after menopause I would sleep better, but that hasn’t come to pass. I can go to sleep, but can’t stay asleep, and like you, will wake up at 4:30 or so and not be able to go back to sleep. </p>
<p>Exercise does help me, especially swimming. When I toss and turn for half an hour, I just get up. Maybe I ought to go out and run then. Naps are sometimes helpful, if they don’t last too long. I don’t always have the opportunity to nap, however.</p>
<p>Not sure that this is doctor-recommended, but try listening to audiobooks when you become awake. Several people I know, including myself, do so (and, as appropriate, fall asleep listening also). Most of the time I fall back asleep fairly quickly, although sometimes I need to repeat the process a few times. Worth a try?</p>
<p>I can fall asleep, but also can’t stay asleep. I have a kindle with a light so I try reading in bed to fall back asleep, which works sometimes. If I toss and turn for too long I get up so I don’t wake up hubby. Many times I’ll fall back asleep on the couch - Frasier is on for hours in the middle of the night. </p>
<p>Sometimes I wake because I’m stressed and anxious and I wake with a startle, other times I have to go to the bathroom. </p>
<p>We keep the bedroom at 65 and have black out curtains and have a comfortable bed. I think part of it is hormonal. </p>
<p>If I sleep horribly I usually end up napping during the day which I think can then start a bad habit.</p>
<p>Classof20156: Nope. Not hot or cold. I don’t even have hot flashes. Not thirsty, don’t have to go to the bathroom. Just the two of us and I’ve even tried sleeping in a different room in case that’s what’s waking me, but my room is dark, perfect temperature and quiet and I still wake up. If I woke up at 1 or 2, I could read or something to get back to sleep but at 3 or 4, there’s no getting back to sleep. </p>
<p>Sounds like it’s just the women having this problem. Although I know my dad does so don’t know the answer. Doctor doesn’t have a clue either. We can’t just need less sleep or I wouldn’t be sleepy at 5 pm.</p>
<p>Add me. I remember my grandmother waking up in the middle of the night and moving furniture around. We’d go for a visit, wake up and the house would be different. I thought it was completely loony to be wandering around the house in the middle of the night.</p>
<p>Benadryl was helping for a while but that seems to have worn off. I fall asleep easily around 10:30 and wake up at 4:30. </p>
<p>I’ve tried melatonin and sleepy time tea. I slept but it was a very restless sleep.</p>
<p>I just yesterday bought some tart cherry juice because I read that it helps replenish melatonin. Didn’t work last night but I read that it takes a week or so to kick in.</p>
<p>I exercise but I also drink a lot of caffeine. I should probably cut back. It will be easier now that it is cooler because I really love iced tea.</p>
<p>“10:30 and wake up at 4:30”
-Wow, 6 hours, I do not understand complaint at all. I do not even remember when I was sleeping that much. Actually, if I sleep more than 5 hours, I normally have a headache. 3 - 5 hours is normal for me, no complaints, I have more time than others, feel terrific, no morning shower to wake me up (evening shower), can have only 3 cups of regular coffee / week, so most days I do not have coffee to wake me up either. I work full time, sedentary job, never fall asleep.<br>
I cannot drink coffee (any kind including decaf) past 2pm, cannot have my 85% chocolate or any chocolate past this time either. My stomach does not take tea, not regular, not decaf, not green. I have no idea why and I do not care to find out. I exercise for about 2.5 hrs every day.<br>
To wake up at 4:30 is very welcomed, many times I wake up at 1:30 - 2:30 and do not sleep after, but I stay in bed. I get up at 5:30, rarely woken by alarm and I am at work before 6:30am, 3:30 - I am out and go straight to the gym. Then we walk outside. Sometime I also walk at lunch time.
No melatonin / valerian helps. They do not help me sleep at night and make me very drowsy next day. Anyway, I do not see any point in taking drugs if I feel great. I have been sleeping like this for the past 23 years. I do not take any medication.</p>
<p>Well, six hours doesn’t cut it for me. I wish I could stay up past 10:30 and also not feel like taking a nap at 3:00pm. So, it’s a problem for me. I slept for 7 1/2 hours for years.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP, good for you for getting by with so little sleep.</p>
<p>3bm, pretty much same story here. Happy if I get 5-6 hours. About once a month, I’ll be so wiped out, I’ll have an afternoon nap. Irritating that I can’t sleep more, as H seems to have opposite problem–he’s logging in about 9-10 hours a night, after many years of 6-7 hours.</p>
<p>I, too, just give up if I’ve been awake for awhile and get up. I am getting a lot of things done without interruption from H!</p>
<p>“Well, six hours doesn’t cut it for me.”
-Yes, it does not cut it at the beginning to anybody. But given time, you will get used to it, it just takes time. It is your choice. But forcing body to do something that body is not capable of doing any more will probably require intake of drugs (or supplements) for the rest of your life with all possible side effects. As I said, your choice. I just choose to get used to sleeping less. You may choose drugs.
I have great benefits of longer day. Well that presented it’s own problem. I had to find a hobby to fill my after job / exercise hours after kid has left to college. And I found it, and it is very rewarding, i will not give it up for longer sleeping hours.</p>
<p>H has a harder time sleeping than he used to. Blackout curtains are some help, as well as taking a short nap during the day (he’s found that long naps can make him more tired than no nap). I am good if I take 1/2 to a whole zyrtec pill. It’s great for me because it helps reduce my allergy symptoms and also is a mild sedative. The other antihistimes don’t work nearly as well for me, but am glad it’s now generic and cheaper.</p>
<p>Doing yoga on a fairly regular basis is also helpful, as well as some moderate exercise that makes me tired enough to sleep soundly.</p>
<p>Sometimes a sleep study can also be helpful. Both our kids have had them ordered, since they wake after very long hours of sleeping wholly unrefreshed. It can be a sign of a sleep disorder, but for them it wasn’t. Sleep apnea becomes more common as we age and can be well-treated with a CPAP or bipap machine, after a sleep study shows it is needed and useful. H may get a sleep study to see if he may be a candidate.</p>
<p>Me too! At the suggestion of a friend I tried an over the counter Doxylamine Succinate (25mg); I get it at WalMart as their brand Equate, and it’s called Nighttime Sleep Aid. I take one, and within 40 minutes I am out for the ENTIRE night, until the larm goes off. When I wake, initially I think I will never wake up fully, feeling pretty groggy, but within 10 minutes that sensation goes away. I feel more rested, and get through the day now, without my butt dragging the ground. While it is an antihistamine, for me it works far better than Benadryl ever did.</p>
<p>Undiagnosed sleep apnea would NOT be helped by using an antihistimine–the CPAP and Bi-Pap, losing weight and sometime specific mouth devices can help but not medications. For folks who wake always tired and having trouble getting restful sleep, it is good to talk about with your healthcare provider and sleep if a sleep study might provide more insights about how to get more restful sleep.</p>
<p>My husband has been taking ambien for several months and it really helps him. He has a high stress job and has trouble turning it all off. It does not leave him feeling groggy or tired in the morning. It has been beneficial for him.</p>
<p>I imagine you have experimented with dosages. I found that 1mg doesn’t do much, but kicking it up to 2.5 or more (Dh takes 5mg) actually does help me a lot.<br>
I will go to bed by 10pm most nights, and I’m awake and ready to go at 6:15. Before the melatonin, I would sleep until 3:30 or 4:00, like you, and it really didn’t seem like enough. If I have had any wine or other alcohol in the evening, my sleep is almost always cut short. Not sure why that is.
Btw, there is evidence that melatonin has other health benefits besides just helping us sleep longer.</p>
</p>