<p>I was diagnosed with the reason for my short sleep. My doc said that while my D. did not sleep well for frist 3 years of her life, 3 years was a long time to make my brain to forget how to sleep for longer hours. He gave me antidepressant to fix my brain. I have have pitched them the minute I read the label. No antidepressant for me, no way, no how!!</p>
<p>Both my SO and I are in this boat for different reasons. He has the anxiety about work thing. I have the hormonal thing. I find melatonin helps to get to sleep (and crazy dreams) but not for staying asleep. I second the dosage comment above.
I love Lunesta…like waking up on vacation all relaxed and not groggy. But not keen on taking something every night.</p>
<p>I sleep better oddly enough in hotels with better mattresses. 
Our mattress is only a couple years old & H likes it, but I cant sleep well on it.
Im a light sleeper, but Ive trained myself to go back to sleep after taking the dog out at about 11pm. ( I go to bed when H does, around 8pm- he gets up at 4am)
Im really enjoying being able to sleep after the last few years of not being able to because of pain. Its amazing how much better you feel the next day after a good sleep.
[Brains</a> Sweep Themselves Clean Of Toxins During Sleep : Shots - Health News : NPR](<a href=“Brains Sweep Themselves Clean Of Toxins During Sleep : Shots - Health News : NPR”>Brains Sweep Themselves Clean Of Toxins During Sleep : Shots - Health News : NPR)</p>
<p>A couple of years ago my husband and I started staying up later and later - I called it the year we forgot how to sleep. It’s still there. We don’t go to bed until after midnight and I still get up by 6:30 - without an alarm. With the time change I’ve been waking up at 5. I remember staying with his grandmother and she told us she didn’t sleep much and to not be alarmed by her being up. I think it’s natural. Why not embrace it like Miami?</p>
<p>I am usually short of sleep because I stay up too late, and have to be up by a certain time in the morning. But I am able to sleep for 8 hours when I have the chance. I second the suggestion of audiobooks. I always listen to one while falling asleep - and never hear more than 5 minutes. I don’t think reading on a Kindle is a good idea, because of the light.</p>
<p>Years ago, I had insomnia. I took a meditation class and started to meditate for 20 minutes a day. The insomnia disappeared, I slept well, and I wasn’t tired during the day any more.</p>
<p>I have never been a great sleeper but do notice it has gotten worse with age. I have always had trouble falling asleep. Even when I was very young (6 or 7), I remember reading under the covers with a flashlight until 11 or later because otherwise I would just lie in bed staring at the ceiling. I just generally function better at night- if the world revolved around me (ha ha) my ideal schedule would be sleeping from 1 or 2 AM until about 8 AM. People have always told me that I could re-train myself if I would stick to a schedule religiously, among other things, but nothing has ever helped. Now studies support my theory that some people are just wired differently. Now, unfortunately, I have trouble falling asleep before midnight at the earliest, usually 1 or 2, and then wake up at least once during the night, and wake up for good around 7 AM. It doesn’t seem to bother me, although about once a month it does seem to catch up, and I will have a night where I fall asleep at 10PM and sleep thru. I don’t have nearly as much energy in the morning as I do starting around 2 PM. Ideally, I could do all of my housework starting 9 or 10 at night, but of course that would be too noisy.</p>
<p>* Why not embrace it like Miami?*</p>
<p>Maybe because lack of sleep makes us ill & can even cause death in animals/humans.</p>
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<p>I really do not need anything to make me fall asleep, I do it easily. But then I wake up and most time will not sleep any more. I am not even thinking about anything at all, there is nothing to think about. I made it a habit few decades ago, to leave my work at work. It is even much more productive this way. If you let your brain to be away from certain problems, the brain seem to find soutions on its own much faster that if you force it. I even read that to make your brain to work efficiently, you have to be able to relax it. No problem here, very relaxed. Actually, the exercise in general and swimming in much greater way are the best relaxations out there. Even alcohol is not as good. But I do not mind to use it here and there, primarily for taste. I love to mix any kind with juices (from beer to vodka).</p>
<p>Be careful with regular use of sleep aids. ( not talking bout melatonin). </p>
<p>They are highly highly addictive. </p>
<p>You may gain a year if sleepier nights but you may pay it off with a lifetime chronic addiction. Once you addict to anything you change your brain chemistry and will addict to everything including alcohol. </p>
<p>It’s only a temporary solution. Anything longer than two weeks on that stuff is dangerous. </p>
<p>Just a heads up</p>
<p>^Strongly agree, poetgrl, I would go further and include supplements in the same addictive category.</p>
<p>For sure, and they can have rebound effects too.</p>
<p>Re: poetgrls’ comment- you get rebound sleeplessness. Same as pain rebound with Advil or something similar with antacids.</p>
<p>Some of this is biorhythms shifting. And, in older folks, the systems don’t pump fluids well enough overnight, slow down, leading to hard to control shifts and signals. </p>
<p>Don’t drink wine later. Benadryl doesn’t stretch for enough hours. Exercise helps in that it increases the body’s overall ability to do its thing. Doesn’t have to be excessive. For some, a carb snack before bedtime helps- right now, I can’t provide a citation.</p>
<p>I agree with EK’s quote about toxins. Don’t assume what works for one ensures their longevity or long term health in others.</p>
<p>Benadryl should not be used for sleep more than very occasionally.
[Some</a> OTC Sleep, Cold Meds Could Harm Aging Brain - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/sleep/articles/2009/06/04/some-otc-sleep-cold-meds-could-harm-aging-brain]Some”>http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/sleep/articles/2009/06/04/some-otc-sleep-cold-meds-could-harm-aging-brain)
I recommend oxytocin for sleep.;)</p>
<p>BTW, Advil is working for me as a sleeping pill. Regular Advil, not some cold medication. However, taking Advil on a regular basis is very dangerous. Not only for stomach and bleeding but also for kidneys. I actually try to stay away, my headache usually goes away (I have very few / year anyway). The unavoidable case is toothache, cannot tolerate this one and I have very bad teeths.</p>
<p>You also want to bring this up on your next doc visit, ensure it’s not something else. Though the general rule is if it doesn’t bother your daytimes, fine.</p>
<p>Some people who get up to pee at least have the advantage of that bit of movement.</p>
<p>When I wake, usually I try a book on my iPod with a sleep timer. Most times I discover I was asleep in minutes (after much time tossing and turning before getting up to find the iPod), once in a while I have listened to a book for 1-2 hours, at least I wasn’t totally bored!</p>
<p>You can try this very simple relaxation technique.</p>
<p>As soon as you wake start counting. Breath in slowly and count “one” breath out slowly and count “and” breath in again slowly and count two, out and say “and” , breath in and say three and on and on. Count silently in your head.</p>
<p>Most important when you get to 10 start over again at one. </p>
<p>This will stop you from thinking about anything and help ease you back into sleep.</p>
<p>It’s a great relaxation technique in general but is really great for sleep. Guaranteed.</p>
<p>Just like a baby you have to teach yourself to fall back asleep.</p>
<p>^^^ I think some of these exercises do work! If I can’t sleep, my tried and true method of putting myself to sleep is to think about my clothes and what’s in my closet. I know it sounds weird, but if I plan what I’m going to wear the next day or to the next event if I need more than casual clothes, I nod off very quickly. I guess the subject engages my mind but is boring at the same time. Works for me!</p>
<p>I love all these ideas. Moonchild – the “engaging but boring” task is just what the 3 am mind needs. And sax – I’ll try the breathing techniques.</p>
<p>OP – I think the only thing I have found that absolutely does not work is lying there, thinking “I will be so tired tomorrow/I have to go to sleep/I can’t go to sleep”. Basically, fighting it.</p>
<p>I wish I had a good solution. Taking a hot shower before bed relaxes all my muscles and makes it easier to fall asleep, but not stay asleep.</p>
<p>I was up at 3:17 am yesterday (or I guess that was today). Took me a solid hour to get back to sleep. I am just accepting it now as my new normal.</p>
<p>Ha- my Hs alarm starts going off at 3:30 am every morning.
He hits the snooze button until 4 am when he gets up.
Sometimes he even remembers to turn it off again.
He does always remember to wake up the dog and take him out however, so I can get a little more sleep.</p>
<p>When I wasn’t sleeping, ( which was just a month or two ago), I would go to bed, but read or try and watch tv as a distraction till my pain meds kicked in. I would also try an epsom salt bath, but even if it was relaxing, i would wake up when the water got cold!
I often would still be awake, when his alarm went off, but would pretend to be asleep so he wouldn’t worry.
I would go to sleep for real at around 6 am & sleep till 10 am.
Gah, glad I got out of * that* pattern!</p>