Please help with sleep problems

We each have different ways to deal with sleeplessness! I have found that how much physical activity each day has an effect on my chance to relax at night, as does what I may have eaten or drank that day. With my health issues, sometimes there are deep pains, or muscle cramps in the middle of the night. Those will wake me up, sometimes needing a few laps of walking around the house. If my husband is having a difficult night, he will take a hot shower.

And let's not forget about the way our minds may not shut down. Doing some journaling, or meditation helps. Cuddling with my cat helps bring the blood pressure down.
Ginger

Such an easy thing to do! Even if you sleep with two 45 lbs. dogs!
LOL!
Suncance(RB)

Ginger, That sounds a lot of what I deal with also! Because of Lyme Disease/Fibromyalgia I know if I strech myself suring the day I suffer tryomg to get to sleep! There is a Happy Medium for it all!
Sundance(RB)

Hi, marjou. Sorry for the delay in getting back with you.

I can't tell you how much the 1:1 combination helps me in so many ways. I think especially w/pain which helps w/anxiety which helps with everything leading to peaceful sleep. I also take 1 Melatonin capsule. Began taking 3 every night, but now only need one used with the THC:CBD.

I also just purchased a couple of gifts just for me! A weighted quilt/coverlet. Weighs 15 pounds, weighted w/tiny glass beads sewn into the quilt. I hugs me. Amazing how that settles down my anxiety and helps relieve pain. It's quite warm, so I have to be careful not to have other covers on the bed and an occasional overhead fan...live in Florida....but I do love the weighted feeling. Amazing how it helps.

I just bought a side sleeper pillow from Apria, the co I use for my c-pap supplies. It will hopefully help my cervial vertebrae that hust lots, neck/headache from not getting comfy w/head and pillow. It's shaped like a 'V', so gives the back support as well as the side and head. Can also be used on your back with head in the center and the sides for support. I need that so can't wait for it to get here today.

I use a favorite body spray and spray the room or the bed for aroma therapy. I must have some background noise. Always. I have tinnitus and at night it's usually pretty loud, so I need something to distract my brain from the racket in my ear. That's one reason I enjoy the TV, but marjuana, I don't watch long before snuggling up and turning it off.....

Hope some of this helps.
Blessings, Elizabeth

I don't know how many people this Reply will reach, but I have some advice for everyone! (I'll try and keep it under 1,000 words! LOL! Anyway On MayoConect the last couple of weeks I learned and asked about Myofascial Release! I got a lot of good advice! I did some digging and found a person who claimed she knew all about MFR! It was a True "CF"!
So I started thinking, scary, anyway about the lady had done my body work for 20 years, used to practice a procedure called the Trager Approach! So I went on line and actually found a person here in ABQ. that was trained in the Trager Approach!
I had my first sesion today, for an hour and a half! HOW INCREDIBLE! What is good for one person may not be good for another!
Go on line and read about it! It is a form of body work that works on relaxing the body through gentle movement!
Just Google it for your area! I highly recomend it!
From, The Land of Enchantment!
Sundance(RB)

Anyone purchased a bed that raises the head? I can't sleep!! I am like a zombie. I am tired all the time. I have many problems but no sleep is definitely not helping! I watch TV in the evening. I go to bed. Then I am awake! So, I turn on TV in bedroom. I like the Golden Girls and they are on until one am, still can't sleep. Watch Frazier. May go to sleep three or four o' clock. Dry mouth. Have to pee about ten times a night. No sleep. Go to sleep. Up in half hour to go to bathroom. I actually went to sleep on the commode and went flying into the side of the tub at great speed and hit top of my head--neck hurt for weeks and weeks. Four days later, had x-ray. Had a fractured continuous process on C-4 in neck. Very painful! Purchased online a commode chair for bedroom at price of $310. Shower/commode chair on wheels. Arrived by UPS. Shipping charges. Purchased belt to go around me on chair. When it arrived, husband unpacked, very large, made for jolly green giant! If I used it, I would have to scoot way back to even line up with pot. Had to send it all back. The belt was so hard to open, I would have been stuck on it until husband woke up. He's a good sleeper. I have sleep apnea, can't wear machine--can't breathe thru nose. So, I'm back to square one. Have a terribly dry mouth, also. Tried Biotene until I read it contains parabens. I read a long time ago and wrote it down in a journal that it is cancer causing. So, even though it worked, I don't want to use something that causes cancer. If anyone read this all the way through, thank you. God bless you all. We thank Him for all he has done and all he is going to do.

@woogie Did you see my response to your breathing and deviated septum question in the PMR and Corona Virus discussion? - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pmr-and-corona-virus-vaccine/?pg=5#comment-456424

I also have an adjustable bed that you can raise the head and or the feet. It's a Ghostbed Split California King bed we purchased through Costco. It's actually two separate Twin XL bed frames put together to make one bed. If you just want to raise the head area you could buy one of the foam wedge pillows for the top part of the bed.

Oh woogie!!! I feel for you.... couple years ago (wont go into detail) I hardly had any sleep for well over six months every night and it was awful. Long story short, afraid I have had to go back to taking Clonazepam/Klonapin/Rivotril. I know it has, like ALL medications, bad effects but I could not go on without sleep.
Now as not feeling well go to bed around 7pm, not "in" bed.. "on" bed, watch TV, use my Ipad, read, or listen to a you tube tape of relaxation etc.,or "short audio books" - or you might try regular book being read on Internet and use headphone-buds if disturbs sleeping partner? ?
Having to urinate through the night was also a problem and I bought, as I have in the past. a "female urinal" - as I sleep alone in this room. Keep by side of bed, so no having to walk to the bathroom, squeaky floors, bump into something, turn light on/off, open/shut bedroom door, etc., wash hands, flushl just use it, wipe and have those baby hand wipes.... it means a couple of minutes to accomplish rather than at least five minutes.. ..... just make sure "jug" is stable and dont do what I did and knock it over!!!!! I then found a little waste basket that would hold it. Then in morning, empty and rinse out with soap/water, bleach/water, I use bathtub tap, ready for next night. I know it sounds a pain but I can almost do it with my eyes closed and doesn't wake me up as much. (My family take one along when camping.. just make sure they have a place to empty and clean it - so handy)
Your going to bathroom 10 times is a lot.... I cut down on liquids about 2 hours before bed. OK then lights out and half a pill around 9pm plus or minus.... finding I am sleeping til about 4.... if cant get back to sleep take the other half of the pill and sleep til about 6, 6.30.... which is better than before.
Regarding adjustable bed, I didnt get one as I try and sleep on my back but find myself on my side when wake up... cant do that with a raised head. My daughter has one and loves it. I do use a wedge pillow if having a bad day (every day) and lie on top of bed for a few hours .. it stops pillows from sliding around.
Best of luck and I hope you find a way to get more quality sleep, J.S

@woogie I am sorry for all of the problems you are having but I can sympathize. I am up about once an hour for bathroom calls also. I have not fallen asleep while up, do you take some type of sleeping pill? On particularly bad nights, when I can't back to sleep, I have to take a nap mid-morning, or sometimes in the afternoon.

I too would love to have a bed where the head rises. We rented a VRBO a couple of years ago that had one of those and I absolutely loved it. We would have to get a king-sized one though so that the two sides could be raised independently of each other and that would be tight in our bedroom. We are hoping to get our act together and move when things get better and if so hopefully we will have a bedroom that will accommodate a K bed better. I do have a wedge pillow. That was recommended to me by a gastroenterologist due to having Barrett's Esophagus. He also suggested putting some blocks under the legs of the bed at the head of the bed so the bed is at an angle. We have done that and I rarely use the wedge.

Have you seen a urogynecologist about your urinary incontinence? I did and it helped. I had botox injections two times and it particularly helped at bedtime. They need to be repeated every 3-6 months but I haven't had them since the beginning of the pandemic.

As @lacy2 mentioned, cutting back on liquids can help some but it didn't help me entirely. What was explained to me is that during the day the fluid settles in your lower extremities but when you are prone during the night it travels back up to your mid-section, thus causing you to have to urinate frequently during the night. This is of course especially true if you find you have fluid retention in your legs and feet by the end of the day.

I hope you can find some help for your problem. At the very least try doing Kegel exercises to increase your ability to hold your urine. That can be some help.
JK

Welcome to the all night up club. I have an adjustable bed, head and feet/ legs rise also. Mine has many other features. I love ❤️ it.
Bought it in summer 2009. There are many brands out there, but I went for top of the line since I am a light sleeper.
I get dry mouth from time to time.I use ice cube or sugar free hard candy. Mine comes from allergy medicine.
Have you thought of not drinking anything 3 hours before bed?
Getting up multiple times at night is very common as a person ages.
As for the bed,I recommend it, at least you will be comfortable.