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New Research on Sleep Medications in Women Apr 12, 2022 | By Dona Locke (@DrDonaLocke)Comment receiving replies
Discussions with my physicians did not result into much! I religiously use CPAP units for more than 20 years, but still cannot sleep more than 4 to 5 hours per night. All those standard things like quiet environment (I live in the middle of a forest, our a dark room (mine is pitch black), seem not to do t for me. But none of my Mayo providers did go any deeper in with my sleep problems. I have a PhD in Biomedical Sciences, and started to do a bit of research, and came up with taking progesterone at night (with fatty foods, to prevent the first path through the liver). Progesterone extended my sleep by an hour or if I am lucky, by two hours per night. I monitor my sleep, and get hardly any deep sleep, and some nights I have no deep sleep at all. That leaves me pretty tired the next day. But luckily, I can take afternoon naps when I am to tired, but i rather sleep during the night, and don't want to waste my daytime hours with sleeping.
What is your recommendation for a person like I to get a decent night sleep in, as I said, talking to my Mayo providers has not done any good for me.
LindeS
Replies to "Discussions with my physicians did not result into much! I religiously use CPAP units for more..."
I've had years and years of poor sleep. Nothing worked for me as well. I understand all about brain fog. A year ago, I made a big lifestyle changes. I switched to a vegan diet, started exercising or walking one hour a day (everyday), began meditating 30 minutes a day (everyday), began practicing yoga breathing exercises a couple of times a day for a few minutes each, began working hard to reduce stress in my life. I am 71 years old and retired. Making the changes have been like having a part-time time job. The changes haven't been easy and have been difficult. I don't think it has been any one change that has made the difference, but the combination of all of them.
The rewards and benefits have been excellent for my overall health and brain fitness. The best reward is I can sleep six hours a night without waking up except for turning over in the middle of the night. After six hours of sleep and waking up, I can go back to sleep for another 60 to 90 minutes. Sometimes if I am tired, I can even take a short afternoon nap. I could have never done before without it interfering with my sleep at night.
For extra insurance, I still practice some sleep hygiene techniques I've read about because so many people have written about them helping and although they didn't make a difference before, they can do no harm. They are sleeping in a dark, cool room, going to bed approximately the same time every night (my instinct is to be a night owl though), turning off the TV, computer, cell phone 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. I don't have to make an effort to get up at the same time every morning, it just happens.
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Have you read the book No More Sleepless Nights by Peter Hauri? I am a patient of Mayo Clinic sleep department. They instructed me to read this book. The sleep department and following the book has helped me tremendously. I highly recommend both.