Reinstating benzos

There are other sleep medicines like Dayco (?) that are not benzos, but they are also addicting Depending on your age, I am 70 and resigned myself that I would be taking valium fir the rest of my life for sleep. However, I move recently and am having a very difficult time finding a doctor to prescribe benzo.

Does Valium let you sleep it doesn’t do anything for me. Valium is a benzo.

Yes it is a benzo and I am very sensitive to any medication, so it does not take much to put me to sleep, but sometimes I wake up early 3:00 am. I take 1 mg at night. I am tapering off and am just going to sleep when my body lets me sleep. I am 70 years old, I no longer work, and as a human gets older yoou need less sleep. I sleep about 6 hours a night

I don't know if someone told you this or you are just assuming you need less sleep as you get older, but this is a fallacy. While it's true that older humans have more trouble getting enough sleep, it is absolutely not true that they need less sleep. I say this not to antagonize you, but to suggest that if a doctor is telling you this, they are dismissing you, because to invest more energy with you on this eats their valuable time, and I hate to see that happen.

Thanks. I have often thought I get less sleep because I am not active enough during the day. Yesterday I was very active and slept a good 7 hours last night. Exercise and diet do not make the doctors and pill pushers richer. We are of the like mind.

Because many people retire after 65 and many times don’t use up as much energy as they did in the past they don’t need as much sleep. Everyone is different but most often as we reach our 60’s and 70’s we have more trouble getting the 7-8 hours. As an adult, my usual sleep hours are 6. I’m now 73 and still 6. But I wake up 1-2 times. Small dose of ambien can help. The joys of insomnia!

Being retired, being over 65, not using as much energy (which I assume is not being as active), having trouble getting enough sleep - none of this means you need less sleep.
"According to the National Institution on Aging, it is considered a myth
that older adults require less sleep than younger individuals. Many older adults have a hard time getting the sleep they need, but that doesn’t mean they need less sleep." (National Sleep Foundation) https://www.sleepfoundation.org/aging-and-sleep
Two more things: it's not helpful to measure the sleep you need in a specific number of hours; you need enough to make you feel refreshed, energized and well. That's very individualized, for you it could mean 6 hours, if those hours contain adequate deep sleep.
Also you probably know that it would be better if you didn't have to take the ambien.
I just want to push back against this notion that if you didn't get this specific amount of sleep, you didn't get enough (I never look at the clock from evening until morning and never record # of hours slept, this is a surefire way to get anxious about sleep, which interferes with sleep), and I want to push back strongly on the notion that elders need less sleep than others -
Best ~

It’s so refreshing to hear some honesty. I know many women in their 60’s, 70’s, 80’s who don’t ever get much more than 6 hours of sleep per night. There are many valid reasons for not getting 7 or 8 hours. And if you take a small amount of ambien occasionally so be it.
I don’t like that some people want to shame those who use ambien when it’s for the right reason. Sleep is important and rem sleep is not disturbed by using ambien when needed.
And it is totally true that most older people have a harder time getting to sleep and staying asleep. We have to get up to pee in the night maybe twice.
I say to those younger to just wait a few years and then you’ll understand.
Anyway, thank you for your comment and sleep well👏😌

Very interesting and intelligent post. Thanks.