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Sleep problems
Hello,
I am 64 years old and am dealing with a lot of the problems others in this forum are sharing about- chronic and worsening health issues, loneliness, isolation, anxiety about the future, etc.
But, the worst thing seems to be that I cannot sleep more than 3 or 4 hours a night. And I can't seem to fall asleep if I try and nap during the day. I say that the sleep thing is the worst because it exacerbates all the other problems.
I've done some research on the problem and know that we seniors require less sleep than we used to and our natural melatonin production reduces as we grow older. I am using some of the tips for better sleeping that I've gotten off the internet but they don't seem to help much. I have tried melatonin supplements which seem to give me a little more sleep but it gives me vivid, anxiety-invoking dreams.
I force myself to stay awake till midnight or 1 in the morning and usually fall asleep okay. But then I wake up 3 or 4 hours later and often find it very difficult to get any more real sleep. I'm wide awake at 4 o'clock in the morning with my head running and producing more anxiety.
I've talked to my doctor about this and she is willing to prescribe some medication to help my sleep issue but most of them have side effects which make the daytime waking hours more difficult. I am hoping someone out there may have some useful tips that I have not come across or personal experience with prescription sleep medications that are effective while not having significant side-effects which make the daytime hours more difficult. This lack of sleep time during the night is badly affecting my mental and emotional health.
Thank you.
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Thanks for the tip. I will start it tonight - both sound good even without a 'reason' to consume.
I keep 1/2 of a 5 mg valium tablet by my bed for the 4:00 am can't get back to sleep issue. It's just enough to put me to sleep and wake up at 6 or 6:30 feeling just fine! I don't take it every night, just the nights when my mind starts churning and I know I will not go back to sleep. Your doctor will have to prescribe it for you, but I love that I feel fine when I wake up. Another product I have used is the over-the-counter "sleep aid". The directions say to take two but I only take one before bedtime. I Wake up feeling chipper! Sometimes I don't do either!
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1 ReactionYou mean oatmeal as in warm cereal?
and
how much tart cherry juice?
I would try both. K
I usually have 6-8 oz of tart cherry juice over crushed ice with 4 oz of water added, but that’s just my preference. I have hot oatmeal (I usually make a big batch of steel cut oatmeal on Sundays) and heat some up with cinnamon and unsweetened soy milk and fruit and nuts for a late dinner. But, again, the oatmeal would probably work any way you like it. Hope that helps.
I never had a sleep problem (81 y.o.) as I go to bed already needing to sleep. All I know -- and seems to work for me -- is that even tho I'm retired, I have my days planned to Do What Matters, also called purpose. So one reason I go to bed is to be restful enough next day to be able to do what I need-to and-want to do. Of course that needs that I am in reasonably good health and fitness levels. So while I eat what is nutritious, it's also Delicious Enough. That means being physically active even on days when I'm stuck in my apt, by devising ways to exert enough to be in reasonably Optimal shape. Bad food choices, not managing stress well and inactivity results in poor sleep.
There is good advice on most top universities and federal and provincial websites -- these people don't profit out of their advice therefore trustworthy.
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