jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

For some cold medications, you have to show ID and sign a book.

raypep

My doctor prescribed Trazodone for me and it did the trick.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Same for me! It must be a symptom of old age.

Dannj

Could it be sleep apnea?

Nosaj Loc: Sarasota, Florida

When I finally fall asleep, I often dream that I’m awake!

Morry Loc: Palm Springs, CA

Jerry I have the same problem that you have. However I have concluded that the 1, 2 and 3 hour "naps" I have throughout the 24 hour period seems to be enough to give me the "rest of the day" energy and ability to not feel "sleepy". So I have concluded that for being "almost 90" I am doing well . . . and do not worry about the "broken sleep" thing>

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

My PCP gave me a book about sleep and learning how to. It was deadly boring but even this book could not put me to sleep:). Smiling yes, but it's true.

Canisdirus

I suspect you are having trouble quieting your mind...it's very very common...thinking of the next thing...or a past thing. The future and the past exist only in your own mind...important to notice that distinction.

When I was running my corp. the first few months...I had what seemed like a million things going on.
I was thinking of the next thing...in bed. It adds up...lost sleep...and reinforces the problem.

One attitude adjustment is to tell yourself the day is over...actually tell yourself that...in the bathroom mirror...while you are brushing your teeth...just say it out loud...repeat it a few times...as a matter of fact.

The other trick is to tune into the minds eye...it's there...waiting for you.

tomad Loc: North Carolina

I've had chronic insomnia all my life. Even as a child in grade school I always had trouble falling asleep and since my Dad was a bus driver who got up at 4 in the morning I was made to go to bed and be still and quiet at 8 pm every night except Saturday. I used to lie in bed and listen to my little AM transister radio with the mono ear plug for hours before falling asleep but then I slept through the night.

As I got older, (40s and 50s) I not only still had trouble falling asleep but also trouble staying asleep through the night. At first I was waking once or twice and sometimes had trouble going back to sleep but as I got even older, (60s and 70s) I, like you tend to wake up every couple of hours and nearly always one of those times in the middle of the night I could not go back to sleep.

In the last few years, for the first time in my life, I talked to my doctor about it. First he gave me Trazadone which helped me fall asleep but I was still waking every 2 hours so then he added Ambien with the same result. With those I fell asleep fast but still woke a lot during the night. Then I tried Delta 8 gummies. I eat one of those an hour to an hour and a half before bedtime and I fall asleep in minutes and sleep for half the night before waking. If I have trouble going back to sleep I listen to one episode (45 minutes) of a podcast with small earbuds while still lying in bed and usually never hear the end of the episode because I am asleep. I listen to a lot of pod casts when exercising, cleaning, etc., and I make note of the ones that are a bit boring and monotone to use for sleep. If one is too interesting you will just stay awake to listen to it.

So, my problem is not solved but now I get enough sleep so that I function well all day without being sleepy. I also monitor the quality of my sleep with a Fitbit Charge wearable device and it tells me I get better than the average amount and quality of sleep for a male my age.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

I also have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. I usually can fall asleep OK if I feel tired or sleepy say if I had been physically active during the day or have watched a lot of TV, Videos, uses Photoshop or Read a lot. But when I can't fall asleep I'll just lay there resting but awake. But in any case I don't stay asleep. I'll wake up every 2, 3, or 4 hours to pee or change positions. Also the dogs want to go outside every four hours. Our male often, day or night wants to go outside just to bark and see if any of the other neighbors' dogs are awake and want to chat in dog. I probably get over 8 hours of sleep per 24 hour period but in three or for sessions with the many interruptions. Funny thing is if my wife reads to me, or I try to listen to an Audio Book, I fall right asleep after 10 to 15 minutes most of the time. Of course with the audiobook I miss chapters until I wake up again. If I am really tired I'll fall nod off while seated watching TV. This is usually shortly after eating a meal. Anyone else have annoying times sleeping like those of us who have replied so far?

tomad Loc: North Carolina

That's why I use podcasts. I have the player set so it stops after one episode which is no more than 45 minutes.

W9OD Loc: Wisconsin

Check out Dave Elman’s instant self hypnosis video on YouTube. If you practice this, you will be back in La La Land in a short period of time. He wrote a book on Medical Hypnosis. Don’t drug yourself, hypnotize yourself.

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

I often have the same problem but I just get comfortable and relax through it. Can't tell you how many problems i have solved through those periods. I have trouble shutting my mind down once I think of a project or problem.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I'm relieved when I realize that the bad dream I'm having is only a dream.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I never had chronic sleep problems but it was kind of random. Sometimes I would sleep easily and sometimes it just wouldn't work. Then I got into ham radio. One of the things I got involved in was contests. You try to exchange a minimal bit of information with as many different people as possible. There were lots of different contests but the big ones were global and lasted 48 hours (on a weekend). If you were really serious you worked the whole 48 hours, although you could do it in groups. So there was some pressure to come up with a sleep strategy for the contest.

A club I belonged to got a speaker about sleep. His thesis was that we have these three kinds of sleep, basically light, medium, and heavy (rapid eye movement). You move through these modes through the night: light, medium, heavy, medium, light, medium, heavy....... and a full cycle takes about 45 minutes (depending on the person). If you are awakened during the light sleep, everything's fine. If you are awakened curing the heavy sleep, it's like you never went to sleep. In between produces results in between. So the goal was to take a nap lasting a multiple of 45 minutes.

So I quit using an alarm clock.

I kept track of about when I went to sleep and when I woke up. The interval did indeed seem to cluster about a 45 minute multiple.

Later, when I had started farming and had no time for contests, I had no problem sleeping. Farming was a 15/7 job. I was always able to go to sleep. I got 40 hours of sleep a week. No problem.