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Sleeping Pad Patter 8.23

GlazeFamily3

GlazeFamily3

Peeking in everyone's windows ...
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Mar 16, 2017
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Sleeping and I are not friends... but I sure wish that we were! I have never been a great sleeper, but as time goes on I feel like I need a little more and it just isn’t happening.

In college, I couldn’t fall asleep. It got soooooo bad that I eventually went to the doctor and got a prescription sleep medicine. I still couldn’t fall asleep but I also had the added effect of feeling super drowsy and fuzzy when I was awake. Needless to say, I didn’t take that medicine for long!

As an adult, I more struggle with interrupted sleep. I am a very light sleeper and I think that is the issue. My husband on the other hand could sleep through anything! I have a sleep tracker and I can also tell I don’t often get enough deep sleep... which I could have told you on my own! The room is as dark as I can get it, the temperature is comfortable... but I just stink at sleeping.

Are you a good sleeper or a bad sleeper?
 
I start out as a good sleeper, but once my sleep is interrupted, everything goes downhill. My husband is notorious for making noise in the morning and waking me up when I'd like to sleep another hour or two.
 
I've always been a deep sleeper. And since I've had kids (now 17, 14, and 11) I rarely have trouble falling asleep because we're so busy (they homeschool, which has little to do with home and lots to do with driving all over the place) I'm so tired at night I fall asleep quickly.

The occasional times I have trouble falling asleep is if I had already fallen asleep and then wake fully for whatever reason, then start thinking about worries or stuff to do, and then just don't fall back asleep. If that happens close enough to dawn, it's not too bad, because I'm a natural morning person and love getting up at dawn anyway. But I have experienced some tossing-turning frustrating hours in bed.
 
I used to be a champion sleeper and would frequently brag about how I never had trouble falling asleep and then could sleep in until 9:00 or later in the morning. This summer however I had more trouble with the sleeping in part. I don't really feel tired when I do get up earlier than I used to, so I guess maybe I just need less sleep now? I guess that's a good thing. During the school year I get up at about 5:45 and I'm out the door towards work by 6:30 am so I can get off at 3:00 to pick my kids up from school. Usually it takes me a little while to settle into summer when I work 8a-5p but this summer my body kinda seemed to stay on my early hours which is super weird. I've always considered myself a night owl and NOT a morning person, but my body is trying to tell me otherwise.

Going to sleep at night is a routine and I think that helps. I read in bed every single night basically until I fall asleep with my phone in my hand (I read on my phone). If I don't read, it's like my body doesn't get the memo that it's time to go to sleep lol. Sometimes all it takes is two pages too. :giggle
 
I am a much worse sleeper as an adult than I was as a child although I have always been a night owl & a light sleeper.

The problem I have nowadays is that there is lots going on so I need lots of time to wind down... but I don't have the luxury anymore, now that I work outside the home, to get enough winding down time + enough sleeping time. If I wind down long enough, then I'm tired from not getting enough sleep. If I cut out winding down and go straight to sleep, then I'm restless and exhausted from feeling like I was 'on' too long from the day before. I don't see any solution to this problem until my children are old enough to put themselves to sleep at night (so that my winding down could start before their bedtimes).

I don't wake up every night but a few times a week I wake up to pee. I also wake up 1-2x every weekday morning since my husband and children get up before I do and our bedroom is right off the kitchen, back door, and basement. I try to sleep in on the weekends but am woken up at least once an hour, if not more, by my children moving around, yelling at each other, coming in to ask me questions, etc. I often spend that time with the door shut & my eyes closed but not actually sleeping --- mostly praying, daydreaming, planning, etc.
 
I'm a terrible sleeper - I have trouble falling asleep and I wake up multiple times a night. Doctors have prescribed sleep medicine for me before also, but like you said - i'm so groggy in the mornings that I hate taking it.

But just recently...I started taking melatonin and IT WORKS! I only take 3mg (be careful because many people take too much!) and it truly makes me sleepy, helps me stay asleep, and when I wake up I'm not groggy at all. You're supposed to take it 60-90 minutes before you want to go to sleep and allow it to affect your body's circadian rhythms. We actually started it for my daughter because she was having sleep issues, she told me it was awesome and made her sleepy, so I tried it.
 
I have gone thru the wildest sleep patterns over the past 15 years. I refuse to toss and turn and get frustrated anymore. I get up. Mop floors, scrap pages, fold laundry or read a book. I find that makes me calmer and able to sleep.
I also take a 20 minute power nap almost every day. I trained myself 20 years ago. I can fall asleep almost anywhere, if it is around 130 or 230pm. lol I lay down, sleep and awake 20 minutes later. That is an energizer for the rest of the day.
 
Beckie said:
I'm a terrible sleeper - I have trouble falling asleep and I wake up multiple times a night. Doctors have prescribed sleep medicine for me before also, but like you said - i'm so groggy in the mornings that I hate taking it.

But just recently...I started taking melatonin and IT WORKS! I only take 3mg (be careful because many people take too much!) and it truly makes me sleepy, helps me stay asleep, and when I wake up I'm not groggy at all. You're supposed to take it 60-90 minutes before you want to go to sleep and allow it to affect your body's circadian rhythms. We actually started it for my daughter because she was having sleep issues, she told me it was awesome and made her sleepy, so I tried it.
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I tried melatonin and found it to be worse for me than the prescription sleeps meds. I was literally unable to function and also had an awful headache for days after anytime I took it. But I am SO GLAD it is helping you! :cheer
 
AnneofAlamo said:
I have gone thru the wildest sleep patterns over the past 15 years. I refuse to toss and turn and get frustrated anymore. I get up. Mop floors, scrap pages, fold laundry or read a book. I find that makes me calmer and able to sleep.
I also take a 20 minute power nap almost every day. I trained myself 20 years ago. I can fall asleep almost anywhere, if it is around 130 or 230pm. lol I lay down, sleep and awake 20 minutes later. That is an energizer for the rest of the day.
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I am so jealous of people who can nap! Sometimes a nap sounds so good but if I can fall asleep (which is rare) I always wake up feeling more tired than before.
 
I have really bad insomnia -- it's the worst, especially since I need to get up really early most mornings to find parking on the campus where I work. Once I get to sleep, I can usually stay asleep, but getting to sleep is really tough. It's hard for me to turn off all the worries and plans in my mind. And then, of course, I start to worry about not falling asleep - so that gets added to all the other worries!

I find that forcing myself to do strenuous exercise earlier in the day helps. As does melatonin, or two Benadryl or even a klonopin (got to be careful with that one - very addictive!). Oh, and kava tea. I try to rotate among these remedies so that my body doesn't get used to any particular one.

I keep hoping that maybe its a menopause thing and that it will subside in a couple years.....
 
GlazeFamily3 said:
if I can fall asleep (which is rare) I always wake up feeling more tired than before.
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it takes 5 days to learn. Pick a time you know you can usually grab 20 minutes. Set your alarm for 20 minutes. Lay down. ALarm goes off, GET UP! lol it will take about 5 days to finally fall asleep quick and another couple weeks until you won't even need the alarm.

Seriously, my oldest son, sat on the chair and watched me go into dead sleep mode, he sat there and at 20 minutes, my eyes opened. He totally freaked. It is my superpower now. lol
 
Sorry, I have no advice for you! I have always been a "sleep anywhere" kinda person. The car seriously puts me to sleep- thankfully not when I'm driving, but always as a passenger. The last few years (ever since kids really) I have drank a cup of coffee (not decaf!) after the kids go to bed to relax- and I sleep great. I'm more of a night owl person, so I like to sleep in, which doesn't always work with young kiddos- but now that they are a bit older, they know to wake me up at a certain time.

My 10 yr old daughter has started having sleep issues & we can't figure out why. She says shes not scared, just "can't sleep." We've had her just read until she gets sleepy & find her most mornings with her lamp on & book on her bed. Not sure what that's about-- as I've never had that issue!
 
I would be a great sleeper if I lived in another time zone. Sigh. My best hours of sleep are between 3am and 10am. Which is quite the late start for the day. Especially since I'm raising a morning child who is up by 7:30am at the latest every single day.
 
I sleep next to a snorer. But he says he sleeps next to a snorer! He's always waking me up, either with his snoring or when he pokes me in the side. He can be very annoying.

Years ago, my dad said quit complaining about the noise and just wear earplugs. So I do. I keep trying to get John to wear earplugs, too, but he refuses.
 
I've had sleep disorder since I was a kid. I remember many, many nights being the only one in the house who wasn't asleep. It's a terrible disorder to have. I take prescription medication, which doesn't even help most nights. I have to stay up until I finally get sleepy and then sometimes I still can't go to sleep. I so envy people who can sleep. My husband could sleep on a rock. He's one of those who, the minute their head hits the pillow, they're out.

I have been sleeping better since I discovered deep sleep music, which I play on my phone while I'm trying to fall asleep. I have it set to go off in an hour and a half. I sleep with one earbud in - whichever one isn't laying on the pillow. I listen to must for awhile, to try to relax, then I have a guided meditation which usually puts me in the twilight zone. My playlist is 8 hours of music, if I need it. Some nights, I just put it on shuffle and let it play all night.
 
I feel so bad for people that can't sleep! I've had insomnia for years. Finally, about 7 years ago I caved in and started taking sleep meds. They worked pretty good, for awhile. Doctor upped the dosage … and after a few years, that didn't work. I then switched doctors and was told that I should not have been taking the script any longer than a few months - at this point I'd been on it for 6 years! It was a benzodiazepine not meant for long term use. SO - I was told to wean myself off - over a period of 6 months. (Which meant zero sleep meds). After a month I decided I'd be fine and stopped taking them all together - it was a bad 10 days or so - severe depression, terrible anxiety and on and on. After that - still not sleeping - changed clinics and now am taking an anti-depressant to help me sleep. It is NOT a mind-altering drug, it simply makes me sleepy. I hate being a slave to a medication- but in my opinion, not sleeping is far worse than taking a pill every evening. For the most part the script does the trick - but every now and again I go a week without sleeping much - and after a few days I'm a mess. Thank goodness that doesn't happen more than once every 6 or 8 weeks.
My oldest sister (18 years older) and my mom both used to go through the same thing - they however; suffered through it.
I sleep in a dark, cool room and use a fan for white noise.
 
When I was young I was a great sleeper!! I could sleep til noon. As I got older and after kids, I still slept pretty well, but I had to go to bed earlier and get up earlier, and didn't sleep nearly as much. When I'm working I'm up at 5, and in the summer I'm up by 6:30 or so. Then menopause hit and sleep was awful. I had really bad night sweats and then if I would wake up I could not go back to sleep. Now that I'm on the other side of that, it's better. I still have a hard time going back to sleep if something wakes me, but not as bad as it was. I do need dark and quiet to fall asleep which is why I go to bed and try to be asleep before DH comes to bed...he likes noise of some kind. I like to get about 7 hours of sleep if I can and I hate to "sleep in". The early morning hours are my favorite. So, I do sometimes have an issue if I go to bed and can't get to sleep. I start counting the hours and that just makes it harder.
 
I'm a terrible sleeper...
It started when Jack got diagnosed, I was so worried about the future I couldn't sleep, when he got terminally ill and he was sleeping in our living room, it got even worse: I was looking at the monitor (there was a camera installed downstairs) whole night long. Kids came over in my bed every night, as soon as they laid their head down they were sleeping again, but I was still awake... I kept losing weight and finally I got some anti-depressants to sleep. That worked!
But after stopping with them my lack of sleep returned. I've learned to live with it and I function like a normal human being, so I've accepted it.
 
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