Sleep advice

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M

Miri

Guest
#1
#1
Hi does anyone have any good ideas about how to quickly get back to sleep.

Most nights I have to get up to check on my elderly aunt, make her a drink,
change her etc. Usually around 2-3am each morning.

But then I can’t get back to sleep straight away. It means that my average sleep is around
5-6 hours broken sleep each night and often less.

Sometimes I come on CC for a bit if I can’t get back to sleep
as I find staring at the screen reading, makes my
sleepy (contrary to what they say about screen time).

I’m just tired out. Any ideas about how to go back to sleep.
I’ve tried over the counter herbal and anti histamine style sleeping
tablets but the herbal kind don’t work and the others just leave more feeling groggy.
 
blue_ladybug

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
#2
Feb 21, 2014
70,924
9,673
113
#2
Melatonin, herbal stuff and such only make you drowsy. They don't help you fall asleep and STAY asleep. You could try listening to a nature sounds machine, or the TV on low. :)
 
M

Miri

Guest
#3
#3
Actually that gave me an idea, maybe I could use the radio app on my phone pick a
station, turn down the volume and use the timer so it goes off after 10 mins.
 
blue_ladybug

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
#4
Feb 21, 2014
70,924
9,673
113
#4
Melatonin does nothing for me. Zippity doo da.. lol

I take Tylenol's Simply Sleep. That usually works pretty good.
 
Blain

Blain

The Word Weaver
#5
Aug 28, 2012
19,504
2,711
113
#5
I have yet to crack that mystery, so many times I wake up in the night either being thirsty or having to go to the bathroom and then try to go back to sleep. some nights i can easily others for the life of I just can't and have no idea why or what to do about it. But personally for me the over the counter medicine called 5 htp has helped me soooo much not only for being able to go back to sleep but i feel more rested even with less hours of sleep.
 
Pemican

Pemican

Senior Member
#6
Sep 27, 2014
959
246
43
#6
If I'm too toasty warm I have trouble falling asleep, so I like to get chilled somehow, then I can curl up and fall asleep.

Also I sometimes imagine a fantasy scenario like winning 10 million dollars in the lottery and think about what would I do with the money. I think because I know it is a fantasy and not real I get bored and fall asleep.

Blue light disturbs sleep. Also having a drink late at night will interfere with sleep.

Be sure you take a moment and confess all your fears, worries and anxieties and any other sins you are aware of before trying to sleep.
Then ask God to give you a good nights sleep. Works for me!
 
Pemican

Pemican

Senior Member
#7
Sep 27, 2014
959
246
43
#7
Something else occurred to me. If you watch almost any current movie in the evening chances are it has some disturbing or anxious moments in it. This doesn't help you sleep! Try reading a book in the evening before going to bed. I find it much more relaxing.
 
J

Janna38

Well-known member
#8
Jul 2, 2018
582
352
63
34
#8
If you had a nightmare drink a glass of water before and after sleeping. Sometimes I used to have a bad feeling when going to bed it was like an itch then I did what I read at Pinterest. I don’t know if you can relate to this.
 
J

Janna38

Well-known member
#9
Jul 2, 2018
582
352
63
34
#9
Pemican said:
If I'm too toasty warm I have trouble falling asleep, so I like to get chilled somehow, then I can curl up and fall asleep.

Also I sometimes imagine a fantasy scenario like winning 10 million dollars in the lottery and think about what would I do with the money. I think because I know it is a fantasy and not real I get bored and fall asleep.

Blue light disturbs sleep. Also having a drink late at night will interfere with sleep.

Be sure you take a moment and confess all your fears, worries and anxieties and any other sins you are aware of before trying to sleep.
Then ask God to give you a good nights sleep. Works for me!
Click to expand...

These are all bad advices. You have to stop the devil in its tracks.
 
P

pjharrison

Guest
#10
#10
Miri said:
Hi does anyone have any good ideas about how to quickly get back to sleep.

Most nights I have to get up to check on my elderly aunt, make her a drink,
change her etc. Usually around 2-3am each morning.

But then I can’t get back to sleep straight away. It means that my average sleep is around
5-6 hours broken sleep each night and often less.

Sometimes I come on CC for a bit if I can’t get back to sleep
as I find staring at the screen reading, makes my
sleepy (contrary to what they say about screen time).

I’m just tired out. Any ideas about how to go back to sleep.
I’ve tried over the counter herbal and anti histamine style sleeping
tablets but the herbal kind don’t work and the others just leave more feeling groggy.
Click to expand...
Do you have anyone to help you with your aunt. A sister or one of her children to stay the night some time to give you a break. I know how that feel. My mom was living with me and I was taking care of her. I was up in the middle of the night every night. I had to work the next day too. My brother stayed here at the house with her during the day and kept calling me at work, some times I had to come home. So I know how it is. She got sick and went into the hospital. They put her in the nursing home for rehabilitation, but she never came out. I went to the nursing home every morning at 6:30 am and got her up and went back in the evening mon, wed, fri and gave her a shower and put her to bed and sat. my sister went tues, thur, and sun evening and put her to bed. I did that for 3 and a half years straight. I had to slack up, it was killing me. My mom is hard. Now I go on mon, wed, fri give her a shower and put her to bed, and sat evening. My sister go on tues, thurs, and sun evenings to put her to bed. My sister gripes, but thank God she still goes. Do you have anyone willing to help. God bless you for taking care of your aunt.
 
M

mar09

Senior Member
#11
Sep 17, 2014
4,927
1,259
113
#11
Hi miri,

Wish i had ideas... but on ave. i get 5-7 hrs at night too. I have no older aunt to attend to, but just wake up too early. There was a sleep thread or 2 on the natural health forum a while ago, but some suggests you've probably tried. Some say if we're active enough during the day, we can get more restful sleep, so i try to do that.. but still wake up at least once during the night. utube suggests stuff as boiled banana tea, etc, if you wish to try=).

In fact i do get sleepy during the day, when there isnt always chance to get a nap! But my grandfather used to say just closing the eyes some minutes can help, esp when they feel tired and heavy part of the day=). Then you could catch up on weekends, hopefully, even a little.
 
P

pjharrison

Guest
#12
#12
pjharrison said:
Do you have anyone to help you with your aunt. A sister or one of her children to stay the night some time to give you a break. I know how that feel. My mom was living with me and I was taking care of her. I was up in the middle of the night every night. I had to work the next day too. My brother stayed here at the house with her during the day and kept calling me at work, some times I had to come home. So I know how it is. She got sick and went into the hospital. They put her in the nursing home for rehabilitation, but she never came out. I went to the nursing home every morning at 6:30 am and got her up and went back in the evening mon, wed, fri and gave her a shower and put her to bed and sat. my sister went tues, thur, and sun evening and put her to bed. I did that for 3 and a half years straight. I had to slack up, it was killing me. My mom is hard. Now I go on mon, wed, fri give her a shower and put her to bed, and sat evening. My sister go on tues, thurs, and sun evenings to put her to bed. My sister gripes, but thank God she still goes. Do you have anyone willing to help. God bless you for taking care of your aunt.
Click to expand...
Try listening to bible gateway audio.
 
M

Miri

Guest
#13
#13
pjharrison said:
Do you have anyone to help you with your aunt. A sister or one of her children to stay the night some time to give you a break. I know how that feel. My mom was living with me and I was taking care of her. I was up in the middle of the night every night. I had to work the next day too. My brother stayed here at the house with her during the day and kept calling me at work, some times I had to come home. So I know how it is. She got sick and went into the hospital. They put her in the nursing home for rehabilitation, but she never came out. I went to the nursing home every morning at 6:30 am and got her up and went back in the evening mon, wed, fri and gave her a shower and put her to bed and sat. my sister went tues, thur, and sun evening and put her to bed. I did that for 3 and a half years straight. I had to slack up, it was killing me. My mom is hard. Now I go on mon, wed, fri give her a shower and put her to bed, and sat evening. My sister go on tues, thurs, and sun evenings to put her to bed. My sister gripes, but thank God she still goes. Do you have anyone willing to help. God bless you for taking care of your aunt.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately there isn’t anyone else in the family who is willing and able.

We have carers who come in briefly 3 times a day but there is no help at other
times of the day and nights. Have been doing this now for last 6.5 years.

First year I worked full time, couldn’t keep that up so second year I reduced to a
4 day week. Things got harder so third year I reduced to a 3 day working week.

I can manage if I sleep better so that I can function and make
decisions better. Lack of sleep right now is making things seem 10 times harder.
 
M

Miri

Guest
#14
#14
Janna38 said:
If you had a nightmare drink a glass of water before and after sleeping. Sometimes I used to have a bad feeling when going to bed it was like an itch then I did what I read at Pinterest. I don’t know if you can relate to this.
Click to expand...

Don’t have night mares.

Drinking water doesn’t help either cos then you have to get up in middle of the
night to go to the bathroom. Which sort of defeats the object. lol
 
blue_ladybug

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
#15
Feb 21, 2014
70,924
9,673
113
#15
Miri said:
Don’t have night mares.

Drinking water doesn’t help either cos then you have to get up in middle of the
night to go to the bathroom. Which sort of defeats the object. lol
Click to expand...

*Defeats the purpose, not object :)

Anyhoo, the last thing I do at night before I go to bed, is take a tinkle.. LOL
 
P

pjharrison

Guest
#16
#16
Miri said:
Unfortunately there isn’t anyone else in the family who is willing and able.

We have carers who come in briefly 3 times a day but there is no help at other
times of the day and nights. Have been doing this now for last 6.5 years.

First year I worked full time, couldn’t keep that up so second year I reduced to a
4 day week. Things got harder so third year I reduced to a 3 day working week.

I can manage if I sleep better so that I can function and make
decisions better. Lack of sleep right now is making things seem 10 times harder.
Click to expand...
God bless you. I know how hard it is. Hope it gets better. Try the bible gateway audio to help you get back to sleep.
 
PeaceHopeJoyLove

PeaceHopeJoyLove

Active member
#17
Aug 25, 2018
147
100
28
#17
You could try Isochronic tones, which can be found for free on YouTube. I use those sometimes, and it can help sometimes. But you do have to use headphones. Here is a link if you want to try it.
 
L

Life365

New member
#18
Aug 27, 2018
3
6
3
#18
Hi Miri,
I hope you are doing better. I do have a couple questions for you, however. One: is there some medical reason that you have to make a "drink" for aunt in the early morning hours? And two: does your aunt drink liquids late in the evening or close to bedtime? Unless it's for a medical reason, it could be helpful for the both of you if she gets sufficiently hydrated during the day, and cut off the liquids by late afternoon, so that she has several hours to void her bladder before bedtime. A cup of water could be placed on her night stand if she needs a sip of water during the night. This may also cut down on the need to change her. Additionally, it's best to keep your environment dark during sleeping hours. When you start turning on lights and your computer it really disrupts your sleep cycle and makes it more difficult to get back to sleep. Drinking a strong, half cup of Hops tea may help to you put in a relaxed state.
All the best.
 
M

mar09

Senior Member
#19
Sep 17, 2014
4,927
1,259
113
#19
Miri said:
Unfortunately there isn’t anyone else in the family who is willing and able.

We have carers who come in briefly 3 times a day but there is no help at other
times of the day and nights. Have been doing this now for last 6.5 years.

First year I worked full time, couldn’t keep that up so second year I reduced to a
4 day week. Things got harder so third year I reduced to a 3 day working week.

I can manage if I sleep better so that I can function and make
decisions better. Lack of sleep right now is making things seem 10 times harder.
Click to expand...
Hi again. As my work is more flexible and i do not need to leave as early as hubby or the children, i should be able to adjust better to early mornings. Recently, i chose to return to bed after hubby left, wc i seldom do for i thought i should be doing as much as i can early to free time later in the day for other things. And woke up at 6.30 feeling better=). Later however, there's the groggy feeling again, wc is hard to resist esp in our warm/hot climate, but knowing i really was too early that day, i decided to nap after lunch. I was surprised at the rare afternoon sleep, when i awoke at 3pm, but still didnt want to rise at 3.20, as i looked at the time=)! As i talked with the Lord and myself, i realized i was plain sleepy for lack of sleep, wc isnt good at all, for we know our body repairs itself while we sleep and rest. Perhaps you can and should intentionally find way to recover some lost sleep, miri.
 
M

Miri

Guest
#20
#20
Things are a little improved, now the weather has cooled down that’s
helping.

I’ve been getting really achy, think it’s my age! That’s been
keeping me awake too trying to get comfy.

Anyway, I’ve been trying these and they have really helped.
Apparently for ladies of a certain age, you can get more aches because
oestrogen has anti-inflammatory properties, so as it reduces you get
more aches. These have really helped as I’m getting nowhere near as
many aches and pains.


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