topic SLEEP in Staying well

SLEEP

Doolhof — Thu, 12 May 2016 23:46:00 GMT

Hi All,

In the past there may have been threads on sleep and how to improve our quality of sleep.

I am starting this thread up and hope to include past thread titles.

For some of us sleep is a real issue, the more we can learn about it the better informed we will be.

Funny stories on weird places you have fallen asleep are welcome as well.

For me, I had just moved house and was very busy getting everything organised. Friends invited me to the drag races. I was so tired and exhausted that I sat down, leant against the fence right near the starting line and fell asleep for most of the evening.

Hope to read some of your stories and tips.

Cheerio for now, from Mrs. Dools

SLEEP

Guest_5218 — Thu, 12 May 2016 23:59:01 GMT

Good one Mrs Dools.

I am really struggling from lack of sleep. Some nights I just dont get any sleep at all. Other nights I may get an hour or so early on, then nothing. Other nights I kind of just doze and then count down each hour as it passes, without any sleep. In the end it is almost a relief when the sun comes up and I can get up, knowing that I have again been defeated by lack of sleep. I just feel so tired and worn out during the day. It is affecting my work and home life. So ........... anything that you have found helpful, I am willing to try.

My GP has recently asked me to fill in a sleep diary and to go back to see him again to discuss. I have completed the diary, but not been back to discuss with the GP yet, but will do so soon. I really dont know what good it will do though. Has anyone else out there done this, and if so, what came of it for you? Helpful or not?

I will follow this thread with much interest ...... eagerly awaiting your tips.

Sherie xx

SLEEP

geoff — Fri, 13 May 2016 00:13:59 GMT

dear Mrs. Dools, yes a good post to start as of course all of us are totally different.
I am one of the lucky ones, as I can sleep anywhere, on the loo and have been caught out when we were at a restaurant with friends.
When my twin and I were young we would be playing outside, kicking the footy or doing something at the park right opposite our house and in a dead end street, where Mum would come out after lunch and blow a scout whistle calling my name as I had to go inside and have a sleep, no one else had to go inside just me, because she always said I get crotchety when I'm tired.
Now a days not much has changed these days, because of the heavy dose of anti-epiletic medication I have to take, but I have always been an early riser. Geoff. x

SLEEP

Doolhof — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:58:30 GMT

Hi All,

Obey your body clock

The body’s alternating sleep-wake cycle is controlled by an internal ‘clock’ within the brain. Most bodily processes (such as temperature and brain states) are synchronised to this 24-hour physiological clock. Getting a good sleep means working with your body clock, not against it. Suggestions include:

Get up at the same time every day. Soon this strict routine will help to ‘set’ your body clock and you’ll find yourself getting sleepy at about the same time every night.
Don’t ignore tiredness. Go to bed when your body tells you it’s ready.
Don’t go to bed if you don’t feel tired. You will only reinforce bad habits such as lying awake.
Get enough early morning sunshine. Exposure to light during early waking hours helps to set your body clock.

I copied and pasted this from one of 1,870,000 results regarding Sleep Hygiene that I found on Google.

These are suggestions made by one person/organisation. Your Dr. psychologist or therapist may suggest other ideas around this section of sleep problems.

Of course for some people it will be difficult or impossible to keep set times for getting up each day. Guess we all have to work out what works best.

Like I mentioned, this is one small snippet of advice from so many entries on Google.

If any of you have any advice, I am sure we will all be thankful.

Cheers for now from Mrs. Dools.

SLEEP

Doolhof — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:45:31 GMT

Hi Sherie,

Regarding your Dr. asking you to fill in the sleep diary, I presume it is so the Dr. can see if there is a pattern or not to your sleep problems. Apparently there are all different types of sleep.

If the Dr. can work out a time when you are having difficulty sleeping, then he/she may be able to come up with solutions to help you.

I do suggest you return to your Dr to discuss this and ask what information he/she can gain from your sleep diary.

Wishing you a better night's sleep!

As I mentioned above, that is just the first bit of information regarding sleep.

Cheers from Mrs. Dools

SLEEP

Doolhof — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:50:03 GMT

Just had another thought regarding sleeping.

Did anyone have parents or siblings who used to read them stories before they went to bed?

Maybe listening to talking books might help some people, or have someone read you a story. My sister gets her daughter to read her stories when she can not get to sleep and it works for her. My sister is about 45 years old.

Years ago I would listen to a cassette with meditation on it and that would send me to sleep. Only problem was, that with the old cassette player, when the cassette stopped, the machine would make a loud "Click" sound and I would be awake again. Ha. Ha.

The sound of someone talking rather than singing has a soothing effect on some people. How many of you have trouble staying awake during a boring meeting or at Church during a sermon?

Something to think about!

SLEEP

Dwwmills — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:20:26 GMT

Hi Sherie.

Lack of sleep makes things very hard to deal with. There are
sleep clinics and doctors who deal with sleep disorders. I have been to one
myself and found them very helpful. There are lots of different reasons people
have trouble either going to sleep staying asleep or feeling like that had
enough rest even if they have slept. A sleep diary is the initial tool they use
to give them an idea of what might be going on with your sleep. I had to fill
one out before my 1st appointment. It tracks things like what time
you go to sleep, how much sleep you get, how often you wake up, whether you get
up and wander around, when you eat, caffeine intake, alcohol, medication and
many other things.

They will chase up whether your sleep cycles are out,
whether you have some underlying physiological problem, review any medication
you’re on and many other things. They are very thorough and because they
specialise in sleep they are also very good at getting to the bottom of
whatever problem you may have. Some hospitals and universities sometimes have
sleep clinics attached to them and there are also private sleep clinics as
well. Your doctor should know of any in your particular area.

You don’t need to have a major sleep disorder to attend a
sleep clinic. They will treat anyone who is having any levy level of difficulty
with their sleep.

Good luck

Dean

SLEEP

Elizabeth CP — Fri, 13 May 2016 11:26:24 GMT

One thing I've found helps is to do something relaxing before going to bed or sleep. In my case I read for a short while in bed before turning off the light. This helps to calm my mind. I do it in bed as this avoids having to disturb myself getting up to get to bed if I read elsewhere. I try to switch off the laptop etc at least 1 hr before bedtime as the light apparently interferes with the production of melatonin which is needed for sleep. I notice if I try to sleep after being very busy I struggle so wind down time is essential.

When you are in pain, too hot, uncomfortable or upset sleep becomes impossible.

SLEEP

Guest_5218 — Fri, 13 May 2016 11:51:01 GMT

Mrs Dools, thankyou for the info on sleep diary. Certainly at the moment my sleep diary looks really bad. )-:

Thanks Elizabeth, I must try to get into reading again. Something I used to love doing, but havent done much of for years.

Dean, thanks for the details on sleep clinics. I will follow up with my GP when I see him, and see what he has to say on the matter.

Certainly if this lack of sleep continues, I definitely need to do something.

Sherie xx

SLEEP

Doolhof — Fri, 13 May 2016 22:14:08 GMT

Here is another snippet from the internet.

Improve your sleeping environment

Good sleep is more likely if your bedroom feels restful and comfortable. Suggestions include:

Invest in a mattress that is neither too hard nor too soft.
Make sure the room is at the right temperature.
Ensure the room is dark enough.
If you can’t control noise (such as barking dogs or loud neighbours), buy a pair of earplugs.
Use your bedroom only for sleeping and intimacy. If you treat your bed like a second lounge room – for watching television or talking to friends on the phone, for example – your mind will associate your bedroom with activity.

SLEEP

Doolhof — Fri, 13 May 2016 22:18:59 GMT

Hi Dean,

Thanks so much for the information you have shared. Do you have any tips for helping people to sleep better? I do realise there are so many reasons that sleep alludes people. As you mentioned the sleep clinics can certainly help work out what the difficulties are.

My husband has created a situation where he can not fall asleep unless he is watching the t.v. This means when we are on holidays I have to endure the t.v. going while I am trying to get to sleep. He starts to snore, so I turn the t.v. off only for him to wake up again and tell me he was watching it! Ha. Ha.

Can anyone else relate to that?

Thanks again for the info. It will benefit us all.

SLEEP

Doolhof — Fri, 13 May 2016 22:21:26 GMT

Hi Sherie and Elizabeth,

I guess we could fill a few pages with reasons why people don't sleep well, so hopefully we will also come up with ways that help us to sleep!

Regarding pain and not sleeping, there are pain clinics as well to help assist people deal with their pain. Don't know much about them though.

Cheers ladies, sweet dreams! From Mrs. Dools

SLEEP

Dwwmills — Sun, 15 May 2016 12:11:25 GMT

Hi Doolhof.

As I said before there are lots of reasons why people have
trouble sleeping. Certain health problems can make it difficult to sleep. The
sleep clinic do blood tests to determine whether these were a problem before
they started treating anything else.

As a general rule of thumb though waking up at the same time
each day and being exposed to light at this time can help. My daughter had a
sleep phase shift which meant she wanted to go to sleep later at night than
most people. They treated this by progressively having her get up earlier and
earlier and reading in front of a specific wavelength and intensity of light for
a couple of weeks. We had had trouble getting her to go to sleep at night but
after this treatment it reset her sleep patterns so that she felt like going to
sleep in a normal time. But this only works if you have a sleep phase problem.
Surprisingly though, waking up an hour later on weekends can shift your sleep
patterns 2 to 3 hours later for the entire week.

Having a lower level of light a couple of hours before you
go to sleep can help. Restrict alcohol and caffeine intake later in the day.

One of the things they check in people if they snore is
something called sleep apnoea. This is a condition where the soft palate closes
over in the throat and people stop breathing. It disrupts sleep as they have to
wake up to breathe again and some people do this several times an hour. It’s
not something that they are necessarily aware of but they get very poor quality
sleep

SLEEP

Doolhof — Sun, 15 May 2016 22:17:00 GMT

Hi Dean,

Thanks for adding more to this post! My husband was diagnosed as having sleep apnoea, was given a machine to try and then refused to use it.

We now have separate bedrooms as he snores as loud as a freight train sounds rumbling down the track. I've never slept well, so moving to a different room helps a little.

I'm having a sinus operation in July which will also correct a twisted section in my nose. I'm hoping that will help me breathe a lot better at night.

Once that has healed, I might enquire about the sleep clinic. I had not realised they conducted such an intense investigation!

Thanks again for the info. I do recall hearing something about the light wavelengths as well. Great info!

Cheers from Mrs. Dools

SLEEP

Doolhof — Sun, 15 May 2016 22:18:53 GMT

Here is the next instalment off Google:

SLEEP

Doolhof — Sun, 15 May 2016 22:21:50 GMT

ARRRG. Bother! I will try again:

Think I need some more decent sleep. Ha. Ha.

Avoid drugs

Some people resort to medications or ‘social drugs’ in the mistaken belief that sleep will be more likely. Common pitfalls include:

Cigarettes – many smokers claim that cigarettes help them relax, yet nicotine is a stimulant. The side effects, including accelerated heart rate and increased blood pressure, are likely to keep you awake for longer.
Alcohol – alcohol is a depressant drug, which means it slows the workings of the nervous system. Drinking before bed may help you doze off but, since alcohol disturbs the rhythm of sleep patterns, you won’t feel refreshed in the morning. Other drawbacks include waking frequently to go to the toilet and hangovers.
Sleeping pills – drawbacks include daytime sleepiness, failure to address the causes of sleeping problems, and the ‘rebound’ effect – after a stint of using sleeping pills, falling asleep without them tends to be even harder. These drugs should only be used as a temporary last resort and under strict medical advice.
To this I could add drinking coffee and binge eating chocolates. Although they are not drug - drugs, they still can have a mild effect like a feel good drug to some people but don't help you sleep.
Some people believe in a cup of warm milk before bed with a biscuit.

SLEEP

Brent01 — Tue, 17 May 2016 01:15:57 GMT

Hey everyone with just being diagnosed with depression and anxiety etc,i struggle to sleep but when i do i wake up at different times and my stomach instantly starts turning at the thought of going to work has anyone else had this it worrys me quite alot

SLEEP

Doolhof — Tue, 17 May 2016 21:18:16 GMT

Relax your mind

Insomnia is often caused by worrying. Suggestions include:

If you are a chronic bedtime worrier, try scheduling a half hour of ‘worry time’ well before bed. Once you retire, remind yourself that you’ve already done your worrying for the day.

Try relaxation exercises. You could consciously relax every part of your body, starting with your toes and working up to your scalp. Or you could think of a restful scene, concentrate on the rhythmic rise and fall of your breathing, or focus on a mantra (repeating a word or phrase constantly).

SLEEP

Doolhof — Tue, 17 May 2016 21:19:49 GMT

General suggestions

Other lifestyle adjustments that may help improve your sleep include:

Exercise every day, but not close to bedtime and try not to overheat yourself – your body needs time to wind down.

Try not to engage in mentally stimulating activities close to bedtime. Use the last hour or so before sleep to relax your mind.

Don’t take afternoon naps.

Avoid caffeinated drinks (like tea, coffee, cola or chocolate) close to bedtime. Instead, have a warm, milky drink, since milk contains a sleep-enhancing amino acid.

Take a warm bath.

Turn your alarm clock to the wall. Watching the minutes tick by is a sure way to keep yourself awake.

If you can’t fall asleep within a reasonable amount of time, get out of bed and do something else for half an hour or so, such as reading a book.

If you have tried and failed to improve your sleep, you may like to consider professional help. See your doctor for information and referral.

SLEEP

Doolhof — Tue, 17 May 2016 21:34:26 GMT

Hi Brent,

Thanks so much for sharing your story here as well.

For all of you reading this, Brent has a thread called "Problems sleeping with depression" you might like to check out some of the helpful information and suggestions that have been shared on that thread.

Hi again Brent, some of the suggestions in the information I have posted from the internet might help you. There are some helpful ideas under GENERAL SUGGESTIONS.

Would it help you to have a worry time and hour or so before bed. You could write down all that is troubling you and work out if those thoughts will actually eventuate.

When you wake up in the night, you can remind yourself you have already dealt with those issues.

Could you read a book for half an hour to help your mind think of something else, count sheep or sing a song in your head, anything to distract your mind.

It takes a while to get into the habit of doing this.

I also try to do something pleasant in the mornings as a ritual for "happiness at the start of the day" before I go to work. It might be to do some stretches, play with the cat, go for a walk, feed the chooks, do a Sudoku puzzle. It helps me to look forward to the morning.

I then think of something enjoyable I would like to do when I get home. I work for the elderly in their homes, so my days are never the same. Sometimes I will have a couple of hours to spare between clients, but don't really have the option of going home, so I try to use that time productively as well.

Even if it is just sitting in the sun in a park enjoying the sound of the birds.

This is quite a long post already! Would you like to share what it is about work that has you feeling this way? Maybe if we help you work that out as well, you might feel better about work. Or maybe not, but at least you will have had a chat about it!

Cheers for now from Mrs. Dools