[Georgina]

I have heard of sleep apnea and also have a friend who has the CPAP device. I haven't talked with him for awhile, so not sure how it is working for him. I also have to urinate during the night and sometimes I can fall back to sleep, other times I can't. My daughter and grandchildren are arriving today for a visit for three weeks, so I am hoping that they will tire me out. One is a baby and the other 5 years old, so they will be my physical fitness. At this point in time, I am hesitant on going to a sleep clinic. My natural path doctor put me on herbal medication for adrenal fatigue from all the stress I have had and I need to give them time to work for me. I am not as stressed and taking each day at a time. It sounds like you have had your insomnia for sometime. However, if you get 5 to 6 hours sleep now and again, you are doing alright.

[owl2020]

Actually, I have only had insomnia for about a year, although I was never a great sleeper ( never got 7 to 8 hours as an adult). Looking into sleep apnea was only a suggestion, since even if you are diagnosed with it, you would have to be able to tolerate CPAP. Even if you have apnea and can use CPAP, although the quality of your sleep may improve, there is no guarantee that your total sleep time will increase. If you snore a lot and engage in heavy breathing while asleep, you may have sleep apnea. As I indicated before, I use sleep apnea pills made by a company that uses herbs for cures, but I really don't know how much the pills help my sleep. In any event, in the last week I have slept 4 to 6 hours every night. If that became my norm, I would say I have made much progress in controlling my insomnia. However, I have had good “sleep streaks” before and then all of a sudden I go back to several days of 3 to 4 hours. I have no idea why this happens. Again the key factor is can I get back to sleep after getting up to urinate or do I stay awake. Hope your herbal medication works and you have some good “sleep streaks”.

[Georgina]

Since my grandchildren have been here, I have been very active and I have been getting about 6 hours sleep each night, which is good for me. I haven't been as preoccupied about my sleeping and I think that is making a difference as well. Also sleeping in a different bed.

[owl2020]

Congratulations on getting about 6 hours sleep a night; sounds like you haven't had any 2 or 3 hour nights in a week. You seem to attribute this to a different bed, tiring yourself out more during the day and trying to think less about your sleeping problem. In the last few days I have been getting about 4 to 5 hours sleep, although I had a bad 3 1/4 hour sleep night about 4 days ago. Like me,

a key problem for you has been waking during the night and not being able to get back to sleep. Since you have been getting 6 hours on a regular basis have you found a new technique to get back to sleep or does getting back to sleep just seem to come naturally now?

[Georgina]

It has been a very busy two weeks. My daughter and grandchildren flew home today. It was wonderful having them here and I know helped me to sleep better. There were a couple of nights during their stay that I got about three hours sleep but I did not get upset about it. My attitude towards sleeping is changing and I actually look forward to going to bed. When I have a hard time getting back to sleep, I try a mantra, such as repeating the word Peace over and over again.

[owl2020]

You are right that you need to look forward to going to bed; if you view it as a battlefield to get sleep you are going to have trouble sleeping. I try to get tired enough that when it is the time for me to go to bed, I am more than ready to go to sleep. Using a mantra can be helpful in falling back to sleep. In fact, any “rote” device that helps clear other “stuff” out of your mind can help you drift off to sleep. I sometimes try to make mental “lists” of various things for example (although I must admit it only works sometimes). Hope you continue getting a decent amount of sleep most nights.

[Georgina]

I had one of those bad nights last night, maybe 2 to 3 hours. It seemed that I was awake most of the night. I do remember dreaming. I felt okay today and had enough energy to do things but it really is hard to understand why these nights happen. I tried the mantra, my 20 minute relaxation tape twice, but nothing seemed to help. I did develop a headache halfway through the night and that kept me awake. Do you get many headaches from not sleeping properly?

[owl2020]

No I don't get headaches after bad sleep nights; I just feel exhausted and depressed. It is hard to figure out why some nights you just can't get much sleep and others you can. I keep looking for factors that may have led to a bad sleep night but I can never really find the answer. I just keep in mind that there will be some good sleep nights.

[Georgina]

I agree that it is important to appreciate the good nights that we have. Last night I had cramps all night long which kept me awake. It must have been something that I ate. I did lie down this afternoon about 2:30 and woke up at 4:00, as I was so tired. That is the first time in a long time that I was able to sleep in the afternoon. It really did feel good. Do you sleep during the day at all? If so, can you get to sleep at night?

[owl2020]

Most of the time I don't nap during the day. If I do nap it is normally for a short period, like 10 to 20 minutes. I try not to nap after 3:30 PM, as it starts getting closer to my sleep time (12:30 AM) after that, and I don't want my nighttime sleep disrupted. Some sleep therapists say it is best not to sleep at all during the day, while others say a short nap in the early afternoon is OK. Even to take a short nap I find I must tire myself by walking first. I am prone to try to nap when I have had a bad night sleepwise but I don't always succeed in getting a short nap. Each person is different, but if I slept from 2:30 to 4PM like you did,I would have difficulty getting a good sleep that night.

Last night I slept about 3 1/2 hours while the night before I slept about 5 1/4 hours. When I slept 5 1/4 hours I was able to fall back asleep twice after urinating, while when I slept 3 1/2 hours I couldn't fall back to sleep at all. I don't know why the difference between the two nights. The only thing I seem to have noticed is that the longer I sleep without urinating, the less likely I am able to get back to sleep. It's almost as if the body is saying “you slept enough no more sleep for you tonight”. Of course I don't think 3 1/2 hours is enough sleep. There have been exceptions to this rule, but it seems to be a general trend with me. I don't know if you have had similar experiences.

[Georgina]

We seem to have similar sleep patterns. Last night I got about 3 hours sleep, if that. I think I got to sleep about 1:00 a.m. Yesterday was very stressful and so had a lot on my mind when I woke at 3:45 a.m. I tried getting back to sleep with a mantra but I kept thinking about yesterday. Just wish I could shut out thoughts but is very difficult to do. I got out of bed at 5:15. I am swimming today and active this afternoon, so hope I can get really tired. I sure wish there was a simple solution to all of this. I do appreciate your input. On Sunday evening, I got 7 and 1/2 hours, which was wonderful. It shows that I am capable of getting a good sleep. I guess we need to keep that in mind.

[owl2020]

I never get 7 1/2 hours; my sleep range is from 3 to 6 hours, so it is narrower than yours. Last night I got at least 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 hours sleep. I may have gone back to sleep a second time and got another 30 or 40 minutes sleep, but I'm not sure. I may just have been very quiet and still or I may actually have fallen asleep. It may seem odd but sometimes I just can't be sure. Don't know if you have this type of problem.

It sounds like your bad sleep nights can be brought about by stress or sometimes physical ailments. As far as I know my sleep problems aren't caused by these factors; I have yet to pin down the cause. Like you I just have to keep hoping for the “good sleep” nights.

[Georgina]

How has your sleep been for the last few days? Any sign of improvement? I have found that I am not as frustrated at night when I don't get a good sleep. I realize that I will have better nights ahead. I have also found prayer very helpful through all of this and so feel strength and support for getting through each day.

[owl2020]

For the last few days I have been getting 4 to 4 1/2 hours sleep. Better than 2 or 3 hours, but I really would like to average at least 5 hours a night. Here in NYC the weather has been hot and humid, which is not the greatest weather for sleeping; I think it will cool down somewhat by Friday. One good thing is that the days are getting a little shorter now, so gradually it will stay darker more and more in the morning, which helps sleep. It will take a while to be significant, but at least we are moving in the right direction. I was talking to a woman in the dentist's office who told me she has a sleep problem, and although some nights she can get 6 hours sleep, there are occasionally nights when she can't sleep at all! She attributes her sleep problem in part to menopause (e.g., hot flashes at night), although that is not the whole of it. I've noticed other people on this website who say sometimes they can't sleep at all at night, so at least we can get some sleep every night – even 3 hours is better than zero hours sleep. So although I get depressed at times if I have 2 or 3 bad nights in a row, like you I try to keep in mind that there will also be good sleep nights and there are some people who have it even worse than I do in terms of sleeping problems. I wish a normal sleep pattern would return permanently but I do what I can and try to adjust.

[Georgina]

Yes, I agree that we do what we can and adjust. The last few nights I have been consistently waking up at 12:00 or so, I get back to sleep and then wake at between 3:00 and 3:30. I go to the bathroom both times. At 3:00 or so is when I have a hard time getting back to sleep. Last night, I was awake from 3:30 on until about 5:30. I finally got up at 5:45 a.m. Do you have certain times you wake up? I

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