[Dawn Konig]

Hello all, I’m so optimistic when I go to bed and so disappointed (and tired) when morning comes. Despite following ‘sleep hygiene’ suggestions, my sleep quality is poor. I really thought my sleep would improve when I retired because my work stresses would be gone. I’m here because I continue to seek a good nights sleep.

[Scott]

Hi Dawn Konig!

Welcome to the forum! Sometimes, when we experience sudden life events, such as retirement, our sleep can be impacted but that usually passes as the trigger that caused sleep disruption diminishes. It’s common for sleep hygiene not to be an effective strategy for insomnia because it doesn’t tackle the issue at the root cause. When our sleep doesn’t improve after implementing sleep hygiene suggestions, we sometimes become anxious about our sleep because we think something is wrong with us since those suggestions weren’t successful. Can you tell us more about your current sleep schedule – what time do you go to bed, get up in the morning to start your day and, on average, how many hours of sleep are you achieving each night?

Thanks,
Scott J

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If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Dawn Konig]

Hello. Thanks for your reply. I go to bed between 10 & 11:30. I get out of bed between 7:30 & 9:00. I rarely get to sleep right away and I wake up at least once. When I wake up, I can’t get back to sleep for an hour or more. I estimate I sleep 5-6 hours a night.

[Scott]

Dawn,

Thanks for the info. If you’re unable to fall asleep when you initially go to bed it could be due to not being sleepy (head nodding, dozing, burning eyes, etc), which is different than being tired/fatigued, and/or sleep related anxiety. Can you relate to either of those?

As we age, our sleep requirements change so we shouldn’t compare how much we currently sleep with how we slept in our teens or 20’s. The amount of sleep you need is subjective and is really determined by how you’re feeling the following day. Before you began having sleep issues, how many hours of sleep did you consistently achieve each night?

Given that you’re getting 5-6 hours of sleep each night should be proof that you haven’t lost the ability to sleep! It’s also not uncommon for people to have multiple awakenings in the middle of the night as this usually occurs as we transition between sleep phases. It’s how we react to those waking’s that determine if we’re able to fall back to sleep or become frustrated and anxious.

You might consider exploring the implementation of a sleep restricted window. You can find more details about this evidence-based technique here: https://insomniacoach.com/sleep-restriction-therapy/

Let us know if this helps and if you have questions along the way.

Thanks,
Scott J

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Chee2308]

Hello
You are alloting more than 9 hours of sleep, which is way too many for a person of your age (I assume you’d be in your sixties). Most people your age would do fine with just 7-8 hours. If you want to sleep really well, paradoxically, the solution is sleep less. When you sleep less, you spend more time awake thereby building up your sleep drive. Sleep drive works exactly the same way as hunger, they get stronger the longer you go without sleeping/eating.

[Author]

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