[UpAtNight]

My relationship with sleep started out so good, but over time it broke down and now I don’t know if we can ever be happy together again.

When I was young sleep just worked, always a night owl, I could stay up late and operate on little sleep if needed or sleep until noon and “catch up” on the rare days that I could.

Somewhere along the way it started to change. It started with if I didn’t get much sleep and took a nap the next day, or slept in and slept too long it would be hard to go to sleep at night, maybe up until 1 or 2.

Then, early fifties, it got so falling asleep got really hard, cycle of two or three nights of 3-4 hours of sleep,followed by a crash and catch up, then, rested, couldn’t sleep again. Discovered I am best on 6-7 hours but was very hard to stay in a consistent pattern.

Kept getting worse. I had tried Ambien once when very young and felt like it triggered a psychotic episode, or closest I have ever had to it. In my early 50s my Doctor prescribed Lunesta and I would go to sleep half hour after like clockwork.

Then I started building up an immunity after a few years, doctor upped the dose a couple times and I am now at the max.

I am a somewhat immune to the maximum dose now, don’t go to sleep until 1:30 or 2 or even later, but if I don’t take it I am generally up until it starts to get light out.

My doctor says so e people don’t produce enough of the hormone that helps you sleep as you age and I am one of those. I am not in pain, or stressed, I get drowsy, the mind just won’t shut off.

Anyway, with that I wanted to kind of compare notes, I just don’t feel some of the advice given is good, or more precisely don’t think it applies to everybody the same.

A dark room with no noise is not my best sleeping environment. In fact, the nights I can’t get to sleep at all, sleep nearly always comes pretty easily at dawn.

I often cannot fall asleep in my bed, and going somewhere else reasonably comfortable works for getting to sleep, but not so much for staying asleep. A couch, a floor, if it is decent the patio all seem to work better than my bed when I can’t sleep. I don’t know how to describe it other than too much sameness can be a hindrance.

I can nearly always take a nap in the day, love to fall asleep in the warm sun after a little reading or a comfortable chair watching sports. Catching 20 minutes during the day is super easy, mostly have to fight it, as if I do it these days I have trouble sleeping at night.

Caffeine later in the day has became a no no, when I was younger no big deal. Booze used to help me sleep, now only if I am totally blotto (I don’t drink much anymore)

Lastly food, a full stomach helps me sleep, but once again, young me could eat like a horse with no ill affects, but old me eating a lot is probably as bad for me as not getting enough sleep.

Worst thing now is what I call sleep eating, I got to sleep for an hour give or take, wake up, and feel strongly that the only way I will get back to sleep is by stuffing my face with food, usually bad food. It works, but is a terrible cycle

Lastly supplements, in addition to my Lunesta have tried Advil (usually works, don’t want to take it everyday) benedryl (worked at first seemed to start loosing potence with time, not sure that long term use is good for you) melatonin (mixed results).

Anyway,my sleep story in a nutshell anybody else feel the traditional advice and methods don’t work very well for them?

Screens don’t seem like such a bad thing.

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