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Hello Scott, thanks for the reply.
To answer your question, the consultant I saw recommended that I tried to go to bed at the same time every night, to get into a habit. But I can’t say that that worked for me. I would wake up anyway after 90 minutes and read, or watch TV or use the PC. I didn’t notice that the TV or PC light made any difference.
In the event things have changed and even over the past few days my sleep patterns have become quite different. Since, for whatever reason, for almost a year now I have felt an overwhelming desire to sleep very soon after my evening meal (have tried food – and alcohol – exclusions to little avail), I have reluctantly started to give in to it and go to bed when that level of sleepiness overtakes me.. around 7.30 usually. Until three nights ago, when I woke up a couple of hours later I would get up. But I thought I’d see what happened if I stayed in bed. And I find that I fall asleep again quite quickly, rather than lie a wake for hours, as happened before. I do wake up three or four times, but quickly fall asleep again. By around this time (3.00am), I have probably had almost 7 hours of sleep and wake up feeling, not exactly refreshed, but reasonably OK. I could doubtless sleep some more, I could push it to 8 perhaps, but I don’t seem to want to go to sleep again after I have had about 7 hours.
To sleep from say 8 to 3 is not ideal in many ways, ‘socially’ and not something that I really want to get into the habit of in the long run. I currently look after my 94 year-old mother on a full-time basis, living in her house, and have done that for 5 years. Came back from living and working abroad to do this over five years ago now.. quite stressful and to a degree, quite depressing. I try to eat with her at around 6.30, but I suppose I need to push my eating times later, to say 9.00pm. I’d than be going to bed, falling asleep already, as I do now, at around 10, and getting up at around 5.00am. That would be a little less ‘crazy’.
Be interested to hear what you think of this! Good job I don’t have to get up for work in a morning – in fact I have engineered my working life around my insomnia for over 30 years, not working mornings mostly, but working (teaching) late into the evening instead. I used to be a ‘night owl’, but the totally overwhelming tiredness I feel these days soon after my meal (doesn’t happen at lunchtime!) has put paid to that!
Martin
A couple of things I forgot to mention: if I feel tired around this time (say 6 or 7am), go back to bed and manage to fall asleep, I can then sleep to even 11am. Seems I can only sleep for longer than 90 minutes at that time of day.
Tried (following advice from the consultant at the sleep clinic I attended) to ‘force’ things by going to bed at the same time every night.. I chose about 11.30. Weeks and weeks of hell really as it made no difference. I would fall asleep OK, wake up at 12.30am and then be awake for hour after hour (I always get up and do something: was told not to stay in bed, as bed should be associated only with sleeping. Chance would be a fine thing!).
Feel kind of ‘spaced out’ all day (lack of sleep, I assume!)…
