Sleep - Baby Boomer Women

There was talk of sleeping in in another post so I thought it might be interesting to see how everyone's sleeping these days.

When was the last time you slept through the night?

How often do you get to sleep in?

Do you take or do anything to help you sleep?

What wakes you?

This is amazing because it happens so rarely, but last night I slept through the night. Went to bed at 10:30 and awakened at 7:00. Boy did that feel good. The weather has been beautiful. The windows were wide open and the temperature was a little chilly. Perfect sleeping weather.

I very rarely sleep through the whole night. Everything wakes me. I'm a restless sleeper and always have been. My mother told me long ago that I never slept well as a kid neither. My lack of sleep seems to be worse since I hit menopause. I get so tired of being tired. I take magnesium tabs and that has helped some what.

Well from rarely sleeping for a month or so, I now am sleeping like a baby again. Not sure what made the change, I am doing nothing different. Last night I was in bed by 4:00 a.m. and didn't wake up until nearly 1:30 p.m. today. I feel so energized!
OOPS! Just remembered the ex was here during the time I wasn't sleeping well, and he is GONE again forever this time, oh God, I hope so...

Like Cookie, I rarely sleep through the night and everything wakes me. But I somehow manage to get enough sleep. The only time I sleep in is when I'm sick, which is extremely rare. Even at the worst of my grief this past year, I rarely got out of bed any later than 8am.

I don't take anything to sleep. All I have to do to get back to sleep is start praying for people...it never fails!

And I know without a doubt that God wakes me up to pray for specific people...when I wake up with a name in my heart, I know that it's useless to try to get back to sleep until I pray for that person.

I usually sleep well except two situations:
1. when I'm migraining, I'm often in too much pain to sleep.
2. when I have to wake up early the next morning. So I'm lying in bed thinking, omigod, my alarm goes off at 6am -- and it's 1am, 2am, still not asleep...

I tried melatonin once and slept 13 hours straight, and then barely got up for the next several hours. Scary.

My normal sleep pattern is in bed by 1am and awake 9ish.

I get 4 hours a night, six if I've had a busy day. My Dad was like this and my Mom was almost the same so I guess it's hereditary with me. I wake up thinking about ideas for clay or poker hands...yeah crazy I know but I am ready to take on the world. I am my own excitement!
I bound out of bed and I have to have my coffee.I don't have trouble getting to sleep usually but the last month was crazy for me too. Must be autumn related.

Sorry can't edit...those 4-6 hours..I can sleep through a war.

Cookie, I think we all slept better before menopause. I know I did.

chatty, glad to here that posting here helped you figure that one out. Onward...

chats, you should be parenting teens with those hours. Those are close to the hours my kids were keeping when home from college. I'm an early bird so could never go to bed too late.

Eagle, I also pray meself to sleep in the middle fo the night. My daughter was put on insulin this week. God help us. I woke up at 3:33 last night worrying about her having a low blood sugar in her dorm room. All I could do was pray and then I was sleeping again. I must turn my worries to prayer in the middle of the night so they don't get the best of me.

Meredith, is there anything you can do to make yourself sleep through a migraine? They sound so miserable. I've never had one that makes the head ache, but have had ocular migraines where my vision gets all wacky.

chick, I don't know how you do it. Your mention of heredity is interesting. I know people who take after their elders when it comes to sleeping too. My MIL was a rotten sleeper, and so is her one of her sons, and so was my MILs father. Then there are people like me who take after my dad. He can fall asleep sitting in a chair, and I can sleep anywhere.

Anyone else take after a parent.

Another thought for this thread is what keeps you up at night?
I ususally fall alseep very easily, but if I do awaken, it's worry that keeps me up. Usually health concerns of loved ones. How about you?

When was the last time you slept through the night?

How often do you get to sleep in?

Do you take or do anything to help you sleep?

What wakes you?

I tend to sleep through the night only about 30% of time for the awhile. Probably related to stress if I worry about something..and if I don't do stretching exercises to relax my body, etc.

It is true that for me, on days that I have cycled for several hrs., I sleep more deeply and longer. But that's on the weekends.

Other than exercise, I have never taken anything to help myself to sleep better.

I am abit sleep-deprived during the week since I get up so early to start my work commute. I justify this by the fact that my job is temporary, contract and hence, where I work won't be forever.

Dotsie, I bought melatonin in hopes that I could sleep through a migraine. It took 2 hours to fall asleep and then I was a log for the next 13. Then I still could barely open my eyes. Not a particularly great solution IMO.

In sleep patterns, I definitely take after my mom. I'd call her 9pm from Cali (she's in NY) and she'd say, "Do you know how late it is here?" I'd say, "Yeah, midnight, were you asleep?" Mom: "No, I'm reading. You know I can't fall asleep that early."

I must be the oddest of ducks here but when I started not sleeping well--after being a world champion, fall asleep anywhere kind of girl--I started experimenting. Bio-Identical hormones helped masterfully. Then some life changes and it all went wacky so I added Melatonin--had to play with the doses but got it worked out.
When that wasn't working I added Theanine which is a natural component of tea and helps relax you. (My doc swears by this for night time anxiety. I even take it before Toastmasters if I'm feeling unsure of my presentation and it is calming)
I have tried the occasional sleeping pill but aside from the relief that I'm actually asleep I feel like I've been robbed of the night experience cause it's so black out like.
Best sleeping ever--really soundly and don't even wake up to pee--the glutathione supplement I"m taking. No kidding and I ran out last week before my next batch came and I was all over the bed trying to get to sleep.
They say I was a great baby in terms of sleep--it was when I was awake and the mouth engaged that was troublesome. Both my parents have been gone for so long I have no idea if I mimic either sleep wise.
Fun thread Dots,

I rarely sleep through the night. I am always up to pee at least once.

I take melatonin at bedtime, along with calcium and magnesium, and black cohash.

I go to bed with a small refreezable ice pack wrapped in a towel under my neck. If I don't do this I am too hot to go to sleep--unless it is cool out. But, in Florida, this is rare!

Sometimes I take a half of a Unisom tab to sleep; sometimes I take a whole one. I have an Rx for generic Temazepam that I take sometimes.

I set an alarm during the work week, and get up and walk most days. I sleep later on the weekends. That would be about 8:00 AM--that is sleeping in! In this case, the sun wakes me, or the dog if she thinks it is too late!

mscoach, the end of your post made me laugh.

latebloomerboomer, good to see you.

This is interesting. Boy, there are lots of different pills and supplments available.

Hot baths before bedtime totally relax me. I feel like a dish rag. I'm sure I'm ruining my skin because the water is so hot, but I can't live without my baths. I occasionally use oils in the water, and always lotion up when I get out. If I become a prune, at least I'll be a relaxed prune.

Well, at the week-end..when I am not working..I can sleep from let´s say 3am (I am a night owl at the week-ends) until 1pm the next day..and then I can take a nap a few hours later..let´s say about 3 or 4-ishpm..for about an hour and a half. Then I can sleep again for the night maybe around 2am or 3am. This is my week-end routine..not during the week when I work. I usually get about 6 or 7hrs during the working week. I do use a light sleeping pill..feels more safe that way.

At the week-ends I may set the alarm for 12pm or 11am..so I don´t end up sleeping too long and loosing the few hours of daylight that we have here in Sweden during the winter months. It gets dark again around 3pm then!

OOpps.. can´t edit..but remembered that I do yoga to help me get a relaxed and good sleep. This I do almost every evening.

And I think my nightowl patterns are inherited from my father..he was even more of a night owl than I am..sitting up and listening to music while checking his stocks..he´d go to bed about 4am and get up at 8am to work during the week, Then at the week-ends, he´s sleep until 1 or 2 pm.

You CAN edit NOW!

I haven't slept good since high school. I take two Advil PM every night. Sometimes I pray myself to sleep. Usually, it takes me an hour to fall asleep. If hubby or the dog wake me up, it'll take another hour to get back to sleep. I sleep 6 or 7 hours in a row, occasionally. Generally, I get up once or twice overnight to use the bathroom. I've heard many women complain about the inability to sleep and believe it's quite a widespread problem. Men, on the other hand, fall asleep in a matter of minutes. Gosh, wouldn't that be nice.

jj,
Thanks 4 the "u can edit now" stuff! Good job!

I've already gone in another room to read in the middle of the night. That usually helps.

Sleep left me too with the onset of menopause and the departure of my spouse (to madness) and my son to Iraq. I drink Tension Tamer tea before bed now, lots of chamomile in it and tastes great and really soothes me. As for migraines, thank goodness I don't get them often anymore, but for the migraine sufferer, try a few drops of the essential oil of red thyme and a few drops of the essential oil of rosemary. I used to put some in boiling water and breath the steam or a few drops in a hot bath and breath deeply. But I've also tried a few drops of each on a piece of guaze inside my pillowcase. The aromatherapy lady at the health food store recommended those oils for migraines and they actually did give relief. You can get essential oils at health food stores I think.