topic Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems? in Community Chat

Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

Katcat1 — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 09:17:59 GMT

It is difficult for me to get my sleep regulated so I wake up mornings and go to bed at night. Right now I am sleeping during the day and up all night. If you have any tips, please let me know,

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

gidgetgh — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 09:29:19 GMT

I have a really difficult time sleeping. I've been awake since 3:45.

I can usually get to sleep ok. Usually, but not all the time. But I don't stay asleep. Sometimes I wake up at midnight and am awake for hours and then go back to sleep.

Other nights I sleep a little better, but still not a good nights sleep. And I never, ever, ever, "sleep in".

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

Tinkrbl44 — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 09:30:45 GMT

@Katcat1 wrote:
It is difficult for me to get my sleep regulated so I wake up mornings and go to bed at night. Right now I am sleeping during the day and up all night. If you have any tips, please let me know,

@Katcat1

Interesting ... I am wondering how this even began .... did retiring relieve you of the necessity to have to get up, get ready for work and leave the home? What do you think caused this in the first place?

Is there anything in your diet that affected you .... too much caffeine, for instance? Did you start retirement by staying up late watching TV ... or some other habit?

Did you ever work the night shift before retiring?

Have you ever mentioned this to your doctor?

Your body clock is off, but I'm wondering if you can provide a little more information as to why you think this is going on.

iMO, a little more information would be helpful.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

Cats3000 — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 09:49:15 GMT

Talk to your doctor. He may have some solutions. He might recommend that you go to a "sleep clinic" for a night, where you'll be hooked to some monitors that will let him know what's going on.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

chiclet — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 10:12:13 GMT

@Katcat1 wrote:
It is difficult for me to get my sleep regulated so I wake up mornings and go to bed at night. Right now I am sleeping during the day and up all night. If you have any tips, please let me know,

You sound like my husband. He says he cannot get to sleep until wee hours of the morning and sleeps all day. He also take over the counter sleep aids that make him groggy when he is awake. A real joy to be around. I have tried to tell him not to drink iced coffee later than 4. Also to try to go to bed at the same time each night and use a sleeping pill to help him do that until he gets regulated. I have always had a hard time turning my mind off at night. I think sleeping is hard some and especially hard when you get older and have a bunch of aches and pains and bladder issues. Good luck. Maybe your doctor can help.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

Katcat1 — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 10:31:39 GMT

@chiclet I think my problem is caffeine and I really need to stop drinking it late because I can't fall asleep so then the pattern starts going to bed at 5 or 6 am and sleeping 7 hours. I really need to get it together as I would like to be up in the morning even 9 or 10 am would be fine. Thanks for sharing your story.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

sarahpanda — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 10:36:16 GMT

My tip is - Keep busy during the day and do not go to sleep ! Maybe your body will be so tired that it will get back on track and be able to let you sleep at night. ....unless you are like me who doesn't sleep either day or night for the last 2 or 3 months...probably stress related. Good luck - and please try not sleeping during the daylight hours.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

AngelPuppy1 — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 11:19:15 GMT

I go to bed early - about 8:00 p.m. - and then I read for probably a half an hour or so. This helps me to quit thinking about everything and relax. I do wake up often through the night though and rarely sleep continuously through an entire night. I usually get up between 4:00 and 5:30 each morning -- not because I want to but because I can't sleep.

I would say try to make a schedule for yourself. If you try and slowly make yourself adhere to regular daytime and nightly hours and routines that might help you to get yourself turned around. It won't happen all at once but try making small changes.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

CalminHeart — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 12:12:54 GMT

I'm retired.

Don't let yourself sleep more than 20-30 minutes during the day. I even set a timer.

Find things to do. Work in the yard. Help at a charity. Go for a walk. Walk the dog. See if your church office or food pantry needs a couple hours help a couple of days a week. Go to lunch with friends. Work on a puzzle.

Sleep changes with age. I used to be able to fall asleep right away but it takes longer now. But I don't worry about it since I don't have to work the next day. I know if I worried about my sleep, it'd get worse.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

CalminHeart — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 12:17:37 GMT

Since Q won't let me edit my posts.....

When I worked, I'd be in bed at 9 or so and up by 4 or 4:30 every morning. It was easy to learn to stay up later but it took months for the morning wake up time to change.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

Harpa — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 12:27:37 GMT

@Katcat1 Looks like you identified some of the problem...caffeine. Don't forget, that chocolate contains caffeine, (and colas) so, for me, anything chocolate is totally out after 5:00.

My last cup of green tea is decaffeinated and not beyond 5:00. After that, just plain water.

What I might snack on in the evening is always "sleep inducing" -- cheese or peanuts.

I really don't have sleep problems, unless I can't turn off thinking (mostly lesson plans). Sometimes I do have to resort to a melatonin. I'm sure there are other good habits involved in the process - take a brisk walk every day, don't much do naps, go to bed & get up at a regular time, et.al.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

Meowingkitty — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 12:40:41 GMT

I sometime have trouble falling asleep. I don't drink caffeine. I have a fan on every night even in winter but then I still get hot, then I get cold so some nights I keep kicking off the blankets (it's not menopause). It's just some nights I can't get comfy. I take Kirkland Sleep Aid and I sleep much better. They are cheap and work.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

kate2357 — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 12:51:12 GMT

I go thru bouts of insomnia especially since menopause. I keep to a routine, in bed at a certain time and usually can fall asleep within a few minutes. I take melatonin, lowest dose. The problem is I wake up 3 hours later and sometimes never fall back asleep. I do not nap during the day and don't drink caffeine after 9 am. It's annoying.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

Desertdi — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 12:54:31 GMT

Yes...I am ALWAYS freezing cold...

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

Eileen in Virginia — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 13:05:21 GMT

DH and I usually go to bed between midnight and 1am, after watching shows like "Murder She Wrote" or "Midsummer" murder mysteries. While their plots are decent, they're hardly scintillating. The combination of the late hour and the slow pace of the shows is better than a tranquilizer (I'm not kidding). We both usually sleep well, with the occasional bathroom break.

My digital alarm clock helps me get back to sleep if I do happen to wake up during the night. I used to wake up and resist going back to sleep because I thought it was almost time to get up when it was actually still the wee hours of the morning. I've placed the clock so I can see the time at a glance, note that it's still early and go back to sleep. I was surprised at how well this has worked for me.

When DS was in college, he had a friend from Germany who went home each summer. He said the best way he knew to reacclimate his sleep pattern to the different time zone was to go to bed when everyone else did. It took him about a week to complete the change, but then he was good until he came back to school.

We retired between 6 and 11 years ago, respectively. When I was working, I got up at 5 am. Nowadays, I'm usually up between 7 and 7:30. It took a few years for me to get to this point, so it's not something that happens overnight.

I hope you can get past your sleep problem, as this adversely impacts your life in so many ways.

ETA: Since I went through menopause many years ago, I found that I can't sleep very well unless I'm wearing some sort of socks to bed. It doesn't matter what season it is, my feet are cold without the socks and I don't sleep very well without them.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

CJC — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 13:01:39 GMT

@kate2357 wrote:
I go thru bouts of insomnia especially since menopause. I keep to a routine, in bed at a certain time and usually can fall asleep within a few minutes. I take melatonin, lowest dose. The problem is I wake up 3 hours later and sometimes never fall back asleep. I do not nap during the day and don't drink caffeine after 9 am. It's annoying.

Me too. I think it's the hormone levels since women seem to have more trouble with insomnia than men. I'm in the process of weaning off ambien, which works great but is a big no at my age in my 70's, and am back on melatonin which doesn't work much better than a sugar pill. No caffeine for me after 4PM and no electronics within one hour of bedtime and no daytime naps.....sleep still an issue as my mind seems to race with issues at night. No more sleeping like a baby, that's for sure.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

qualitygal — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 13:09:44 GMT

95% of the time. Only now, I nod off when I just can't stay awake any longer. LOL

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

qualitygal — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 13:15:46 GMT

@Tinkrbl44 I have to laugh, the Question Lady. This is the most I've ever seen you ask, and that's ok. Shows you're interested.

So, I'll give you my thoughts. Sometimes, the dog wakes me for potty time, then, it's some ache or pain (more as time goes on). Sometimes, since I go to bed early, I wake up and am up for a few hours, watch some t.v., then go back to sleep. If I'm too awake, I just get up and nap later. Not too much scientific going on there. Hope that answers some of your questions.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

mizree — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 13:27:44 GMT

@Katcat1 Carbou Blend Medium Roast is a good decaf coffee. A few months ago, we switched to 50% decaf by blending this with our usual coffee. I would also recommend you get some morning daylight. even though you are sleeping daytime rather than nights, sounds like you are getting adequate sleep which is vital to our health. best wishes.

Re: Do any Retirees have sleeping problems?

drizzellla — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 13:27:40 GMT

Since I retired my sleeping pattern has become erratic.

When I was working I used to put my head on the pillow and I was out for the night.

Gradually since I retired it takes longer to get to sleep. In fact there are times I don't sleep at all. My mind is thinking what I should be doing or what I should plan for dinner or who knows what.

Maybe because I have alot more down time on my hands now. I am not commuting over an hour each way to work, trying to meet deadlines or waiting for others to do their work so I could finish my work.

I like the suggestion to do more physical work. Spring is coming. There are lots of flowers and vegetables to plant. And the weather is so nice now. A walk in the neighborhood or local park will be so pleasing to the eye. With all the flowers and trees popping, it will be such a pretty sight.