Sleeping thread

[DaveBrown74]

Has anyone ever taken melatonin? I know people who have. It's seen to be an alternative to chemical sleep medication as it is seen to be  non habit forming, there is no hangover, and its effects don't diminish. I have never tried but I suspect its effects are not as strong as certain heavier duty medications, but I know people who swear by it.

[Sem]

Has anyone ever taken melatonin? I know people who have. It's seen to be an alternative to chemical sleep medication as it is seen to be  non habit forming, there is no hangover, and its effects don't diminish. I have never tried but I suspect its effects are not as strong as certain heavier duty medications, but I know people who swear by it.

I've tried Melatonin a few times, and literally every single time I've woken up with a fairly bad headache. For whatever reason we don't play well together. Instead when I have trouble sleeping I take this https://www.costco.com/kirkland-signature-sleep-aid%2C-192-tablets.product.100214358.html

[DaveBrown74]

I've tried Melatonin a few times, and literally every single time I've woken up with a fairly bad headache. For whatever reason we don't play well together. Instead when I have trouble sleeping I take this https://www.costco.com/kirkland-signature-sleep-aid%2C-192-tablets.product.100214358.html

Interesting on the headaches, and sorry to hear that. Obviously that is no fun. I have never tried it and don't have any imminent plans to, but I just thought it was interesting since it is a non-chemical solution.

Knock on wood but these days I have been sleeping pretty well for the most part. Well enough at least that it isn't any sort of real problem. I have a feeling many people who struggle with it could improve their situation by addressing some of the non-medication considerations laid out in the OP and throughout this thread.

Of course, if those don't work, and a person is still suffering from insomnia, then certainly medication is an option.

I have gone through a few different periods in my life where I was not sleeping well enough, and it definitely impacted me at the time. I was getting sick more easily and just wasn't enjoying life as much. It is well worth taking whatever measures one can to avoid a poor sleep existence.

[LennG]

Sorry, the best sleep aid---SEX

[gregf]

All excellent points brought up. I did a deep dive last year over ways to forestall Alzheimers. After diet,sleep was one of the top things to restore the brain.   REM takes place about 6 hours in, so 7 hours sleep is important.
     I'm 52 and have been a shift worker my adult life.  Sleep is ever more a priority. When I transition to day shift, I take 5mg melatonin to help fall asleep. Magnesium helps you stay asleep longer too.  For shift workers, a dark room is a must.
      I see many retirees get off shift work and on a normal sleep schedule. They usually look younger after 6 months of this.
     Bottom line, healthy food, sleep, and exercise all must be a life priority.

Sent from my SM-A516U using Tapatalk

[T200]

This is from my Fitbit. I rarely look at it and Ed's post reminded me that it has that sleep tracking/monitoring capability.

Tapping on one of the charts gives a more granular breakdown.

Pretty cool app.



Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

[Ed Vette]

You need more sleep.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[T200]

I got an 80 with 5 hours and 44 minutes.

I got an 81 with 7 hours and 57 minutes.

Quality > quantity

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

[kartanoman]

Wow - great topic and outstanding diversity of input from everyone ... especially the sex which I completely agree with!

My 53-year-old body does well on seven hours of sleep and I think one factor, that I'm sure many here assumed but didn't quite spell it out, is that CONSISTENCY is really one of biggest factors in predicting quality of sleep. By that, I mean you go to bed at (or around) the same time every night and get up at (or around) the same time every morning. For some of us, that may not be possible due to work or other personal commitments. For others who can, however, it should be a goal to try to achieve (within +/- say 30 minutes of your target sleep time and wake time, respectively).

Personally, I try to hit the hay between 8:30 - 9:00 PM every day to wake up about 4:00 AM to start my day at the office by 5:30 - 6:00 AM (earlier if I have to be at a supplier and need to fight the hustle and bustle of PHX metro traffic). I've used many of the ideas already mentioned here to facilitate sleep such as Melatonin ... but also have a prescription if I am having a hard time falling asleep, keep the bedroom dark and as cold as possible (NOTE: as long as I promise to give my wife all my body heat so she doesn't complain she's cold). I generally take a warm shower to relax stiff muscles and my wife and I exchange massaging sore spots on each other. But, recently, since she had back surgery last winter, and is still very much hurting from L5-S1 being fused and caged, I decided to go all out on a Sleep Number bed with all the bells and whistles (e.g. FlexBase, DualTemp layer, etc.) and I have to say that has been the ultimate game changer in our sleeping experience. Critics will poo-poo it saying it's an overpriced air bed but, if you or your partner have back issues, and both of us do, and can't find the perfect sleeping position, the Sleep Number has completely addressed that for both of us. Both of us have considerable honkers and can snore the other
right out of the bed some nights (NOTE: don't ask who's winning that game). The bed has the partner "snore" button which elevates your partner's side, ever so slightly, but enough to where they actually do stop snoring. I'll just say the Sleep Number isn't for everyone but, if you're getting older, the bones are beginning to creak more now than ever before, and finding quality sleep is becoming an issue, it might be worth a try. Expensive? Yes, definitely but our thought is if it helps us, and the quality is there, I don't mind the price tag. So far, it has been everything for us we hoped it would be and that has made the greatest difference in the quality of our sleep.

If you have any questions about the Sleep Number, please feel welcome to PM me anytime and I'll be happy to share more.

Peace!

[LennG]

My wife and I have always slept in a Full bed. Don't ask me why we never graduated to a Queen or even larger, but we seem to like the closeness of the bed. My wife's father was in the mattress business eons ago, and she was always brought up with the thinking the firmer the bed the better it is for your back, which with many of today's mattresses that just isn't so. So she LOVES a firm to hard mattress while I enjoy some comfort in a softer bed. Having a Full mattress sort of eliminates a lot of the dual sides as most don't have that. We have tried several of the 'foam' ones which I loved, but she didn't.
We are actively looking at a Sleep Number bed and, as you said, the cost simply doesn't outweigh the good night's sleep option.