How much sleep do you get

I hadn't realised there were so many of us! I rarely go to sleep before 12, then wake at 2 am, 4am and 6 am, almost to the minute. Thank goodness for retirement, as I usually get up about 9. I probably do get just enough sleep but it is always fragmented. The only time I sleep through the night is if I am ill.

Day6 I hadn't considered a fry pan!

Maybelle
Been there, done that, keep smiling

I sleep more easily with meds but hate taking them as I am concerned about becoming reliant on them. They only work for a set period of course and then the pain wakes me up again and whilst I have resorted to taking more when it is unbearable I do feel that I am looking down the slippery slope.

I have got used to 5 or 6 hours a night sleep possibly because my last 10 years of working before ill health stopped me working involved meetings 3-4 evenings a week until 10 pm, with decompressing afterwards, 1am became my bed time.

Before that I thought I had sleep problems but it was the ex snoring very loudly that got in the way of my sleep.

At the moment the old ER is on every weekday night on CBS Drama, it so reminds me of my early 30s, I watch it all through the week! So my bedtime is now after 2am.

But I am up by 8 am, is this bad?

Maybelle MawBroon

Dh sleeps much better than I do - drops off v quickly, and rarely has long wakeful periods.
I will often be awake in the small hours for 2 or 3 hours. I will go downstairs, make a cup of (decaf) tea, and usually take myself to the spare room, where I can put the bedside light on and read, or have the radio on - usually BBC World service in small hours.
However if I've got something on the go on my Kindle I can read that without disturbing Dh.
Wakefulness is one reason I hate being cooped up in hotel rooms nowadays - nowhere to escape to if I can't sleep!

Though one thing I never do when I can't sleep is housework of any description!

I need 8 hours but rarely get that, can’t manage with less than 6 hours though.
Sometimes a Nytol helps, also Boots do their own version which is cheaper and better IMO.
Can’t stay in bed later than about 7.30 a.m. so can’t sleep in.

DH drops off instantly, what a talent to have!

DH has been away quite a lot and this has reduced my quality of sleep considerably. We live in a big house and I awake to every little noise and rustle. Usually I sleep for 6-7 hours and feel fine though I might have the odd little zizz in the afternoon if I'm not working

I've got what my mother called a busy brain. I go to bed at about 10:30 but never go to sleep much before 00:30 or 1:00. I read or play Scrabble to try and wind down but these strategies often fail. DH and I have separate bedrooms which is good, as he goes to bed at 9:00 and gets up to do his first job at 3:30. Some nights I hear him getting up having never slept. Fortunately I'm not a particularly early riser, it's usually after 8:30 when I rise. Most nights I have 6-7 hours sleep. I too need to get up a couple of times to visit the loo.

goldengirl a little zizz is one of the joys of retirement!
I think all houses make noises so it is a good idea to work out exactly what it is so that it doesn't unsettle you. Until DH was in hospital so much I had never been on my own and it is not nice to start with. Now I always go round and make sure that all is locked up and think positive thoughts about being all tucked up and 'snug as a bug in a rug'.

I go to bed early, read well into the night, listen to the news on the hour, nod off about 3.00am, couple of trips to the toilet, then up at 5.00am, all in all about 4 hours interrupted sleep in total, strange thing is I never feel tired, usually complete my housework/ironing etc., by 8.00am.

Our solution is separate rooms, but the problems start on holiday, as booking two rooms is so expensive.

I think we may get to that stage though, and maybe just have one holiday a year to allow for the extra cost.

Rachel Johnson (Boris's sister) wrote an article in our paper a few weeks ago about a device she bought for her snoring husband. The company is called Snoreeze, and she bought a device to keep his jaw in the correct position. Apparently it worked!

I must look into it before we go away again.

Separate rooms are definitely the way to go for snorers, non sleepers and fidgeters.
I am much more relaxed now I know I am not disturbing my husband, apparently I am a very noisy page turner.
You are doing exactly the right thing by napping when you can Maybelle Bon courage.

I'm another one with a snoring husband who apparently 'doesn't sleep'. When I protest that he must have slept because he was snoring so loudly, I am wrong! He is sitting next to me now and I can tell he will shortly drift off and snore.

I'm sleeping like an angel since I was put on
Amitriptyline. (can't spell it, and too lazy to get up and find the packet). It's wonderful. It helps my depression and makes me sleep 8 hours a night. I don't care if I get hooked on it now as I'm over 80. Anything which makes life more bearable is worth it!
I feel very sorry for those of you with snoring husbands.
The best answer is separate rooms, I think.

I can sum up my sleep with 2 words NOT ENOUGH.

Husband sleeps 9 plus hours, I am unhealthily envious!!!

Day6....whack him haha. I'm tempted to do that with Him Indoors.

I think men sleep better because all their problems are unburdened on to the wives, and then guess what? The wife worries about the problems and she can't sleep, while he is problem free and sleeps like a baby ?

Now I am 80+ I can sympathise with all these fellow sufferers although, sadly, I no longer have the dear snorer to blame!
It can often be very worrying especially if an important day is looming. How I hate it when I am dressed in my best bib and tucker and someone says "Oh you do look tired"
Well, next time I am lying awake I shall send consoling thoughts to all my fellow sufferers. Meanwhile I am off to buy some raisins and Nytol.

I have a theory that men sleep better because women are programmed to wake at any little sound - such as babies waking in the night.
As I've said before, piriton helps to make me sleepy, after waking during the night to go to the toilet.

I must try raisins xx

JenniferE our holiday solution is not to book hotels anymore; we always book a 2 bedroom self catering apartment or villa instead. And actually, we prefer it for other reasons too - my health is a bit up and down and there might be the odd day when I prefer/need to just stay in - it's not so easy to do that in a hotel room with maids coming in, nor can I help myself to a cuppa or a snack in a hotel room. All in all I just feel more comfortable in 'a place of our own' rather than a hotel. Yes I know we have to make the beds and do the tidying and so on, but it's a small price to pay for a peaceful night and relaxed living.

Goodness so many of us. And mostly females. Best not to worry about it though. Occasionally my husband doesnt sleep but its mostly me. And separate rooms is so common which is comforting too. I will occasionally take codeine or paracetamol if I can't sleep. I used to take amitriptyline but it left me groggy. (With fibromyalgia if I dont sleep it gets worse.) I agree with Bathsheba about holidays. Its very stressful when you disturb each other so self catering is the way to go. Also I find that (boringly) I prefer to prepare my own dinner as I can control the sugar fat etc and foreign food doesn't agree with me that much now. Isn't life fun!?