Changes you have noticed

[Deleted User]

Awake at 4.30 and up at 6. Doh, bangs head, I have a cuckoo clock downstairs that is programmed to be silent in the dark and I left the light on. My brain is still as it was when I had babies, ie I wake up at the slightest sound and I heard the cuckoo at 5 but probably subconsciously every hour. So that will be me fighting to stay awake at 9 pm

mumps

kittie wrote: »

Awake at 4.30 and up at 6. Doh, bangs head, I have a cuckoo clock downstairs that is programmed to be silent in the dark and I left the light on. My brain is still as it was when I had babies, ie I wake up at the slightest sound and I heard the cuckoo at 5 but probably subconsciously every hour. So that will be me fighting to stay awake at 9 pm

I think having babies does have something to do with it. I have 4, 20 years between youngest and oldest. When you think of listening out for babies and little ones and then lying awake waiting for teens to get in it is a lot of years not sleeping properly and I think I lost the ability.

On a more positive note I did sleep better last night. Probably got about six hours and woke up once in the night. Only problem is I woke up with a splitting headache. Here is the problem, I think eating earlier helped me sleep, no tea or coffee in the evening in fact no drinks. I am prone to migraine, being dehydrated or having low blood sugar can trigger a migraine. I think I managed to avoid a full blown migraine as I got up quickly this morning, had a sweet drink and two tablets but do I want to be taking migraine tablets every morning? Oh it is all dilemmas, there must be a way of balancing this. Maybe if I take a sweet drink up and if I wake in the night have a drink? New plan for tonight.

I think avoiding the computer might have helped as well.

mumps

Slept about 6 hours again last night and it was a deeper more restful sleep so I woke up feeling more refreshed. So the plan now is less time on computer and definitely not in the evening, evening meal earlier and no tea in the evening (never drink coffee in the evening anyway.)

So my grateful thanks to all suggestions and support, I think we might have solved it, well improved it anyway but I would love to sleep past 5 am.

Gers

I am 61 and my knees hurt! Probably because I'm overweight and used to be a swimmer. My right knee needs replaced but I'm damned if that's going to happen.

Whilst I forget things I think I always did...now my brain is full up with stuff. Decluttering the brain is as important as decluttering cupboards and drawers. Why do I still remember the number of the first telephone we had? I know why I don't remember the number I currently have - it's because I never need to ring it so that doesn't worry me at all.

I can still touch my toes without bending my knees, the physio I saw recently was most impressed (fat and flexible is how he described me) and can walk as far as I wish to. Brain still agile and in use. I'm more easily tired than I was 20 years ago but that's not surprising.

My sleep is deep and almost instant - when my head hits the pillow I am away in under 10 minutes. I listen to podcasts when I turn off the light and am constantly going back to listen again cos I haven't heard more than 10 minutes. Currently I have 63 editions of 'The Infinite Monkey Cage' all only partially listened to though I could probably quote a lot from the start of them all. Same with the podcasts of 'The Now Show', 'The News Quiz' and ' Counterpoint' - damned if I know who won that two weeks ago! The other side is that I wake with the dawn and almost never manage a long lie in.


I've been blessed with rigorous good health for all of my life apart from appendicitis a few years ago. As we say here 'lang may my lum reek'

downshifter98

I use the white noise iPad app - it's a so called 'noise generator' and features a huge selection of noises which you can also mix together - such as rain, wind, thunder and train tracks or log fire, wind and grand father clock - I set the sleep timer at 45 minutes but never last that long. It sounds silly but I really look forward to drifting off in a nice cosy atmosphere....

[Deleted User]

mumps wrote: »

I am prone to migraine, being dehydrated or having low blood sugar can trigger a migraine..

I can see that, maybe then you need to eat supper ie a later small snack, one that evens blood sugar and aids sleep. The food that springs to mind is avena sativa ie oats, this is easy on the stomach, so what about some soaked oats. Something easy because you won`t want to mess about with cooking in the evening. I would take some rolled oats and soak in almond milk, I am thinking that almond milk would taste nicer and contain nutrients that would also aid sleep.

Lol. I will do that myself tonight, maybe that is why I feel lucky if I wake after 6. Could well be blood sugar too

Bloomin right leg was so aching yesterday afternoon on, it went in the night but I had to take napiers joint relief and I also worked on it with some pulsed magnetism. I am sure it spread from my ankle, I could feel my ankle getting warm with inflammation but the kitchen fitter was here all day and I had to stand pretty well all day, then started getting things put away after some cleaning. It really hurt until I went to bed

So for that today I am going anti inflammatory food. ie mostly green veg and berries and am going to be juicing lots of greens from the allotment. I also need to be careful with my stomach so will be using my old green life machine and will make enough juice for two days. Fish, herbs, turmeric, garlic in a foil pouch. I always manage to quieten any inflammation and I know this one is due to me not eating properly for three weeks while my kitchen was done, was also quietly stressful

I need to get on with kitchen sorting today but am facing up to the fact that I will be moving things around for weeks. Busy day coming up, some storage furniture with baskets are arriving from JL today, as well as a new teeter inverter, I gave my old one to my dd last week, something I cannot be without but I like to help in quiet ways and she can suffer from backache.

mumps

I am lucky really, 62 and very healthy. I do have an underactive thyroid but just need to take a tablet every day. No other problems really, I forget I'm getting older most of they time. Last night I slept about five and a half hours but it was a real deep sleep so feeling good.

cupcake4

What is a teeter inverter pls?
Suffering terribly with sciatica?, and as soon as I lie down in bed, it gets worse, although I have a good quite new mattress. Saw GP today who said she didn't think it was sciatica, perhaps a trapped nerve. Sending me for MRI, though I had to push for it. i had acupuncture about a year ago for this, which helped a little at the time, but only temporarily.
I've always had sleep problems,nothing new with getting to 60 - a glass of Pimms at night quite a good solution!

[Deleted User]

A teeter is foldable and quite big. You get into it and strap the ankles down raise an arm and you go backwards, you can actually hang upside down on it but I only go back about 60 degrees, held by my ankles. It straightens me up after carrying stuff all day. You can find them second hand

My new one came today, first job was lugging all the bits upstairs, lucky it came in bits because the new ones are very heavy. Spanner and allen key job that took about an hour. I am glad it is done. It has been a heck of a hard week for me, I have been buying car loads of pellets for the stove, carried 1/4 tonne at a time, 25 bags. Then I have to unload and stack them, I did that 3 times this week but at least I am ok for winter now. 3 tip trips and lots of other jobs. No wonder my leg is sore. I think it is sciatic, either that or plain inflammation. It is horrible, can`t wait to go to bed with some paracetamol. I absolutely have to have a few rest days now

I thought I had spent my last spend but I have ordered a chi machine now. Used to have one, you put your ankles on, lay flat and it wiggles from side to side so is good for getting lymph to flow in the legs. Now I am older I am finding I need to use all my knowledge and resources to stay well. Getting to grips with house and allotment is quite hard on your own. At least the kitchen was a once in my lifetime project and I won`t be changing that again

Part of the getting older changes for me is the prep and downsizing that is needed for me to be able to cope in future years

seven-day-weekend

kittie wrote: »

are you sure that it isn`t quiet heartburn waking you up?

Try a gaviscon just one time and see. Have the main meal mid day and just a light meal by 6 ish. Then only water to bedtime

Magnesium is often missing, magnesium flakes in a nice bath or a magnesion oil to put on the skin, mag is best absorbed through the skin not via a tablet

I struggle with sleep too and find that getting away from any screen an hour before bedtime is good. Last night I had 7 1/2 hours with one loo wake up. If I cannot get to sleep then I put my air cleaner on for a timed two hours, the hum is soothing

Aches and pains can wake anybody up, the need to turn over. If shoulder pain and a side sleeper then try hugging a pillow, to rest the shoulder. I get thumb and wrist ache because I have a lot to do in the house these days, so I wear an appropriate support at night all from the physioroom. Last night I needed to wear one to support the wrists and thumbs

Taking strong nightnurse tablet is not a good idea, best to get into a natural habit. Save the nightnurse for when you cannot breathe at night with a heavy cold

There are lots of positives about being 60 but there is a slippery downwards slope starts at about 65. I am 67 and have just moved 1/2 tonne of fuel for the stove, all positive as it helps me to retain my bone and muscle strength and right now at my age, every little helps

We'd too moved 3/4 of a ton of logs from the drive to the woodshed (I stacked it in the wheelbarrow, hubby stacked it in the woodshed), was all aches and pains afterwards but feel fine today.

As for sleep, even though my RLS is controlled, the old sleep patterns die hard and I if I get five hours at a stretch that is a good night.