Keeping pillows clean/getting a good nights sleep.

[Deleted User]

Perhaps its because we are older that we don't want to waste time sleeping when we could be doing other things :):)

Mara_uk7

So heres a crazy idea for you, but it worked for me .. Put your pillows to the other end of the bed if you can, sleep with your head at the foot of the bed ! If this works, turn the bed around !

uk_american

Agreeing with the other suggestions posted such as cooler room, no caffeine, blackout shades. I do all of those! I am a very light sleeper and after 3 days of not good sleeping, my world implodes. Other thoughts:

-Ear plugs! I would often wake up to outside noises.

-White noise apps. You can buy standalone machines or download free phone apps. They play a continuous noise such as a constant noise like a fan or a soothing changing noise like the sea.

-Air your pillows on a regular basis or put them in a sunny spot to kill any dust mites. I found putting my pillows on the washing line on a sunny day to freshen them up (not washed even) would make for a better night's sleep.

-Friends say yoga or meditation is great. I prefer harder physical exercise classes at lunchtime. Either way, my best night's sleep is always after a good physical exercise. Even if you can only get in an evening walk, that can do the trick.

Brambleberry

Another suggestion if you are too warm in bed, try light cotton pyjamas and lighter bedding, (such as a sheet and a lighter duvet)rather than just underwear in bed. You can adjust the coverage of the sheet/duvet more easily and pyjamas will help to wick away moisture and prevent you getting sweaty. It sounds counterintuitive but worth a try.

Night night! Zzzzzzzz

dekaspace

uk_american wrote: »

Agreeing with the other suggestions posted such as cooler room, no caffeine, blackout shades. I do all of those! I am a very light sleeper and after 3 days of not good sleeping, my world implodes. Other thoughts:

-Ear plugs! I would often wake up to outside noises.

-White noise apps. You can buy standalone machines or download free phone apps. They play a continuous noise such as a constant noise like a fan or a soothing changing noise like the sea.

-Air your pillows on a regular basis or put them in a sunny spot to kill any dust mites. I found putting my pillows on the washing line on a sunny day to freshen them up (not washed even) would make for a better night's sleep.

-Friends say yoga or meditation is great. I prefer harder physical exercise classes at lunchtime. Either way, my best night's sleep is always after a good physical exercise. Even if you can only get in an evening walk, that can do the trick.

The one time I went to the gym I ended up too tired to get out of chair.

What I tend to notice is if I go to bed before midnight I fall asleep almost instant but it feels more like a nap and after a while I wake up.

Go to bed past 2am or even more 3am and I may take a while to drop off but sleep longer.

My sweet spot was years ago, I tossed and turned for up to a hour but never felt over tired more just sleepy and once I was asleep I might wake once or twice and by wake up time I felt almost if not fully refreshed and once out of bed I didn't feel tired to bedtime.

I used to wash my quilt but at current home my washing machine is too small to fit it in.

DigForVictory

If you can figure the combinations to try to in different circumstances (keep a diary?) then I'm all for keeping off the pills if possible as they do not help your bodyclock set sensibly.

Some scents are supposed to help (lavender traditionally) but really once you start figuring what helps, if you can then add a scent (could be leather, could be cedar, what can you source relatively easily?) and your body "learns" that scent is associated with rest if not actual sleep? I've a cousin who takes a handkerchief with a couple of drops of cedar essential oil into exams - learned reassurance, calm & recall. It doesn't work for me as my sense of smell is too erratic, but I've seen it working for others.

Pandora_2

If you're struggling to afford blackout curtains or the liners to attach to regular curtains, get an eye mask to sleep in! Much cheaper and will keep you going while you save up for the curtains

Siebrie

Brambleberry wrote: »

Another suggestion if you are too warm in bed, try light cotton pyjamas and lighter bedding, (such as a sheet and a lighter duvet)rather than just underwear in bed. You can adjust the coverage of the sheet/duvet more easily and pyjamas will help to wick away moisture and prevent you getting sweaty. It sounds counterintuitive but worth a try.

Night night! Zzzzzzzz

Yepyep! Without cotton pj or large T-shirt I sweat profusely. It is as if my body is trying to insulate itself by putting a layer of water around itself.
My bed linen and curtains have to be cotton; even a small percentage of viscose, polyester, or similar will make me sweaty.
My mattress has to be against the headboard to keep the pillow in place. Even a one inch gap is wide enough to make me feel tired when waking up; it is as if the pillow disappears into the gap and I have to hang onto it.
Coffee after 11am will stop me from falling asleep before 2 am. It's called the secondary effect, where the caffeine kicks in again after 7 hours.

dekaspace

Pandora wrote: »

If you're struggling to afford blackout curtains or the liners to attach to regular curtains, get an eye mask to sleep in! Much cheaper and will keep you going while you save up for the curtains

I hate face masks and ear plugs, they freak me out maybe as im autistic as I like to open my eyes and see plus they feel uncomfortable on face.

Its not that I "cant" afford them as much as they are expensive for not much, id rather have clip ons so I can choose my own curtains than just dark curtains too.

I have regular blinds in my bedroom but they are broken, well just 2 of the clips are gone so they don't rotate or I may buy blinds of my bedroom and place these ones in spare bedroom.

The pin sheets to the window does work but means I have to unpin them every time I want to get light in and means I dont get natural light in morning to wake me.

bellaboo86

Just so you know black out curtains aren't black. Mine are a mediumistic blue with a white lining but they come in allsorts of colours.
I really struggle nodding off but i find listening to a song on repeat sends me off.