Question
I am 68 years old male, in good health and non-smoker. I have this problem for many years. I don't drink alcohol or coffee before going to bed. I drink twice a week, in moderation. Regularly, I go to bed around 10 pm.but always wake up around 4 am. I stay in bed for a while but after a while get out of bed. In spite of this, I don't feel sleepy or tired during the day and can go around various tasks with full concentration.
I would like to sleep longer, say, another hour or two.
What shall I do?
Thank you in advance.
Answer
follow these tips
Try these tips religiously for about 6-8 weeks but many have seen results
in as little as 2 weeks.lYou must go to bed and awaken the same time each day regardless
of how little or how much sleep you got the night before.
This starts to reset your sleep clock.
3 hours before bedtime stay away from
tea, coffee, caffeine, caramel colored soda like, coke,pepsi, ginger ale,
or root beer, chocolate and exercise .All these make for restless sleep.Do the following religiously for 4-6 weeks although some have seen changes in as little as 2 weeks.
Make sure room is quiet and dark. When you go to bed if you start to
twist and turn or if you wake up in the middle of the night and cant
go back to sleep, twist and turn for only 20 minutes, then get up, go
into a different room and read a book or magazine only! No computer!
When you start to doze immediately go back into the bedroom.This retrains
the brain into thinking that the bedroom is for restful sleep only. Do
this as many times as you awaken thru the night, it will lesson.
30 minutes before bedtime take a hot bath and immerse hands under the
water.Latest research states that the palms of the hand when immersed
in hot water send signals to the brain to relax. 15 minutes before bedtime\
drink a glass of warm milk. Milk when heated contains tryptophan, a natural
amino acid sleep inducer should do the trick. If this fails you should consider seeing a sleep center.
Your local hospital can refer you. Also go to sleepnet.com click on disorders insomnia
for more tips. Feel free to email again karel
