Question
I would be grateful for your help with this one, please.
I used to be a very deep, 8- 10 hr sleeper until about five years ago when some people stayed at my house for 4 months and woke me up every night. Since then, I have never slept through at all, and my current pattern is a couple of hours sleep, wake up, stay awake - sometimes for a few or more hours, then sleep for maybe 2-3 hours more till 5 - 6am. I have tried sleeping later - but I still wake at the same time.
I have recently tried Temazepam for the first time in my life, 10mg - this didn't work - could feel it relax my muscles, but I still woke up as usual. I tried double the dose - felt it relax my muscles, but I still woke at 3am.
I am not waking up because I am worried or anything - nor am I tired as such, really... just that everyone says I should get 'a proper night's sleep' .... I do have a very bad short term memory now (did I lock the door kind of stuff)... I heard sleep loss is related to Altzhiemers??? I don't have dark circles stuff or anything... have read all the stff about relaxing/good sleep environment, etc - my prob is not falling asleep - it is staying asleep. Thanks for any advice!
Answer
If you are having short term memory loss you need to see a neurologist to rule out alzheimers in the meantime check out these tips, but see a neurologist.You must go to bed and awaken the same time each day regardless of little or 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. Go to sleepnet.com click on disorders
insomnia for more tips. Feel free to email again , Karel