Thursday, June 15, 2017

Sleeping Problems

In Health Benefits Of Sleeping And How Far They Reach by Candace Osmond, she talks about how sleeping well can affect our lives. She shares,

“The health benefits of sleep affect more than just your energy levels, it touches almost every aspect of your existence.”

I totally agree that sleep is important and essential. I share this with my students and I encourage them to go to bed early and get 8 hours of sleep. I don’t want them sleepy in class and I want them to be able to face all the stress in their lives with a strong mind and boy.

Yet, my problem is that I usually only get about 6 hours of sleep every night. I would like more but I don’t know how to get it. I read lots of articles that share how important it is and I wear a bracelet that tracks my sleep. I get that I only get 6-7 hours of sleep every night.

My problem is that even though I track my sleep patterns, I don’t know how to change them. I can go to bed early but that doesn’t mean I will fall asleep. My brain is still going a million miles an hour until it is ready to fall asleep. Sometimes I fall right to sleep but 6 hours later, I’m wide awake. Once I wake up, I’m wide awake and rearing to go! I’ve tried to make myself stay in bed but I either toss and turn or my body starts aching from being forced to stay there. Either way, I’m not getting any sleep that way.

I have tried drinking sleepytime tea before bedtime. I’ve tried drinking a glass of wine before bedtime. I don’t exercise before bedtime. I don’t have any caffeine after 6pm. I’ve tried to listen to soft music before bedtime. Nothing helps me go to sleep earlier and even if I did, 6 hours later, I am wide awake.

The other problem I have is that whatever time of night I go to bed, if it is less than 6 hours, I will automatically wake up at 5am. I did it for 30 years and can’t seem to break the habit. Even though I’ve tried to force myself to stay in bed, it doesn’t help. I’ve gone to bed at 1am and still wake up for the day at 5am. I may be miserable later in the day or take a little nap, but I’m up.

I do not want to take any kind of medicine though.  I’ve seen people on Ambien and it isn’t pretty. I won’t subject my body to any kind of pill to help me sleep.

If anyone has a magic solution that will help me get 7 hours of sleep, I would love to hear it. Please share.

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