The Sleep Thread

[kernelbogey]

The place for any thoughts on sleep.

[kernelbogey]

A good moment, I thought, in our second heatwave of this summer, to start a place to share the difficulties of sleeping in hot weather, for example. My attic bedroom gets very hot on these sunny days and doesn't cool off easily or promptly. I have just taken to running an excellent fan I bought (actually to improve ventilation in the first lockdown) all night which gives at least the illusion of the temperature fallling in the room. For the first time in a long while I had Through the Night on softly all night; it's a lifeline for one with poor sleep - I'll have more to say about that later on....

[Bryn]

I am fortunate in being able to put a mattress on the floor of the ground floor lounge and open the trap door to offer a degree of escape for the warm air. With all windows closed from start of day to late evening, and all curtains drawn shut, a few degrees drop from that in the shade outside is achieved.

[Petrushka]

A good moment, I thought, in our second heatwave of this summer, to start a place to share the difficulties of sleeping in hot weather, for example. My attic bedroom gets very hot on these sunny days and doesn't cool off easily or promptly. I have just taken to running an excellent fan I bought (actually to improve ventilation in the first lockdown) all night which gives at least the illusion of the temperature fallling in the room. For the first time in a long while I had Through the Night on softly all night; it's a lifeline for one with poor sleep - I'll have more to say about that later on....

I'm extremely fortunate in being able to sleep without any problem at all, no matter how hot or cold the temperature is. It really is just a state of mind and in your example above what I think you are actually doing is psychologically preparing yourself not to sleep so I'd ditch the fan and turn off 'Through the Night'.

In the current warm weather, the key, obvious as it may sound, is to wear as little as possible ie, nothing at all. More generally, only go to bed when you feel ready and genuinely tired. Depending on where you live and external circumstances, ensure your bedroom is as dark and as quiet as you can make it, so have very thick curtains and turn off anything at all that emits light. It may not be entirely practical as, for instance, I have a fire alarm unit in my bedroom but I can block out most of the light by placing something such as an alarm clock in front of it.

Noise can be a problem, particularly traffic noise, so it might help to have your bedroom at the rear of your property or at least away from the road. This will also cut on light from lampposts but all of this depends on your circumstances. Crucially, don't have a television or computer in your bedroom so that you think of your bedroom as a sleep space.

One other thought, again a psychological one: don't think about going to sleep, just gradually mentally wind down an hour or two before retiring, then completely empty the brain of all thought and worries of the day, relax your whole body gradually from toes to head as you hit the pillow and just drift off. It's all a state of mind.

[Joseph K]

I have no problems sleeping through the summer when it can be warm at night - but rather, can experience some trouble if not getting to sleep, then waking in the middle of the night during very cold nights in the winter.

[kernelbogey]

It's all a state of mind.

I agree with some of what you say Pet, and thanks for the long and thoughtful post. The most useful psychological trick that I have learned over recent years is, when awake in the night, not to worry about being awake - sleep does return. I believe that there is sound research evidence that it is normal to be awake for a spell in the middle of the night - though I imagine that is not a universal experience.

[Petrushka]

I agree with some of what you say Pet, and thanks for the long and thoughtful post. The most useful psychological trick that I have learned over recent years is, when awake in the night, not to worry about being awake - sleep does return. I believe that there is sound research evidence that it is normal to be awake for a spell in the middle of the night - though I imagine that is not a universal experience.

There's usually only one reason why I wake up in the middle of the night but strangely that has always been the case even in my teens and little has changed since.

As I've got older, it's been more a problem of staying awake than getting to sleep! Often have an afternoon nap and even a mid=morning one as well which is slightly alarming!

[richardfinegold]

It is medically important to exclude Sleep Apnea as a cause of lack of sleep, since it can shorten ones life by 20 years

[kernelbogey]

It is medically important to exclude Sleep Apnea as a cause of lack of sleep, since it can shorten ones life by 20 years

There was quite a bit about sleep apnea in this television programme broadcast recently. The overall quality IMV was variable, but nonetheless helpful about sleep in general.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0015y9l

[johncorrigan]

Somewhere between 3.30 and 6 in the afternoon, I enjoy a power nap - I've done it since I was young and always feel refreshed by it. I can sleep pretty much anywhere. When still working I used to sometimes nip out in the car mid-afternoon if I was going to be working late, drive to a parking space somewhere and zone out for twenty minutes. I find that having a cup of coffee, just before the afternoon nap helps you wake ready to go again.
I have no issues getting to sleep to date. My biggest problem with sleeping through the night is toilet breaks and trying not to waken fully before getting back to bed, otherwise I can be awake for a while - of course, alcohol doesn't help that.

[Serial_Apologist]

Somewhere between 3.30 and 6 in the afternoon, I enjoy a power nap - I've done it since I was young and always feel refreshed by it. I can sleep pretty much anywhere. When still working I used to sometimes nip out in the car mid-afternoon if I was going to be working late, drive to a parking space somewhere and zone out for twenty minutes. I find that having a cup of coffee, just before the afternoon nap helps you wake ready to go again.
I have no issues getting to sleep to date. My biggest problem with sleeping through the night is toilet breaks and trying not to waken fully before getting back to bed, otherwise I can be awake for a while - of course, alcohol doesn't help that.

This, barring the car, is pretty much my own experience now I'm in my late 70s. I find that getting back to sleep after the early hours loo break is assisted by a cup of warm milky tea and maybe a small biscuit to help absorb it, even though it often has me awake again at around 6 am with a full bladder. Through the Night is excellent for the light concentration it affords to help pre-empt obsessive negative thoughts.

[Jonathan]

In this heat, I do have to ask what is sleep?

[Joseph K]

In this heat, I do have to ask what is sleep?

No siesta for Jonathan?

[Dave2002]

This, barring the car, is pretty much my own experience now I'm in my late 70s. I find that getting back to sleep after the early hours loo break is assisted by a cup of warm milky tea and maybe a small biscuit to help absorb it, even though it often has me awake again at around 6 am with a full bladder. Through the Night is excellent for the light concentration it affords to help pre-empt obsessive negative thoughts.

I am aware that we are supposed to get at least 7 hours sleep per night, preferably 8 hours. I only manage that occasionally - so presumably that will reduce my life expectancy - but it can't be helped. I quite often get up early ish - around 6am - and then stay up and only get to sleep around midnight. Sometimes I wake up at 3am or thereabouts and can't get back to sleep so I do other things for a few hours then try to go back to bed - hopefully till 9am or later. Ideally I should do more exercise - I find that if I do a modest walk in the afternoon or evening then I am more likely to sleep longer without waking up - except for the inevitable - during the night.

Certain times of the year are harder. If there's a lot of pollen of various types around, then I sometimes have real difficulty during the nights and have to take antihistamines - or even use a nasal spray.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

A 17 year old cat will have been asleep for 11 of those years.