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I always hear you should try to get about 8 hours sleep a night. But does it have to be actual sleep? If I sleep for 5 hours, wake up and stay in bed but can't get back to sleep for the last 3 hours of the night, does any of that count toward my "sleep" needs?
I get 8-10 hrs good restorative sleep with wake ups for bathroom runs during the night and I'm happy I get that good sleep. Sleep is healing.
Now during the day, I might doze off for a few minutes and it's kind of restorative, I'm 80 so this sleep is good. Everyone needs good restorative sleep.
Mt sleep has been all screwed up with the passing of menopause. I now am awake about 3 nights a week and many days have to go to work in the morning. It has been horrible. But I do make myself rest for most of that time. After a day and night of being awake I pretty much crash the following night and will sleep very well.
I figure this is how my life in retirement will look like... without having to get up for work, thankfully.
I always hear you should try to get about 8 hours sleep a night. But does it have to be actual sleep? If I sleep for 5 hours, wake up and stay in bed but can't get back to sleep for the last 3 hours of the night, does any of that count toward my "sleep" needs?
Not everyone "needs" 8 hours of actual sleep. However, even if you just lie in bed your brain isn't resting. You may get away with this pattern for a few days at a time but eventually the pattern breaks and a night arrives when you WILL sleep longer. Everyone's different, and their sleep needs change all the time. What might be enough under some circumstances may not be enough under others. I'm no expert...don't usually have trouble getting enough sleep. Occasionally I do lie awake but I don't dwell on it. Just makes it worse.
Last edited by Parnassia; 12-23-2018 at 04:07 PM..
Mt sleep has been all screwed up with the passing of menopause. I now am awake about 3 nights a week and many days have to go to work in the morning. It has been horrible. But I do make myself rest for most of that time. After a day and night of being awake I pretty much crash the following night and will sleep very well.
I figure this is how my life in retirement will look like... without having to get up for work, thankfully.
Do some research on Tryptophan and sleep issues. You could be surprised how a low dose could help beofre going to sleep. I buy 500mg caps and empty a little under 1/2 out...this amino acid gets me back to sleep with bathroom trips and when pain wakes me. My issues probably all started too after menopause. I have posted my sleep combo on Alt Med.
Sleep is best, but I've also learned that we often underestimate how much time we're asleep and overestimate the time we think we're awake. Awake time can be restful and counts for something.
If you can get up for 30 minutes and that then helps you fall asleep later then do that. But sometimes just allowing yourself a little more time in bed to fall asleep before giving up and jumping out of bed to do something can lead to sleep and isn't a total waste.
I believe sleep is the best healer of almost anything.
If you want a GREAT sleep aid (and I have a list of them), the latest one I found is a black silk eye mask from Amazon. Around $10 - makes a HUGE difference. Unfortunately, too huge, as I slept in until 10:00 a.m. this morning! I was shocked!
I also ordered the Apple Beddit - hasn't come yet, but I am excited. You slip it under your sheet and it measures your sleep.
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