Apologies to Lainey who started the "Wee Hours" thread years ago. But that thread is just about saying good morning now and has nothing to do with insomnia or just finding yourself awake in the middle of the night. I find that as I age I have difficulty staying asleep, or falling back to sleep after a late night nature call. I think the problem is a bit better with exercise, but not much.

In a couple of weeks I'm having an at-home sleep study and I expect I'll receive a sleep apnea diagnoses and end up with CPAP machine. I shouldn't pre-judge it, but I'm concerned that I won't be abe to sleep with a mask on my face, either. We'll see.

Anyway, I thought I'd start a thread on this subject and see if others suffer from insomnia, apnea or other sleep disorders.

 

FWIW, I had the same problem most of my adult life. It disappeared 9 years ago, just about one year after I retired.

 

Yes, Bill, for sure, for the past 6 weeks or longer. I have chronic arthritic pain in my lower back and left hip with no immediate solution after putting up with this for most of the summer and after seeing two doctors. X-rays show I have severe degenerative disc disease in all the L numbered spine numbers. The earliest I can get in to the next specialist is 2/6/2019. WTF! At the present I am only sleeping 1.5 hrs every night and another hour in the early morning. And another hour at mid-day. So I do know what it is like to be mentally exhausted daily. I've not been able to take normal pain pills or prescriptions due to bad side effects and my GP has no answers. You can appreciate this.... he said, if he did he would be driving one helluva nicer car!

I hate waking up after one hour and laying there for another watching the clock advance. Finally I just say the hell with it and get up and pour a drink and watch a movie, while placing ice packs wherever I can.

Personally, I've always thought 3/4th of most medical issues are stress related, aside from things like cancer, etc. There is no question exercise is a great stress reliever. As are hobbies and socializing. Currently when I try exercising, such as even walking any distance, it creates so much more pain, I honestly can't stand it.

Perhaps the thought of retirement is playing heavy on your mind. I suspect you identify a lot with who you are and what you do at work. Just guessing. Whatever it is I believe it will pass.

Sorry to vent on your thread.

 

The home sleep study isn't that bad.
The CPAP and I haven't quite come to an understanding yet.
I toss and turn a lot. Lying on my back it works fine. rolling around eh, not so much.

 

Hey Bill, no apologies needed. I'm not sure I even started that thread.

I think most of us have sleep issues at one time or another. I've had them and had prescription meds on hand which I used sparingly. Sometimes I'd have trouble falling asleep or I would wake up in the wee hours, and then be unable to get back to sleep. It's exhausting after a few nights like that. These days, I'm not having the issues often. I fall asleep quickly, especially if it was a Y night after work.

FWIW, two of my sisters use the CPAP machine. They are new and improved and less bulky. They are doing OK with it.

Dave, sorry you are having such issues, pain certainly disrupts one's sleep. That's a long wait to see a specialist. No other options in other areas, even it it meant some travel?

 

I'm not a doctor but i saw one on TV...
but pointing out the obvious.
It did help when I cut way back on coffee and caffeine. None after 11:00 AM.

 

 

I find myself dragging about an hour after lunch. I'll even start to doze at my desk. This from a person who never took a nap or fell asleep on the couch until about four years ago.

The worst is long distance drives. I now try do all my driving before lunch. If I'm driving longer than that, I try to skip lunch. Oddly, I'll then get a second wind and be fine behind the wheel.

 

Lunch always makes me sleepy, too. Sometimes I will take a 15-30 min. nap and once I am fully awake, I feel fairly refreshed.

I also wake up during the night most nights and sometimes can't fall asleep for an hour or two. But I tend to sleep a little later when that happens and I always seem to get my 8+ hours in. So once you retire the problem may not go away, but it will be less of a problem.

 

If you have sleep apnea that explains the dozing off since you aren't getting a restful night. That was my sister's issue as well. Rick has often been sleepy after lunch. If we're on the road, generally I'll drive for a bit after lunch.