sleep patterns

[LittleBrownFrog]

ooh yes, it worked for those naughty bunnies!

[mrs boodles]

Am I missing something re: lettuce sandwiches, and bunnies. sounds interesting.
I don`t drink coffee late at night (unless I am in no sleep mode) but do drink quite a lot during the day.
Music, I have got the GRegorian chant and I like stuff like that BUT I have a hubby whose continual snoring means I wear ear plugs in bed and so music no good.
Sorry to be so negative to all your advice, it is appreciated and I am going to try the staying up as late as possible and try set time to get up.
I could ask the pharmasist for something but on inhalers anti depressants (so can`t drink) and blood pressure tablets so have to be ok`ed. I sound like a walking disaster area but not really well try not to be.

[LittleBrownFrog]

In 'The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies' by Beatrix Potter, the bunnies eat too much lettuce, then fall asleep & are captured by Mr MacGregor

[HappyBob]

Mrs Boodles, does your current sleep pattern change in the summer months or is it the same all year? Also you dont state that after you go back to bed at 6am then rise again at dinner time, are you groggy for the rest of the day or is it a case you just want to get up earlier to be in sync with "normal" society?. I,ve observed over the years that a lot of peoples sleep patterns go out of kilter during the winter months, including my own.

During the winter months I go into a polyphasic sleep pattern instead of having one long sleep in a 24 hour period(monophasic),I may have 3-4 shorter naps(polyphasic), in a 24 hour period, but during the summer months I revert back to a biphasic sleep pattern where I sleep twice in a 24 hour period, which seems to be my natural mode.

I normally go back to my normal biphasic mode naturally as the days lengthen, but if I want to kick start it I,ll set my alarm clock for 5.30am get up, then have my usual 90 min nap around 5.30pm, then back to bed at 1am where the cycle starts again.

Its really tough for the week it takes my body clock to retune, its like jetlag where i,m just out of sync with everything, so really prefare the natural way. After a week or so i,m nearly back to normal and I find I can get up naturally without the alarm clock, also I find I can move my 90 minute nap around to fit around my day or even omit it the odd day.

[Homemade]

I find that i can take no more then one caffeine drink a day and that includes tea so i use decaffeinated for all drinks now. Also chocolate has caffeine in and dark chocolate will keep me awake if eaten in the evening.

I think that having a regular alarm on in the morning helps to reset the sleep pattern even if it is a bit dfficult to start with.

Milky drinks, lavender scent , and relaxation techniques will all help too. I find that if I give my problems a time to be dealt with tomorrow, eg. wil phone about appointment at 10,then I can forget about them and stop them going round in my head.

Lettuce has natural opiates in.

[mrs boodles]

Morninig Bob and homemade. Well this has only started the past few months, the only other time I had real problems was when I had an overactive thyroid but that was sorted 10yrs ago. I slept last night till 2am, then I just dozed on and off till 6am (hubbys snoring even got through the ear plugs) when I got up and I feel a lot more lively and awake. When I go back to bed after morning up, it does take about half hour to get sorted but some of that is to do with COPD as breathing not so good until meds done, and then it`s catch trying to get things done. I am going to get an alarm clock and try that. I have always been one for getting up early winter and summer. I will try the acaffeine free tea and coffee, never thought of that, and I do drink a lot of it during day.
as I said in earlier post I really do appreciate all the advice and help, I am just missing so much of the day with this problem and its really annoying as well as making me feel run down.

[HappyBob]

Morning Mrs Boodles, i,m sure your current sleep situation is just a seasonal occurance, and that as the days lengthen you will revert back as most do, to your natural pattern. I wouldnt worry to much about it at the min. If you have the time read about Monophasic and, Biphasic sleep patterns on the various sites it quite fascinating.

I didnt go to sleep untill 4.30am this morning and I was back op at 7.45am, and will prob have a few power naps throughout the day if I get the chance. I dont mind as I know I will go back to my natural sleep pattern in a couple of weeks time.

[aishakali]

I couldn't sleep last night

[HappyBob]

This is a quite interesting read on the subject.

http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/110 ... -myth.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Maggie1]

Its an old fashioned remedy of eating lettuce sandwiches. Its supposed to be something with the sap in the lettuce stalks that helps to sleep. Another plant thing is Valerian which you can get in tablet form in health food shops.

[aishakali]

I know that unscrupulous sellers would sometimes give lettuce to a difficult horse as it would make them quiet and easier to sell

[Homemade]

Another thing that makes a difference is to get fresh air and sunlight.

With health problems you might not get out to exercise especially in the cold months but getting out does help.
The exercise and fresh air helps to tire out the body.
The sunlight gives you vitamen D.
And bright light counteracts S.A.D. and helps reset the body clock. You can get lamps to give you bright light.

I hate not getting a full nights sleep - although I do sleep less than I used to, I assume that's an age thing.