Sleep problems (probably bad sleep hygiene)

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I have gotten into a rut with my sleep where I wake up every night after an hour or so and feel restless until I have an alcoholic beverage and usually a snack with that.

I don't need those extra calories, and I'm not getting a full night's sleep either, so I'm tired all the time.

I know I do certain things that probably contribute to the problem. I sleep with the television on, usually Forensic Files. I have a cat that sometimes wants to sleep in the room (and on the bed) with me. She is often scratching at my door to be let out or let back in. I can't just leave the door open because if I do, both cats are coming in and out all the time. Also then I can hear whatever tv program my spouse is listening to in the other room.

Inevitably I get up at least one time in the night to use the bathroom. Not taking any fluids after 6 p.m. is unrealistic and probably wouldn't make any difference.

There is an ongoing stressor in my life, which is taking care of my spouse with early-stage Alzheimer's. We stay mellow a lot of the time, don't fight, etc., but I have gradually increasing amounts of responsibility.

My doctor says she would rather see me taking Ambien than having alcohol to put me to sleep, but if the waking occurs around 2 to 3 a.m. and I have to drive in 6 hours, that might not be safe, as you are supposed to only use Ambien if you have a full 8 hours to sleep. Also I don't like the idea of developing dependence on Ambien - but I have to admit I seem to now be dependent on that alcoholic beverage in the middle of the night. Anyway, I have been alternating between Ambien for a few nights (which does usually work) or the beer/wine/liquor for a few nights.

Supposedly alcohol is a poor way to get to sleep as it causes fragmented and low-quality sleep. But I find after I have that drink, I don't keep waking usually.

Any suggestions?

I've known a few people who take Benadryl to help them sleep.

I believe, unless one has a history of alcoholism, that one drink a night really wouldn't promote dependence on alcohol, per se.

I know of people who have their regular glass of wine every day without adverse effects. In fact, some say it prolongs life.

I agree, I don't think I'm becoming dependent on alcohol. Not worried about that at all.

But I do think I have created a sleep pattern that cues me to wake up after an hour, physically get out of bed, go get the beverage and snack, and return to bed with it. Classical conditioning and all that. I could just have the snack, and it would be the same pattern; only then I am full and still can't seem to fall asleep.

I am used to poor sleep. Waking up only twice a night is something I consider a good night's sleep, as sometimes I wake up 9 or 10 times just to pee. I take either Ambien or Zopiclone each night to sleep as well as spraying lavender on my pillow case. I will take Ambien for a month or two then switch to Zopiclone(closest you got to Zopiclone in the US is Lunesta, essentially the same drug). The switching prevents me from building a tolerance to either one. The lavender I find is great to calm me down. I also play whitenoise to drown out any thoughts from my OCD as well as drown out noise from the neighbourhood or people waking up earlier in the morning than me that would otherwise keep me awake. I certainly don't let my cat into my room to wake me up, I value my sleep too much.

Other things I do, are I sleep with 10 blankets as the weight I find calming and helps me sleep. I turn off my TV an hour before bed. My night light is a dim red light, which won't wake me up if I have to use it in the night but still allows me to see where I am going and I keep the remote control for the light next to my pillow so if I have to get up I don't fall in the dark. I use twilight app on my phone to dim and tint the screen so I can read or listen to music in that hour before bed. I have blackout blinds and blackout curtains. I blackout every bit of light in my room. I keep the same bedtime routine every night within -/+15 mins.

Btw I love forensic files, I have watched every episode, some many times over. The great thing about Zopiclone or Ambien is that they both last very close to 8 hours then they are gone, no hangover like other sedating drugs. I would go to bed earlier if I were you and just use Zopiclone, find somehow to devote 8 hours to sleep.

Thanks for the tips, Noca.

I've heard the same about alcohol. I'm right at the end of marathon training (race day is Saturday!! !) and nearly two weeks ago I quit drinking. Full stop, cold turkey. I don't believe I have an alcohol problem, but I was in the habit of having a beer right at bedtime.

I'm not sure I can really tell a difference, but I'm SO READY for a beer after the race! I start feeling itchy just thinking about it. And no, I never intended to quit forever. I just didn't want to risk not being fully rested every morning. The little difference I THINK I feel is that I wake up a bit more alert, like I don't mind getting up as much and I don't feel quite as anxious as I used to. Before I felt maybe a little high-strung, whereas now I think I'm getting more out of sleep than I did when I had a beer right at bedtime. Probably in the future I'll have a no-beer-after-8pm rule and see if that helps any.

I keep music on while I sleep. I enjoy electronic, ambient music and have always experimented with making my own music. By tinkering with PureData I came up with my own algorithm for generating this kind of music and sound. It's nothing special, really. It just masks other noises in the environment so that it's easier to fall asleep. I've hear that white noise generators serve the same purpose but, personally, I find full-spectrum sound to be a little unnerving. My compositions happen to incorporate noise, only in a more organic way, and can be used purely as background noise for any kind of space or for relaxation.

One of my musical influences is Steve Roach. I recommend perusing some of his work such as this one:

Molecules of Motion, really awesome SR album