Full nights sleep?

I get 8 hours more often than not.  The only time I couldn't sleep (other than when I was on prednisone) was when my mom's mental and physical health was declining and there was so much to figure out.  That was back in 2008.  I took Ambien during my steriod treatment (around 1996) and when my mom was deteriorating.

I use meditation and breathing techniques to go back to sleep when I wake during the night.  Sleep cycles average 90 minutes or so all night.  You will rouse at the end of each cycle but mostly don't remember waking.  People freak out and think they are supposed to sleep like the dead all night long.  Not going to happen.

DH struggles.  He took Ambien since 2012.  He was able to get off the Ambien after attending a six week sleep clinic.  He does take an extremely low dose of Trazadone (sp?) to help get to sleep.  The medicos seem to think this is less worrisome than the Ambien.

No, I do not know the last time I slept 8 hours. Per my fitbit, I am sleeping about 6 to 6 1/2 hours with a lot of waking up. I pee probably 4 or 5 times a night, nope I do not have diabetes. I do drink water in the evening but I think I have also trained myself through the years to pee the first twinge that I have to go so there is no waiting, not ignoring, my bladder is trained to want to be empty. I literally hate that feeling.

TMI on a Saturday afternoon lol

*** on another note, nighttime is the best time to worry especially about stuff I have no control over.

I get 7 to 8 hours of sleep but it is broken up by me needing to pee multiple times during the night. I take two psych meds, one in the morning and one at night. If I forget the one at night it takes me a long while to fall asleep and then when I do I wake after about one hour and then it is hard for me to go back to sleep. It takes a while but I usually figure out I forgot my pill and go and take it. Then I'll get a few hours sleep before about 7 when I am awake and that is it for the day. I cannot fall asleep during the day which bugs me because I still feel tired in the morning.

Also if I wake up extra early and can't get back to sleep I get up to eat three plain rice cakes and the carbs get me back to sleep for an hour or two. If I go ahead and get up and have a long day I will end up eating extra too.

Back in the financial crisis in 2008 I had great trouble falling asleep because of anxiety and would tell myself I needed to sleep so I could face the next day. I didn't want to be all worn out the next day. That helped. I use to also think about the people on the other side of the world who were already in tomorrow. Somehow that helped. Also, I would think about me lying in bed as where I was was being rotated towards the sun for sunup. That also helped. I don't do those things now.

I've been meditating and I think that has really helped quiet my mind at night. I use to get all caught up in my thoughts once I was in bed. Now I list things I am grateful for, pray for help with my problems, and then pay attention to my breathing. I have some meditations by Deepak Chopra and on some of them the explanation of the mantra is: we are one with the cosmos. I remind myself of that and that since I am part of the cosmos I follow the physical rules for humans: humans need to sleep at night to do maintenance on the brain and to rest the body, preferably during the nocturnal hours. Therefore it is my job to sleep.

When I had the busy mind at night I made up the mantra: right here, right now, and no place else. Which keeps me from fussing about things in the past or in the future, and what concerns other people who aren't here.

As I said I think practicing meditation and breathing techniques really have helped me.

Another good mantra when you are trying to focus on your breath is "Just This."  Meaning you are breath and nothing else.  "Just" on the inhale, "This" on the exhale.

Yeah, DH and I each have to get up at least once to pee.  Then there's the whole thing with the cat needing to knead me at 3:00 in the morning.  Not that often.

lani, birdgal, My three cats don't bother me at night but they are all waiting for me when I wake up. They want their breakfast.

I also have to get up to go to the bathroom several times during the night. If I don't I just kind of toss and turn.

When I was recovering from hip surgery dh slept in the guest room so we could both get a better night's rest. I don't think I slept any better, but I know I would have disturbed him as I was taking over a good portion of the bed trying to get comfortable.