I've been wearing several loose tunic tops with black capri length leggings
to keep cool these past few weeks.
The leggings provide a wee bit of coverage for my legs.
My legs are muscular and strong from walking.
I feel self conscious about the various scars
veins
and
blotchy marks
that I have accumulated over 64 years of being on this Earth.
Living in an aging body
is
something that I have not accepted...
I think of myself as a much younger person
with ample energy to perform many tasks each day.
So when I do feel tired...
I am kind of surprised and taken aback.
Limiting my "To do list" might be of some help.
Lowering my expectations of what I am reasonably capable of accomplishing on any given day might be something to work on.
Perhaps my level of energy has waned
because my sleep has not been that restful since we moved into the guest room double bed?
I've started going to bed before 10 usually around 9:30
and I wake around 6 something in the morning.
I wear my FITBIT to bed so I can check on my sleep patterns.
I wake several times each night.
My sleep is mostly "light" with limited REM and Deep sleep.
We will soon be back in our Queen bed as the renovations are almost finished...
This is something I am so looking forward to!
It's taken quite a while to get this project completed...
due to our holidays and a long delay getting started.
The trades here in Victoria are so busy!
There is a building boom on and there are not enough people to do all the jobs.
We are so fortunate to have a reliable contractor and skilled trades people.
I will be posting a few photos as soon as the furniture is back in place.
What are your sleep patterns like?
Do you feel that your sleep could be improved?
Have you any sleep tricks up your sleeve that you care to share?
Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.
~ Be Well and Be Kind ~
34 comments:
I'm right there with you! The workmen have not appeared on our side of the building for 4 weeks. The window and the drywall patch were to be finished on August 12. I've gradually moved furniture back in place because we don't have a guest room and I can't sleep in a storage room. Since the blinds are off and there is scaffolding outside the window, I'm wearing capri leggings too. Tilde used to go out on the balcony at night if she had a bathroom need. Now she sleeps in her sherpa bag and cries if she needs to go. I get up and put her on her paper. It's like having a baby again. I go to sleep early and wake at 5 something. I used to use the fitbit to track sleep but I found that it could become a preoccupation. Walking, fresh air and no food or drink after 6pm all help with sleep. We've got the same hair today. Those bits by the face are getting long. Enjoy the week-end!
I'm with you on needing to learn to limit myself. I still think I can accomplish as much in a day as when I was 35. I find that an evening walk helps me sleep better, and stopping any screentime at least an hour before bedtime. Your hair is growing out so nicely!
To go to sleep I do the breathing exercise of breathe in at count of 5, hold for count of 2, then breathe out slowly to count of 7. I also say over and over, " I'm so happy and grateful to be here" like a mantra.
Oh my! That’s quite an ordeal!
Have you got a sleep mask by any chance? That may help and some lavender spray...
There’s so much construction here in our city and lots on the street as people are taking advantage of the weather to finish off projects before the rainy season sets in.
You must be looking forward to your Arizona holiday!
My sister is busier than I am and she’s a night owl going to bed after midnight and up around 5:30....I don’t know how she does it!
Your homemade salsa must be wonderful. We harvested tomatoes and apples today. I am going to roast some tomatoes for our dinner tomorrow night and we ate apples with blue cheese for lunch today as a special treat!
I am liking the versatility of longer hair. I can put it up in a French roll and fasten it with a clip.
Sounds like a great way to relax and ease into slumber Doona!
Wish I had a good suggestion on the sleep. Various things have sometimes been helpful to me, but not always consistently. I fall asleep watching Frasier re-runs on Netflix (which my husband then ends up turning off). I don't find "screen time" before sleep a problem for me. The other way I fall asleep is reading. Here are a couple things I do when I've woken up and can't return to sleep - I name all the United States in alphabetical order or I think about my office building and move through the building naming each person in order as I encounter them. This may sound silly, but it's a version of counting sheep, I think, that can work for me (I say can as sometimes nothing works). I often don't get to the end before drifting off. I started doing it as a way to focus my mind from worry, anxiety, thinking about not sleeping, etc.
I can't remember the last time I had more than 4 hours of sleep and constantly walk around in the state of feeling dazed. However, I keep believing that the ship will right itself eventually. I agree with the not being able to accept the aging. It's most noticeable that I can not do hard exercise day after day, there needs to be rest periods in between. As to the lack of accomplishment, I've decided if I deal with one piece of paper from my ever growing pile, that I'm declaring that a win.
I've got 5 years on you, so yes, I can confirm you can't do everything you once did. One thing I do each morning is list potential things I'd like to get done that day in my daily journal with a small dot beside each of them. If I finish a task, I put an X across the dot, but if I don't, I put an arrow > on the dot which denotes that it should be moved to another day. When I put my list of to-do's together the following day/week/etc, I move the task. I used this (bullet) method at work for a number of years before I retired. Helps one feel less defeated in shifting the task to another period. As an acceptance of my age, the days after I help with small grandchildren, the task list is v.v. short. :)
Sleeping--or not--is so individual, as you note above with your sister's pattern, so different from your own. Your current sleeping arrangements clearly are a significant hurdle, too.
My current method: To go to sleep, I listen to an audio book with a small soft earpiece in one ear, setting the timer on my device for up to an hour. I usually fall asleep within that period. Only have to go return to the last thing I remember hearing, when I go back to the book. If I wake up in the night and find sleep elusive, I pop in the earpiece again and repeat the earlier moves. Keeps me from letting my thoughts spin in the dark.
I am 72 and have had terrible sleep disturbances for several years. My doctor put me on Ambien which was wonderful. I soon realized I was going to have to come up with another solution as that probably was not going to be prescribed for me forever. I started with melatonin and have worked myself up to 20 mg before bedtime. That seems to work quite well I don't have the episodes of waking up at 1 or 2 in the morning for 3 or 4 hours anymore either. I would say that you probably should not expect results within the first month that you start the Ambien unless you're very lucky. It took me several months to find out what my dose was. Let me add you must give up all caffeine.
I try to keep my eyes closed when I wake up in the middle of the night...I usually can fall back to sleep but it can take quite awhile. I think if I focused on anything like naming the states I might wake up even more but as you mention it takes your mind off not sleeping. Anything simple and drug free is worth trying.
I may go back to the lavender spray that I used iwhen I was in menopause...
Yes those rest periods of which you speak are key to accomplishing a lot in the daytime. Lack of sleep does wreak havoc on one's energy. 4 hours sleep would not be enough for me...I'd be a zombie, and would definitely need a nap during the day.
We must stay optimistic and not get bogged down by focusing on the negative.
Your habit of the audio book sounds quite lovely...my husband listens to a radio with ear buds..."white noise" and it helps him. I've never tried it.
I tried ear plugs once but I kept hearing my heart beat loudly in my ears! It sounded like thumping...too noisy for me...will continue to look for tricks that may work.
My doctor does not want to prescribe anything for me...he says that all are addictive.
I trust and respect his opinion so I am seeking out other methods...my grandmother was an avid reader and would read in bed when she woke at night...I think I would need tons of caffeine to keep me awak if I did that every night. I limint myslef to 2 coffees every morning and if I have tea of coffee later its alway a decaf. I tried melatonin years ago and persevered for several months with no results...I am happy that it works so well for you.
My sister and I were discussing this very thing not too many days ago. We both have far less energy reserves than we once did, even though we are both fairly active. And catching a glimpse of oneself unaware in a reflective window or such? Horrifying. But I also agree that one's mental image and how old one feels internally, seem to be ageless. Not exactly young, but definitely younger. I have to keep reminding myself of my age because at times I fear I'll act inappropriately! Provided I haven't seen myself recently, of course. ;)
The sleeping thing can be difficult. Too many aches and pains, and I've always been a light sleeper. But my doctor prescribed a simple meditation practice once a day for just 15 minutes. His instructions were easy, and it's made things a lot better. I was surprised, because I thought it would be much harder. But now all I need to get to sleep is a few deeper breaths. And if I awake at night, my worrisome squirrel brain is easier to quell. Usually.
Oh I so agree with you. My 72 year old body is telling me to slow down a bit and I and my 4 year old granddaughter don't like it. As for sleep patterns, since my husband died 2 years ago I have inherited his!! Another thing I do not like. I try yoga breathing when I wake at 4 in the morning and it does help sometimes. I also refuse to take medication hoping things will eventually right themselves. If I can stop the mind going into overdrive I sleep better. Maybe tonight will bring a breakthrough.
Just got an adjustable split king-sized bed after many years on a queen. It is WONDERFUL, especially after sleeping on a wedge pillow to help with reflux. Now I just adjust the head up and sleep so much better.
I fully understand the feelings of aging, hard to realize the energy isn't going to increase! I'm learning to pace myself, work off a doable to-do list and do the most AM when I'm freshest.
For well over a month after retiring I slept better than I had in decades. But planning a big trip put my head into a spin (capsule wardrobe, cat sitter, typing up important passwords for the kids...)so I've used ZzzQuil, children's dosage, on nights I know will cause trouble. It seems to work well over all. I try not to drink coffee or tea (always decaf) after 2 pm, but since there's been a chill in the air, I can't help myself. My version of counting sheep has always been to "redecorate" my favorite houses or apartments of mine or of friends or of relatives. Carol in VT
The stress of a renovation plus sleeping in a different bed can cause sleep issues. My older friends say as we age we need less sleep. I am not sure if this is a scientific fact. That said, most everyone I know has some sort of sleep issue. Your Fit Bit watch seems to give you some good info about your sleep pattern. Do physicians work with this data and make recommendations? Susan
I use generic ambien and it has worked for me for a long time, (knock on wood that it continues to). Melatonin works great for my husband, but gives me weird dreams/nighmares. I also like having old movies on low volume, just loud enough to hear, helps me relax and fall asleep. I watch recordings of them and it often takes several times before I ever see the entire movie. The movie seems to take my mind off of whatever I may be concerned about and the low volume drowns out sounds from outside that would wake me.
I have also noticed when my thyroid levels get out of whack, too low or too high, it seriously affects my sleep.
BODY CANNOT BE GOOD!
I know EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE SAYING.................regarding legs and doing things!I hate the fact IDITCH THE FIT BIT!
I had the same experience with it.........Little deep sleep and barely any REM!IT gave me STRESS as I felt I had had a good night sleep!
My doctor says they are not ACCURATE also!AND wearing a piece of PLASTIC ON YOUR have to cut back but I cannot possibly make it till dinner if I don't!Lately, I have been logging 9 or 10 hours of sleep a night!STARTED taking MAGNESIUM at NIGHT!Since doing that I feel a better sleep has ARRIVED!I sleep in a DOUBLE BED with the HUSBAND!A queen wouldn't FIT in our bedroom!
XX
You've had a lot on your mind, as have I..and I notice that when that's going on, I go to sleep well, but wake up often. My energy is also lower than I'd like it to be, but I'm 67 and should be grateful, not discouraged. I find that actually when I "overdo" during the day, my sleep is much worse. xo
No commentor has mentioned sleep apnea yet. I was recently diagnosed but have not received a CPAP machine yet. My doctor and specialist thought it unlikely that I have it since I am too young, too slim, etc. and in general lack the obvious "causes".
You might look into testing for sleep apnea, especially since your FITbit is recording less REM and deep sleep.
I'm 67 now and have come to understand that I have less energy than I had in years past. I can only accomplish so much in a day. Some days it consists of some chores at home, taking my elderly mother to lunch and to the grocery store--and then a few more errands and I'm finished for the day.
Sounds like you've got a great attitude and your meditation is working for you in the sleep department! Aches and pains do affect our ability to get a good nights sleep...seeing oneself in a mirror or a store window should not be horrifying!!!
The energies of a grandchild do make us realize that we are aging! They are like Energizer Bunnies...only stop when they are asleep.
I was actually working on my "carry on packing list" last night a 4 am...then I managed to go back to sleep.
Sounds to me like your new bed is a great investment!
I purchased a memeory foam mattress protecto which makes our bed so much cozier. Soft new cotton sheets and fresh new pillows...all will help to make our slumber better.
Carol both you and I are working out the travel details in the wee wee hours!
Last night around 4 am I worked on my minimal carry on wardrobe for 3 weeks in Italy and France!
I have heard that we need less sleep as we age but I do enjoy a restful night and waking up feeling refreshed.
I am not sure what doctors say about the FitBit data? I may ask next time I am at the clinic.
Those old films and low volumes probably mimic "white noise" they sell those sleep machines that are meant to help us fall asleep...I am aware of all the creaks in our heritage home so I would not be able to sleep if I had one playing.
I have a constant thyroid issue...hypothyroid and that may be the cause of my inability to stay asleep.
Maybe I need to try magnesium...at night.
I am not going to miss sleeping in the cozy double bed...our queen allows us to turn over without waking each other up...my friend who has a king says she would never go back to sleeping on a Queen!!
I have to agree with you...when I log over 12,000 steps in a day I cannot get a decent nights sleep...maybe its the volume of activity that prevents me from dropping off and staying asleep...over stimulation!
I am grateful for many things too Kathy. We are very fortunate in so many ways.
I can ask my GP about that next time I see him...good idea.
I think we need to be mindful of our activities and pace ourselves.
Fortunately being retired means that i can always do tomorrow what I didn't get done today.
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