Do you have a difficult time staying awake?

I have no difficulty at all nodding off, even as I drink a cuppa. I've found myself awake with it still in my hand, I am very still when I nod off.
However, occasionally I do have sleeplessness, always when I let myself get very anxious over a problem or the alarming news on TV. Then I find meditation is effective, or quiet music on my headphones. Also my pain medication for aches and pains is good for relaxing me, so I take an extra one if need.
 
I have suffered from sleep issues for years. But the one thing that does help sometimes, is when I wake in the middle of the night, if I pick a word like 'slumber', and then say four words that start with 'S', then four words that start with 'L', then four that start with 'U' and so on, it does help me fall back asleep. It prevents my mind from having all those nagging little thoughts about what someone said to me, or how I blew it the other day, or what I'm going to have to do tomorrow to get through my to-do list. It focuses my mind on something boring. It doesn't work every time, but often enough that I will give it a shot each time I wake.
 
The one thing that I cannot do is....Fall asleep in a moving vehicle, even as a passenger. With well over 2 million miles of accident free commercial driving behind me, I just can't sleep in a moving vehicle. At home, no problem at all to go to sleep. Old habits are hard to break I guess. JIM.
 
I started falling asleep in front of the TV when I turned 60. Not every evening but I noticed that's when it started. Even in the late afternoon sometimes. With TV or a book. I don't like it.
 
I sleep 8-9 hours every night, but I find days when I’m so tired during the day. … those days I remind myself to take B-12 and B-100 pills, as I forget to take them often.
 
HermitHogan said:
I suffer from sleep apnea, so I need a nap or two during the day. Sometimes I take a nap simply because I'm tired of being awake.
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Have you had your CPAP machine recalibrated lately? Mine was reset by the technician at the sleep clinic in October, and I can really notice the difference in how much better I feel in the morning when I get up. He reset the pressure amount and also changed the ramp up timer settings. My Resmed CPAP has a wireless connection ability, so the clinic can do "performance checks " wirelessly without me needing to go to them, now. JIM.
 
jimintoronto said:
The one thing that I cannot do is....Fall asleep in a moving vehicle, even as a passenger. With well over 2 million miles of accident free commercial driving behind me, I just can't sleep in a moving vehicle. At home, no problem at all to go to sleep. Old habits are hard to break I guess. JIM.
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That's interesting. Makes sense.

My brother marvels that his wife never falls asleep when they go on long drives. She was an elementary school bus driver for about 10 yrs.
 
IrisSenior said:
My husband has sleep apnea and falls asleep while we are watching tv at night. He has a nap in the afternoon. Of course, he denies that he has fallen asleep.
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I have sleep apnea too, and I am wondering if COVID or the shot for it, made matters worse. I had to give up being a Senior Companion because my energy level is so low. Sometimes I nap twice a day. I may come home from the pool/gym and go straight to bed. I spend a lot of time playing games on the computer instead of being more productive because I don't have the energy and feel lucky if I can keep awake until bedtime.
 
jimintoronto said:
Have you had your CPAP machine recalibrated lately? Mine was reset by the technician at the sleep clinic in October, and I can really notice the difference in how much better I feel in the morning when I get up. He reset the pressure amount and also changed the ramp up timer settings. My Resmed CPAP has a wireless connection ability, so the clinic can do "performance checks " wirelessly without me needing to go to them, now. JIM.
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I tried a CPAP device as well as oxygen, but nothing helps because I simply stop breathing several times during the night. It's not "obstructive" sleep apnea that I suffer from; it's called "central" sleep apnea. I also have very shallow breathing, which gets worse when I'm asleep.

Glad you're helped by the CPAP device! :)

Since I stop breathing several times during the night, I'm wondering if there's something that could wake me up when that happens, and maybe that would help me. It's been about 15 years since I was last diagnosed, so there may be some new device that could help me. I just don't feel like going to the doctor. Maybe I'll ask Dr. ChatGPT for its opinion. :cool:
 
Remy said:
I started falling asleep in front of the TV when I turned 60. Not every evening but I noticed that's when it started. Even in the late afternoon sometimes. With TV or a book. I don't like it.
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Most people over 55 don't realize - and our doctors don't tell us - that cellular repair in our bodies has to go into overdrive as we age, and that uses up a lot of energy. Naps are necessary.

Similarly, the reason we feel nappy after a meal is because our digestive system needs our energy reserves to do its thing.
 
HermitHogan said:
I tried a CPAP device as well as oxygen, but nothing helps because I simply stop breathing several times during the night. It's not "obstructive" sleep apnea that I suffer from; it's called "central" sleep apnea. I also have very shallow breathing, which gets worse when I'm asleep.

Glad you're helped by the CPAP device! :)

Since I stop breathing several times during the night, I'm wondering if there's something that could wake me up when that happens, and maybe that would help me. It's been about 15 years since I was last diagnosed, so there may be some new device that could help me. I just don't feel like going to the doctor. Maybe I'll ask Dr. ChatGPT for its opinion. :cool:
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Yes, ask it. I'm sure I've seen such a device and I believe it's worn on the wrist, like a watch.
 
HermitHogan said:
I tried a CPAP device as well as oxygen, but nothing helps because I simply stop breathing several times during the night. It's not "obstructive" sleep apnea that I suffer from; it's called "central" sleep apnea. I also have very shallow breathing, which gets worse when I'm asleep.

Glad you're helped by the CPAP device! :)

Since I stop breathing several times during the night, I'm wondering if there's something that could wake me up when that happens, and maybe that would help me. It's been about 15 years since I was last diagnosed, so there may be some new device that could help me. I just don't feel like going to the doctor. Maybe I'll ask Dr. ChatGPT for its opinion. :cool:
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The body automatically wakes when a person is sleeping and stops breathing. The person may be unaware of this, but it prevents going into the deep sleep phase, which is why the person wakes tired and lacks energy. Sleeping is essential to healing and our bodies need to do this every night even if we are not sick or injured. You may want to get more information.
Sleep apnea - Symptoms and causes.
 
No. Once l'm up in the morning. I stay awake. I wish l could fall asleep to television. Once l stopped working my whole sleep cycle got messed up and it still is. I used to be an early morning person answer or writing emails at 4 am.
 

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