Not sleeping well

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Hello all. I am a newbie here and I saw that there is a discussion board for sleep. I have had trouble with sleep for the last couple of years. I suppose that part of it could be my age. The changes women go through, etc. I have also been going through a lot of pain, which wakes me up. Yesterday I was told that I have arthritis in my knee caps and bursitis in one of my hips. I guess that is where the pain comes from.
When I am awake at night, my mind thinks of everything at once and there is no way of shutting it off. I tried melatonin. Didn’t do anything for me. My husband and I sleep in different beds ( not because we don’t like each other, but he snores like crazy) so it isn’t a cramped space issue and I have a new mattress.
Any ideas would be appreciated. I am trying to lose weight, probably will help too although I have been overweight my whole life. Thanks community!

TracyL963

I've gotten better over time. Start with sleep hygiene - see if you can make improvements there.

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene

I practice 4-7-8 breathing. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/4-7-8-breathing

I use a white noise machine on the rain setting. There are also apps like "Calm."

I've tried chamomile tea - meh. But cutting off my caffeine at 5:00p.m. helped. There are many supplements to try - but I'm not there yet

AnnPT77

Have you taken a look at any of the other sleep threads in this area? There are some good ones, lots of tips.

As just one example, this thread has quite a few replies:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10849352/sleep-suggestions#latest

I've tried a bunch of things, but as I said in that thread, what helped the most for me was - surprisingly to me - hypnotherapy. I have a different type of insomnia than you, though. I went to my employer's assistance program for a referral to that type of therapist. They told me that if I had the "mind spinning, can't go to sleep" kind of insomnia you mention, that a small number of sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) could be very helpful. But I can't confirm that, since that wasn't my problem so I didn't try it.

I hope you can find a solution: Sleeping poorly is a really big deal.

You're right that pain can be a piece of it, IMO. I have osteoarthritis (various body parts) and at least one torn knee meniscus (probably both). Anything I do that helps the pain does help sleep a little in my case, but I don't think the pain is the biggest issue in my case, more just a thing that's there.

Best wishes!

Lizdegn

Like you, I am plagued with night time pain, and then my mind zooms off in a million different directions, usually with worrying thoughts. I recently found one simple, silly thing that works--I think it's akin to hypnotherapy: Visualize random things in your mind, but don't hold them there. As quickly as you can, visualize another random thing. Jump all over, visualizing random objects. This interrupts the brain's endless cycle of anxiety-ridden thoughts and fight-or-flight chemical production. Bobby pin, cherry, tin can, shoe, bicycle.... you get the "picture"

Corina1143

things that helped me.
Magnesium and vitamin D. I was deficient in both.
Journaling. You know all those things that run through your mind at 2 or 3 am? Write about them before you go to bed. Devote some time to them. Not much.
Nighttime routine.
Sleep timer. Turn on TV or radio with 30 minute sleep timer. Get ready for bed. About 10 minutes left when I crawl in bed. Usually asleep before it goes off.
No light in the bedroom at night. Light in the hall. Light in the bathroom. Not in the bedroom.
Blue blocker glasses while on phone or computer.
Limit caffeine all day. I have some. Coffee in the morning or iced tea in the afternoon. Not both.

LoganBennett715

You could try out the trick that I learned from my experience. When you feel like you are having trouble sleeping, drink a warm glass of milk and close your eyes for about 10 to 15 minutes. You will find the results quite appealing.

MelissaSel

See your primary care provider and request a sleep study. Untreated sleep apnea is very hard on the heart, and using CPAP can give you better quality sleep. Better sleep can help with weight loss. Many insurances will allow home sleep testing as long as you don't have comorbidities such as COPD, CHF, or use supplemental O2.

mikeyrowlands

Not sure about the pain but I struggled to sleep for years for various reasons. I'd often play tv or series with headphones in to distract my wandering mind.

I sleep now with silicone earplugs in and then a bluetooth eye mask. I play an 8 hour brown noise track of a waterfall.

Works really well, most nights I'm straight out and not interrupted often. The only issue is often lifting the mask to check time etc as it blocks out the light and it could easily be 3am or 10am.

springlering62

I’ve had hip pain for years at night. When I sleep with a weighted blanket, the gentle pressure relieves the ache.

I also don’t toss and turn because it’s more difficult with the weight.

I have a twin size 15 pound that I use on my side of the bed. My husband sleeps with a CPap (can be noisy and distracting to me) and hates the idea of a weighted blanket.

They’re not expensive. Start with a lower weight blanket and “move up” if you find you like it. I tried a kids sized 7 pound and didn’t like it. It got all tangled up, didn’t prevent me tossing, and wasn’t enough weight for pain relief.

As. a teen, I slept with like eight quilts and blankets on the bed, so I guess I was into weighted blankets before they became a thing, lol.

Another thing that helps, I have a yoga instructor that tell us to close our eyes and focus on the back of our eyelids. As crazy as it sounds, it’s very effective.