Dear LPG

I have to start by saying that I am now over 80, and think that I am not doing too badly in the light of that fact, but during the past few years I find myself getting less and less sleep during the nights.   There is the age old problem that my bladder causes when it interrupts my sleeping hours at least three times a night and, over those years,  I have also found myself suffering from a gradually increasing degree of pain which makes the process of getting to sleep in the first place a challenging task…  

My answer has been to stay out of bed until later each night in the hope that if I am more tired when I get there I will sleep more effectively, and I have to say that I have found that doing this has resulted in some success.  I know, from talking to friends of a similar age, that I am not the only octogenarian who has this problem.

When it all began I found that I was getting up later and later in the mornings with the result that it was often after midday before I had prepared to leave home to go shopping or attend a day centre.  Dinner was getting later and later with the result that I was more awake during the afternoon while I was doing a rather good impersonation of a zombie most mornings.

I know that everyone who experiences the problem finds themselves with differing solutions and I have found a short nap during the day to be a solution for me.  So I have consequently adopted the age old habit of the Spanish. I have a couple of friends who tell me that they take to their beds for an afternoon sleep of anything from half an hour to two hours or more, allowing them to get up and function in what is generally a much more positive way as a result.  I have to confess that I appear to have more energy after nodding off for a short while in the afternoon whenever I feel the need.  It really helps me to make the most of the rest of the day. It is interesting that the need only occurs when I am doing something that could be seen as boring, which means that I don’t actually feel it essential to have 40 winks if I am in company. If I am home though I just have a short nap when my body tells me to and that works well for me although I am not sure that there is a generic answer.

I recently took a look to see what the internet had to say on the subject and, as ever , it offers both good and bad findings, but it works for me which leaves me wondering if other LPG readers have an opinion.

SB, Sydenham.

LPG has found some information although we remind you that most of this is geared towards people younger than most who visit this site. 

(►►►)   (►►►)     (►►►)    (►►►)