I'm a night hawk, but I've gotta start going to bed earlier

[CanadianJohn]

I've always liked staying up late, and as a consequence having trouble getting up in the morning. Even as a kid I was reading under the covers with a flashlight, and then a slug in the morning. As an adult, I mostly worked evening or midnight shifts, which worked out fine.

Now, at the age of 78, unfortunately, I am having a health problem directly related to not getting enough sleep. I go to bed at 2.00, and get up at 7.30 ... I'd often like to sleep in, but I hate starting the day late, and the pussycat wants breakfast.

So, I gotta start going to bed earlier. And go to sleep, not just toss and turn. Even going to bed at 2.00, it sometimes takes a while to fall asleep.

I have all the obvious sleep habits... routine, dark room, quiet, etc etc. It's gonna be interesting, trying to change the habit of a lifetime.

Do you nap or are you managing on just 5 hrs sleep a night? If so, drop the nap.
Tips, exercise to wear you out, magnesium glycinate supplements at bedtime, chamomile tea, no caffeine after midday, listen to sleepy podcasts as you fall you asleep. Good luck 👍

What health problems are you having? I’m asking because I do the same thing. I go to bed at 1.30 ish and get up at 7.00. What have I got to look forward to ? 😁

I’m always up past 2am then have an early ish start for work. Also have young kids who wake me up during the night or early mornings then I can’t nod back off before work.
I can already tell it’s affecting my memory and my health but don’t seem to be able to make changes after 40yrs. It gets worse each year.

good luck with the new routine and let us know if you find something that works!

Yes I’m the same, sitting here now at 2.25 am and putting off going to bed- I don’t know why…I’d like to know too. Anyone else out there?

I'm the same. If I try to go to sleep earlier I end up tossing and turning, stressing about how I should be asleep.
I'm a night owl and even at work I get a great gust of energy from about 4pm as the day is finishing.

I’m several decades younger but have exactly the same problem. I don’t want to go to bed!

Why don't you get up at 9? That's still not really starting the day very late. I feel it's better for you to give with your natural circadian rhythm which sounds like its later

I bought some Horlicks last week for the first time in years . One cup and I slept the sleep of the dead😀I have always been a night owl and am interested what health problems it could cause ? Reading in bed ( a physical book not phone) helps me drop off .

Thanks for all your comments. I want to work my way up to 7 hours of sleep a night, which in practice means being in bed by midnight. I really enjoy the early mornings, in the summer, watching the birds on the feeder and wandering around the garden.

I know a guy, a retiree, who stays up till 4 or 5 in the morning, and then sleeps till noon. I'm trying to avoid that scenario for myself.

Last night, I went to bed at 1.15 am, and slept pretty well till 7.30. I'll do that for a week or so, and then if all is well I'll go to bed a little earlier the following week, until I reach my goal of midnight bedtime.

The health issue I mentioned is "microsleep", dropping off for a few seconds, or less. Everyone nods off while watching TV, no big deal, but I am doing it while driving! My microsleeps are a second, or less... really micro. Doesn't sound like much? At 30mph a car travels 44ft in a second. Last week, driving on a multi-lane highway, I had 2 episodes on the highway, and then another while waiting for the traffic light to change on the exit ramp. Yesterday, I had FIVE episodes on a short drive on city streets.

I am reluctant to go to a doctor as a first step... he might refer me to a sleep clinic, and my license could be suspended. So, Dr Google tells me that the essential problem - barring brain disorders - is that I am tired. So, common sense measures to get more sleep, be careful while driving, and see a doctor only if I can't resolve the problem myself.

You need to stop driving this is dangerous you could kill someone in an accident!!!

You need to stop driving and seek medical help, you are being utterly selfish. If you have always gone to bed late and this has just started, how do you know you don’t have another condition?

Terrifying. What on earth are you doing still driving?! You could kill someone!

Sounds like you have described narcolepsy. I think you must surrender your licence if you are diagnosed with this, perhaps a doctor can confirm?

Please please voluntarily stop driving until you have this sorted. It is so dangerous and the fact that you know about it and continue to drive regardless makes you irresponsible. What if you were to kill someone in a micro sleep where you travel 44ft?!

Stop driving til you've resolved this!!!

I politely suggest that you are sleeping exactly the right amount of time for you, and that you will find yourself getting up earlier if you go to bed earlier.

I think I’m you, 30 years younger. Used to sleep for 7 1/2 hours or so, but it’s down to 6 hours and 15 mins or so (I monitor with my watch!) in my mid 40s, and will undoubtedly reduce further. I go to bed at 12:30 and get up at 7, which means about 10 mins or so to fall asleep and usually waking up slightly before the alarm.

Not everyone needs to sleep for 7+ hours. Long sleep is a young person’s game.

Surrender your license before you kill somebody. It’s that plain and simple.

Please stop driving. I climbed through a windscreen of an upturned car last week to hold the hand of an elderly man who had been smashed into by a speeding driver. His injuries are life changing and it took them over an hour to cut him out
I still keep hearing the bang now

Please stop driving!!! This is crazy, imagine waking up from a microsleep and you've hit and killed a child

Please please please OP stop driving until you have found a way to stop the microsleeps. You could easily kill somebody.

I am reluctant to go to a doctor as a first step... he might refer me to a sleep clinic, and my license could be suspended. So, Dr Google tells me that the essential problem - barring brain disorders - is that I am tired. So, common sense measures to get more sleep, be careful while driving, and see a doctor only if I can't resolve the problem myself

Your license SHOULD be suspended. Be careful while driving? What does that look like if you can't control the multiple dropping to sleep.

This might be the most shocking things I've read on here. You're regularly falling asleep begins the wheel and continuing to drive? I genuinely hope you're on the wind up.

Thank you for all your replies. I feel I should clarify the timeline.. it was a week ago that I experienced microsleeps on a highway... until that happened, I had never heard the word. It was Sunday that I experienced my "neighbourhood" microsleeps. I called my family doctor on Monday, and had an appointment on Tuesday.

A bit to my surprise, the doctor is not reacting very much; perhaps he hears worse every week. He agrees with me that it is probably just that I am tired, but just in case he is referring me to a sleep clinic in case I have sleep apnea.

In the short run, he suggests

• get more sleep
• don't drive even if I am slightly tired
• restrict my driving to short distances
• drive only in the morning (more likely to be alert)

Don't drive at all.

I'm glad you have seen your GP OP.

DH snored for years. Its dangerous, and puts you are far greater risk of stroke/heart attack etc. Extreme tiredness can have similar effects- the same as driving drunk!!! DH saw his GP, then a respiratory consultant online. He was sent equipment and tested at home- no sleep clinic overnight. He has a CPAP machine now. He still drives and there were no issues with his license! He has lost weight and hopes to come off the machine soon. I'd suggest completing the epworth score from the link, just to give you an idea if its that.

https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/obstructive-sleep-apnoea-osa/epworth-sleepiness-scale

If you think its just a lack of sleep- what are you doing till 2am? It is extremely important and vital what you are doing at that hour? TV, MN or something else which is stimulating? I assume you've tried a hot shower/bath before bed, stopping electronics a few hours before bed and reading/crochet/something calming? Lavender oil, sleepeze, those sleep podcasts? I hope you get it sorted soon.

You need to declare this to DVLA

https://www.gov.uk/excessive-sleepiness-and-driving

I'm not in the UK