I started taking an over the counter sleep aid. It is the same medication as in Benadryl, so in addition to helping me sleep, I can breathe! Win-win.
Or at least it was until I started to read stories that taking sleep aids can affect short term memory in older people. I don't know how old you have to be to be considered old. But I am pretty sure I am there...or at least rapidly approaching old. I'm racing down the back side of THAT mountain.
When I don't take a sleep aid, I do take Melatonin. I have no idea if it works, but psychologically, if I TAKE something to sleep, I figure my body might cooperate.
But it hasn't been working, so I bought some Sleepytime Tea. Oh, not just the REGULAR Sleepytime Tea. But the Sleepytime EXTRA Tea. And it has valerian in it. That's good, right?
I made a cup and drank it around 8:30. It was a nice cup of tea and I felt very relaxed. Then I got nervous that it would be insufficient, so I got up and took TWO Melatonin tablets about 10:00.
I felt sleepy and turned off the light around 11:00.
Ahhh. This is great, I thought.
And I woke up at 4:30 and have been up ever since.
On the bright side, the night before last I woke up at 3:45, so I am heading in the right direction.
And now I'm wondering how important short term memory is, because I know sleep is important and I'm not getting enough.
So what to do you do? And does it work ALL NIGHT??
UPDATE:
Did the whole routine one more night. Woke once, fell back to sleep and slept until 7:30. I'm liking this trend!
Hmmm I would have left a comment, but forgot what I was going to say😧
ReplyDeleteJoking aside because I know that sleep and the lack of it has been in many stories lately and how it can affect one's well being and mental capacities too. I average 6 hrs a night, sometimes more and sometimes less. Pat usually has an afternoon nap, but I can never take one. i have tried tea which is relaxing, but never used it as a regular sleep aid, also never used any OTC meds. It does help, however, not to be thinking of a lot when trying to get too sleep. When that happens, I sometimes just get up for awhule and do something, then return to bed.
I've had so many drugs in the last two years I figure I'll have dementia in the next five. Maybe I won't know it.
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