Seniors. What do you do when?

Make a nice cup of herbal tea and do a crossword or catch up on some reading.

So that is why you are such a grumpy old git!

Just Kidding!

I have a hobby, recipe collecting, so I will see whatI can put together because I have discovered that my grandson is a bottomless pit. Then I will make a list of things that require a little 'macho' and give him a call. Your freezer and my old fridge must be relatives! I disconnected TV years ago, so don't have that to fall back on but absolutely love exploring Youtube - type in fountains, or soap making, or best of 'Some country got talent', far out cars, or deepest part of the ocean. There are so many things to explore and discover on youtube!

I usually try reading and often will fall back to sleep within an hour.

If I just have to get up and out of bed, I'll play on the computer, wash the dishes, clean something. It's a good time to put on some music and clean the bathroom or sweep the kitchen.

When my boys were little, sometimes I'd get up and sew. But my vision isn't what it was and I can't do close work at night.

Yep..! This is a situation I recognize and have made friends with....

Firstly, be clear that it's not good to shilly-shally and lie about in bed deciding whether to get up or not.You have to admit, (quickly) that sleep has gone. Get up and make a nice cuppa tea, while deciding what's next.

I check my emails, close down the Internet and play computer games (spider solitaire, snooker, back-gammon and either poker or black-jack) or read my Kindle.)

I can do all that for at least a couple of hours and sometimes longer, if the muse strikes me and I decide to write something. By that time the house is stirring and folks start appearing and then I decide, either to go back to bed or carry on the day.

My Lady has an embroidered pillow on her couch, which reads, 'Old Age Sucks..!' I often lift my glass of port to that one....

I listen,to audio books,i get up sometimes and make tea,watch a bit of middle of the night tv, always fun,read a bit and try not to worry about it,just say it doesn't matter i don't have to get up early in the morning, after 3 or 4 night of this i usually get a good nights sleep,then it starts again,doctors only offer drugs,which don't work after a couple of weeks anyway,you just have to accept it as part of your life,say maybe tonight i will sleep,sometimes you will be right!

I was watching The Mentalist when the main character, Patrick Jane, told an insomniac how to get to sleep. He said something like "Get in bed. Get as comfortable as you can. Relax as much as you can. Close your eyes and breathe. When you breathe in, think '1,' when you breathe out, think '2.' That's all. Just 1 and 2, over and over again."

I tried it that night. It worked for me and I've been doing it ever since. I often used to lie awake for an hour, then get up for an hour or two, then go back to bed and try again. I don't have to do that anymore. I'm usually asleep within 5 or 10 minutes.

I am in a cycle that I can't seem to break. I come home from work so exhausted that I can't stay awake. I take a shower and have some dinner and I have to go to bed. Last night I was asleep by 6:00 PM. Up at 1:00 AM now. I will be ready to go back to bed about the time to head off to work. When I am not working I don't care , I just sleep whenever I get tired.

No use laying in bed doing nothing, if the usual cross words, relaxing music etc...don't work, I get ahead on my daily chores,as soon as the sun appears, take the dog for a walk and do the outside stuff,if necessary can always have a little rest/nap later in the day.

Watch Netflix on my computer, go to YA, have cold cereal, watch Bob Newhart Show reruns streaming. Did you know most tea has caffeine in it, check the label. Maybe you should figure out something else to drink.

Did you check the Public stations on your tv, I think some of them run 24 hours everyday. On weekends and holidays Book TV is on the whole time.

Take a warm bath, slip on warm socks, but don't have your room over heated. Must be dark. Stay off the computer at least an hour as this causes sensory over load. Warm milk, with honey and cinnamon. Some take a Benadryl pill which can make a person drowsey, but not good if you have high blood pressure or can't be taken with alcohol. I use a white noise machine, it has all kinds of different sounds. Can't use the birds cherping as it drives me cats nuts.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/10-t...

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-benefit...

Different ideas for different nights. Sometimes just reading will relax me to sleep. Sometimes listening to classical music. Sometimes a valerian capsule will work. Sometimes nothing will work and I read until the first light of dawn and then I fall asleep.