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How To Sleep Better at Night : Simple Tips That Help
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May 13, 2024
Can't sleep? Is lack of sleep affecting your day? Let's chat about tips for a bedtime routine, tips for if you wake up too early and tips for a routine if you want to start your day early. Subscribe to my channel @GeordieGrandma -- Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegeordieg... -- Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegeordiegr... ** Read my Blog: https://www.thegeordiegrandma.co.uk -- For collaboration opportunities email me: [email protected] Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me unless otherwise stated. These are my honest opinions. This video may contain affiliate links, which means when you click on one of the product links, I will receive a small commission. #lifeover50 #lifestylevlogger #sleeptips
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0:00
Hi everyone, it's Karen from the Jodie Gromore
0:04
Welcome to my channel at this early time in the morning. I thought it was a good idea to do my first YouTube live stream at 5am in the morning
0:16
for some reason. I read a thread recently, I think it was on Facebook, talking about women over 50 who weren't sleeping well
0:29
And there was lots of people, I think this thread was started at like 2 o'clock in the morning
0:34
And there was lots of people saying how, you know, they woke up too early and they couldn't get back to sleep
0:40
So I thought it would be nice to have a chat and kind of share some tips
0:46
And there's, I want to go over three different sections. So I want to talk about how to get your bedtime routine right
0:54
So you set yourself up for a good night's sleep. And then what to do if you do
0:59
wake up too early through the night and you don't want to get up at two o'clock in the morning
1:06
And then also if you wake up at about four or five o'clock in the morning and you do want to start
1:11
your day, how can we set up a good morning routine to make it a productive day or an enjoyable day
1:20
So I'll keep an eye on the chat. I don't think there might be too many people joining us at 5 a.m. in the morning
1:28
but that's fine. You know, this will go up on a replay so anybody who's not watching it at 5am
1:33
can watch it. So there is a couple of people in the chat
1:39
Hi, Linda. Came to bed at 1.30 and still not asleep. Yeah, I have nights like that
1:48
And hi, Joe, nice to see you. So for Joe and Linda
1:55
what time do you normally go to bed? I think that is for me, I think that might be key to the fact that I'm waking up too early
2:04
I go to bed at probably 9 o'clock, 9.30 at night. I'm a very early
2:12
We do go to bed really early. And I think the fact that I'm going to bed too early means that I'm waking up early
2:21
So what time do you go to bed at night? Can I just check that you can actually hear
2:28
us. So if you can hear us, just say yes. Oh yes, obviously you can. Linda never goes to bed before
2:37
1 a.m. I don't think I've ever been a late night person. Even when I was younger, I think I went to bed
2:47
early, except obviously when I was going out for the night. But I think I've always been like a
2:52
person that goes to bed early. So one o'clock in the morning, my son does that. My son does that
2:58
And that's like, that is the middle of the night for me. So hats off to anybody who can stay up until that time
3:06
Unless you don't want to go to bed, unless you want to go to bed before 1 a.m. Linda and just not tired
3:15
So bedtime routines, I think, are a good idea. I don't know that I actually have a one, but I do need to set one up
3:24
And the first thing they tell you to do is switch off all your electronic devices
3:30
So no phones, no computers, no e-readers, no TV, because apparently they all give out a blue light
3:40
that tricks the brain into thinking it's daytime. And it produces, I can't remember what it was now, it produces some substance in your body
3:49
that makes you think it's time to be awake. so it's a good idea not to have any electronic devices
3:57
No heavy meals before bed. If I go to bed at half nine and I'm eating at 8 o'clock
4:04
that's a pretty ridiculous thing to do because I'm going to bed with a, you know
4:09
food on my stomach, so it's obviously going to keep us awake. So probably if I'm going to go to bed at 9 o'clock
4:16
then my last meal should be at about 5 or 6 o'clock
4:19
which is usually the case or it does say you should have some light snacks
4:26
so you don't go to bed hungry because as well as not going to bed on a full stomach
4:29
you don't want to go to bed hungry so they say you should I don't know who these they are
4:34
but they say you should have some fruit or some yoghurt or some nuts
4:41
something like that Joe says it takes that evening meals at 10.30
4:48
is that 10.30 p.m. I can't see behind it. 10.30 and tries to be in bed before 12. Wow, that's late. Evening meals at 10.30
5:07
There seems to be a lot of late night people. Yeah, Joe takes that evening meals
5:15
Even in meds at 1030, sorry, I thought that said evening meal something and that's late for tea and trying to be in bed by 12
5:24
Linda doesn't usually eat dinner before 7.30. Yeah, I read that wrong Joe
5:33
Yes, I think it would be nice to take meals around 7.30, but because I do go to bed so early, that's getting a little bit late for us
5:42
I do need to try and start staying up a bit later. So do you try not to eat sort of a couple of hours before you go to bed
6:01
Joe was awake by three this morning. Yes, I was awake fairly early this morning
6:06
but I think that's because I knew I was getting up to do this. And I probably wasn't sleeping well
6:12
So does anybody remember when I don't know if they still say it, but I always remember my Nana saying
6:18
oh, you shouldn't have cheese before you go to bed because it'll give you nightmares
6:23
I don't know if that's actually a fact, a medical fact. So I try to avoid cheese before I go to bed
6:32
You're also not supposed to drink alcohol or have caffeine before you go to bed
6:37
I do drink coffee, but I try not to drink caffeinated coffee
6:42
after 2 o'clock in the afternoon. So I do have a jar of decaffeinated coffee as well
6:47
And I very rarely drink alcohol, so that's not a problem. Joe says she sleeps better with a full belly
6:58
Yeah, they say that about babies as well, don't they? Don't they don't wake up? So maybe there is something in that
7:07
Linda says it varies. Might have midnight snacks. I only drink coffee all day
7:12
What time do you stop drinking coffee Linda I assuming it caffeinated coffee So other things to add into your bedtime routine stretches I suffered from cramps through
7:27
the night, you know, jumping out of bed with cramping your cough or your, yeah, foot or whatever
7:32
So I've tried to do some stretches, not loads, just a few leg stretches before I go to bed
7:38
And that does help I have found. You can also have a warm bath
7:43
I don't know about anybody else, over 50, over 60, I'm 60 and I find it really difficult to get out of the bath now
7:52
So a warm bath is not the best for me. I don't know if a warm shower works the same way
8:02
You can also read, but I think if you're going to read something that is like a thriller or, you know, kind of going to mess with your head or make a thing too much, then that
8:13
not a good idea. So read something light, something simple, you know, something that's going
8:18
to be common. I've also heard of people doing writing in their journal before they go to sleep
8:25
So I think if you've got a lot on your mind, it can kind of get all those things off your mind
8:31
onto paper. So you've kind of offloaded it. I suppose it's a little bit like having a therapist
8:37
to talk to. You just get it all off your mind and onto paper and then you can forget about it while
8:41
are asleep and hopefully wake up refreshed and ready to tackle them. I'll sometimes do a to-do list
8:47
on a night time to set myself up for the next day so I know what I'm doing. Linda often takes a
8:58
coffee to bed. Wow Linda. I'm surprised that doesn't keep you awake. Common music is or ambient
9:07
sounds are a good thing to help you sleep. I know once I get into bed
9:11
not so much lately but have in the past found it difficult to get to sleep like first thing
9:17
when I go to bed um so I found I was listening to a sleep meditation thing on an app called headspace
9:26
and it sort of it was a guy talking you through walking down this rainy street with the street
9:34
lamps on and came across this quaint little bookshops with a bookshop with a no was an antique shop
9:41
with a warm light in the window and you heard the rain falling and it just his the commonness of his
9:48
voice and the sounds that they gave really did make me fall asleep. I actually really enjoyed that
9:57
So the Headspace app may have some, that was a couple of years ago and it may still have that
10:01
So that might be worth checking out if you find it difficult to go to sleep straight away when you get into bed
10:11
Hi Janet. Janet also takes coffee to bed. Wow
10:25
Linda found a YouTube pro that was music to sleep by. So that's just what we're talking about, Linda. I found though if my husband goes to bed at the same time as me, he might want to
10:41
He might not want to listen to the ambient sounds of calm and music
10:46
And I don't particularly want to wear my headphones because I've got like the
10:52
headphones that I've got plug into my phone. So if I fall asleep wearing my headphones, I may end up strangling myself
10:59
So that's probably not a good idea. But I noticed that Audible, if anybody's got Audible
11:04
I noticed that Audible have some kind of sleep recordings on there by different
11:09
celebrities sort of a little bit like the headspace thing so taking me through
11:15
I think there was one talking about rainforest and there's one talking about
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it does let me get the sounds of those environments and they're
11:24
free to listen to on Audible so if you do have the Audible app they could be a good
11:28
idea as well but I do find ambient sounds really helpful to get
11:34
to sleep and something else I found helpful to get to sleep is
11:37
something called Boxbury I don't know if anybody's tried that, but what you do is, it's you breathe in for a count of four
11:49
and then you hold your breath for a count of four, then you breathe out for a count of four
11:54
and then you hold it at the bottom for a count of four. So if you think of it like a box, and I found if I do that four or five times
12:02
I'm usually asleep by the time I'm starting the fifth one. So that may be something you want to try if you've got problems, getting
12:09
to sleep. Yes, Linda, we'll have a lot of hardened coffee drinkers in here. I don't, this is
12:16
like I say, five o'clock in the morning. I've actually got a cup of lemon and ginger tea
12:20
so I haven't started on the coffee yet. I would usually, but I thought because it was so early
12:25
I would have a lemon tea. Linda says the YouTube was just nice music that came in waves with
12:34
unusual patterns on the screen. That sounds nice. Joe says she doesn't have trouble getting to sleep, but staying asleep
12:43
which moves us on nicely to the next section, Joe, so thanks for that
12:50
So I'm assuming most of us in the chat and myself included do have trouble staying asleep
12:58
I mean, how many of you have gone to bed? See, you go to bed at 10.30 and then you'll get nicely to sleep
13:05
and you'll wake up and you think, oh, it must be about 5. o'clock and you look at the clock and it's like one o'clock in the morning. I hate that. And I do tend
13:13
to look at the clock at the same time every morning I've found. And for me, I think it's around
13:18
two o'clock. There was a few mornings where I was looking at the clock and it was saying three, three, three
13:24
And I thought that was a bit odd. But there's, I mean, there's several reasons people wake up from
13:30
the, through the night. And I think when we're over 50 and over 60, you know, what with menopause and postmenopause
13:37
and what have you. You do tend to sleep less. Well, I do
13:43
And by the way, I am not a medical professional. I'm not a sleep professional. So if you do have any medical issues
13:49
it's keeping you awake through the night. Or, you know, you're awake through the night
13:54
and it's really affecting your days. And please do go and see you, doctor
13:58
But some of the reasons that I've woken up through the night in the past
14:02
is I've suffered badly with leg cramps. And that has woken up
14:07
me up and of course it's difficult to get back to sleep sometimes i wake up because i'm too hot
14:13
sometimes i wake up because i've got things on my mind and i'm just not sleeping well
14:18
i do think for me i've got the wrong bed time i need to sort that out
14:25
yes linda's saying she has she doesn't have trouble getting to sleep it's staying sleep
14:33
hi tina nice to see you eats a banana Yeah I do eat bananas I started well many years ago I started taking a vitamin B12 and a magnesium which really helped my leg cramps along with the stretches on a night
14:55
So, you know, like I say, I'm not a doctor, so don't quite and get vitamins just because I'm saying I take them
15:01
This is just my personal, my personal thing. But again, if you, you know, if you wake up through the night, what is it that you do when you wake up through the night
15:12
Do you pick your phone up? Because obviously we've just said that that's not a good idea
15:17
So if you let us know in the comments, what do you do when you wake up at say 2, you know, 1 o'clock in the morning and you don't want to get up
15:25
What is it that you do? Yeah, Linda, potentially. Potassium, you do need potassium, but a packet of crisps would be no good for me because, as you probably know, I do low carb
15:40
I'm diabetic, so I'm not wanting to eat too many packets of crisps. Linda, you scroll on your phone
15:46
Yeah, I wake up, I've often woken up through the night, you know, 2 o'clock in the morning, and my husband's on his phone
15:53
And I keep telling them, obviously, it's going to be difficult to get back to sleep if you've been looking at Facebook for half the night
15:59
so that's not always a good idea. Might work for some people
16:06
Yeah, Tina, Tina says magnesium is supposed to be good for you
16:11
I've been taking magnesium for a few years now, and it does help the cramps in the legs I have found
16:20
So again, you can try, you know, if you wake up through the night, you can try that box breathing
16:25
I have tried that. It definitely is a good thing. So if you haven't tried it and you're a bit skeptical, just give it a go
16:31
You never know it might work. And again, the ambient sounds, but not with the headphones because you don't want to get tangled up when you fall asleep
16:45
And apparently, if you've been awake for more than 15 to 30 minutes, you should actually get up
16:54
I think I'll probably do that. my husband says there's no way he's getting up before 6 o'clock in the morning
17:01
So even if he wakes up early, he's not getting up. It's just a thing he's developed
17:06
But I have to get up because usually my legs are, I've got osteoarthritis and I've got neuropathy
17:13
if I want to sound like a hypochondriac. But that does give me pains in my legs
17:19
So if I'm awake for any length of time in bed, it just gets too much and I have to get up and move around just to get rid of the pain
17:26
but I try not to pick my phone up if I can help it
17:34
Janet says I think like cramps are from being on your feet too much
17:38
Before I retired, I had them all the time now no more. Yeah, I think that is, you know, a possibility, Janet
17:46
I think for me, I think it's because I sit all day and I'm not moving enough
17:51
So you're damned if you're doing, damned if you don't, don't you? Yeah, Linda, I think it's different for different people
18:03
I think cramps are just something the, you know, the doctors and that haven't really got to grips with
18:10
They don't know why it happens. And I don't think they really know how to cure it either
18:15
I think it's just something that we'll have to put up with
18:18
So does anybody get up through the night if they can't sleep, if they've been awake for 30 minutes
18:24
Has anybody decided to get up and just pot around the house
18:28
If you do that, what do you do? I have getting up at 2 o'clock in the morning before
18:34
I like to say, if I can't get back to sleep within 30 minutes, I'll get up
18:38
And I'll probably make a cup of herbal tea. I won't have a coffee. And I'll read a bit of a book, again, like I say
18:45
not anything too tax, and just something simple. I always find something like, I've mentioned this before
18:53
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, something like that I always find is nice to read
19:01
It's not going to affect my brain too much that I won't get back to sleep
19:11
It is nice to say. So actually, I mean, there's six people in the chat and it is nice to say, actually
19:18
because I wasn't sure that many people were going to get up and actually turn on their computer
19:23
So that leads us on to the next thing that I wanted to talk about, which is an early morning routine
19:33
Because I think if I wake up at 4 o'clock, 4 o'clock would be the earliest
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So if I wake up at 5 o'clock, I'm definitely getting up and starting my day. Does anybody else do that
19:47
You know, if it comes to 4 o'clock, 5 o'clock in the morning, maybe 6 o'clock for some people
19:52
you just say, okay, I'm getting up, that's it, I'm not going to try and get back to sleep
19:57
I read a book recently, or I'm reading a book, I'm actually halfway through it
20:02
and it's called The 5am Club by Robin Sharma, and it is all about developing a 5 o'clock in the morning routine
20:11
I think it's mainly for entrepreneurs, but I think a version of it would work for all of us as well
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you know, for people who are retired, people who work from home
20:22
who aren't entrepreneurs, but maybe you're just at home. And it's all about owning your morning to elevate your life
20:30
And I think the idea is good. And he says that from 5am in the morning until 6am
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you should have 20 minutes of intense exercise, which I'm not going to do intense exercise
20:45
20 minutes of self-reflection, and 20 minutes of personal growth. Now, I can see why those things are going to work for
20:52
an entrepreneur is probably a good thing. But for somebody like me, who is not really an entrepreneur
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I am self-employed, but in no way would I say I was an entrepreneur
21:03
So for the exercises for me, if I was awake, see I started my day at 5 a.m
21:07
I might do some simple stretches on maybe a very light yoga routine
21:13
If it's light in the morning, me and my husband would, if, well, not that he's awake at 5
21:20
but it would have to be 6 for him, would go for a walk. I really enjoy your walk first thing in the morning. But if not, it would just
21:27
be stretches or something late exercise in the house. Self-reflection. I don't really do self-reflection
21:36
but that part for me would be, again, if it was a nice morning and it was late or maybe if it
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wasn't late, but it's still a nice morning. I would sit in the garden with a cup of tea for, you know
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20 minutes and just think just look around and think about what we do is going to be or some people might write in a journal that might be how they do some self first thing in the morning And for the personal growth I not really looking
22:03
for personal growth, but I do like to read something motivating if I'm going to be working from
22:08
home that day, which I work from home every day. So that's a given. I would probably read
22:15
something like the Happiness Project or I have another little book that I quite like to dip
22:20
into it's how to find joy in five minutes a day by Joanne Mallon. It just nice
22:27
nice, something easy to ease it into your day. I mean, you could do a hobby for 20 minutes
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If you knit or if you do a junk journal and something like that, you could do that for 20 minutes
22:41
because when you're doing things like that, you do kind of self-reflect as you're going along
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And it is a bit of, you know, personal growth because you're actually doing something. and you're not just sitting there looking into space
22:54
I could even watch some YouTube videos. A lot of YouTube videos motivate me and get us started on my day
23:00
So that's a good thing. Linda says she's on her phone in bed
23:09
Janet says I'm thinking about going to sleep at 5 to 6am
23:14
What time did you go to bed, Janet? Did you say it just remind me? I endure
23:23
So you haven't actually gone to sleep. You're just actually going to sleep at 5 a.m. in the morning
23:28
Janet says she indulges a natural inclination to be up all night
23:32
So you're a night owl, Janet. Interesting. I'm definitely a morning person rather than a night person
23:42
Most definitely. Interesting. So does anybody have a morning routine when they get up
23:53
Or do you just go straight into whatever you're going to be doing for that day
23:57
Or do you have a set routine that you would do every morning? Let us know in the comments, please
24:09
Linda says you never wake so poorly. Well, that's because you go to bed at 1 o'clock in the morning
24:15
I'm assuming 5 o'clock is kind of the middle of the night
24:19
you. And Janet, you've been at night time, you've been up all night since you were born
24:27
Yeah, my grandson's a bit like that. He's seven and he's turned into a teenager. He likes to lie in
24:36
So does anybody do any kind of exercise when they, when they get out of bed in the morning
24:43
Do you like to go for a walk? Jo sleeps perfectly on the sofa
24:54
So do you go to bed and then you wake up through the night and you get up and you just have a lie on the sofa and let you nod off, Joe
25:06
I wonder why that is. Is it because it's a different environment or is it darker in a way
25:19
a sofa is, is there less noise where a sofa is? I find that it's hotter in my bedroom than it is downstairs
25:28
So maybe it's cooler downstairs or maybe it's just become a psychological thing
25:34
that you sleep better if you get up and lie on the sofa. Janet says her mother was a dear person and she drove her mad
25:44
Yes, I could imagine that. And Linda says she's always been a night owl and no, she doesn't exercise
26:00
Does anybody read a book when they get up through the night
26:09
I'm reading a book at the minute called Days at the Murasaki Book Shop by Japanese author
26:16
I can't recall the name of it at the moment. It's very quite a slim book, but it's a really, I found it a really relaxing book to read
26:25
It's not like it hasn't got much plot in it. It's just pottering along and, you know, people are going into bookshops and they're talking about the books and they're talking about Japanese food
26:37
And I find that quite relaxing. So that is an easy book to read if I wake up early
26:47
it's been like that since she lost her husband last year. I'm really sorry to hear that, Joe
26:53
I suppose that's understandable, you know, if you've shared a bed with your husband
26:58
then that might be difficult and that's maybe why you find it easier to sleep on your sofa
27:12
So those are all the things that I wanted to talk about. Anybody watching this on the
27:17
replay please feel free to add to the comments and let us know about your sleep routines or your
27:24
morning routines or things like that Janet says she will read on her phone
27:32
find it hard to say a book yeah i get that Janet that's reminded as i do you need to actually
27:39
go and get my eyes tested again because i don't think my glasses are working as well as they were
27:47
So it's 527, so we've been on for half an hour. I really appreciate everybody joining in the chat
27:59
Thank you for that. Linda Say she finds an audible funny book
28:06
Yeah, any recommendations for books on Audible, please feel free to leave them in the comments
28:11
because I like a book on Audible as well. I am planning to do some more of these YouTube lives
28:21
because I think it's nice to get immediate feedback and chat with you in here
28:27
I don't know if 5am is the right time to do it if you have any thoughts, please let us know
28:33
But I would like to do something live on a regular basis and talk about some topics that we all want to talk about
28:40
and you find people, women over 50 especially talking about. So if you've got any ideas for topics as well, please let us know in the comments
28:49
So I think I'm going to leave it there. Like I said, thank you so much for joining us
28:54
I hope you found it a little bit interesting. And I'll see you again soon
29:02
So bye, everyone. Thank you
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