What should you do if an older person complains of not sleeping well at night?
Experts do believe that “normal aging” brings on some changes to sleep. (See this post for more on how sleep changes with aging.) Basically, older adults tend to get sleepy earlier in the evening, and tend to sleep less deeply than when they were younger.
So it’s probably not realistic to expect that as you get older, you’ll sleep as long or as soundly as when you were younger.
That said, although aging by itself does change sleep, it’s also quite common for older adults to develop health problems that can cause sleep disturbances. So when your older relatives say they aren’t sleeping well, you’ll want to help them check for these. Figuring out what’s going on is always the first step in being able to improve things.
And remember, getting enough good quality sleep helps maintain brain health, physical health, and mood.
In this article, I’ll cover the top causes of sleep problems in older adults. I’ll also tell you about what approaches have been proven to work, to help treat insomnia and sleep problems in older adults.
Last but not least, if you (or your older relative) have experienced the very common combination of waking up to pee at night and difficulty sleeping, I highly recommend listening to this podcast episode, which features a geriatrician who is an expert on this: 092- Interview: Addressing Nighttime Urination & Insomnia in Aging.
5 Common Causes of Sleep Problems in Older Adults
1. Sleep problems due to an underlying medical problem. Although older adults do often suffer from what’s called “primary” sleep disorders, many sleep problems they experience are “secondary” sleep problems, meaning they are secondary to an underlying medical condition whose main symptoms are not sleep related.
Common health conditions that can disrupt sleep in older adults include:
- Heart and lung conditions which affect breathing, such as heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease, which causes heartburn symptoms and can be affected by big meals late at night
- Painful conditions, including osteoarthritis
- Urinary problems that cause urination at night; this can be caused by an enlarged prostate or an overactive bladder
- Mood problems such as depression and anxiety
- Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
- Medication side-effects
If an older person is having difficulty sleeping, it’s important to make sure that one of these common conditions isn’t contributing to the problem. Treating an underlying problem — such as untreated pain at night — can often improve sleep. It can also help to talk to a pharmacist about all prescription and over-the-counter drugs, to make sure that these aren’t contributing to insomnia.
Alzheimer’s and related dementias pose special considerations when it comes to sleep, which I write about in this post: How to Manage Sleep Problems in Dementia.
2. Snoring, Sleep Apnea, and other forms of Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders. Sleep-related breathing disorders (“SRBD”; it’s also sometimes called sleep-disordered breathing) is an umbrella term covering a spectrum of problems related to how people breathe while asleep.
Sleep apnea is a common condition which is important to diagnose since it’s been associated with many other health problems (especially in middle-aged adults). In sleep apnea, a person has frequent pauses in their breathing during sleep. The most common form is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), in which the breathing pauses are due to obstructions in the breathing passages. OSA is often associated with snoring. A less common form is central sleep apnea, in which the breathing pauses are related to changes in the brain.
How common it is: The likelihood of having sleep-disordered breathing disorders goes up with age. It’s also more common in men, and in people who are overweight. In one study of 827 healthy older adults aged 68, 53% were found to have signs of SRBD, with 37% meeting criteria for significant sleep apnea. Interestingly, most participants did not complain of excess sleepiness.
Why it’s a problem: Studies have found that untreated OSA is associated with poor health outcomes including increased mortality, stroke, coronary artery disease, and heart failure. However, studies also suggest that these associations are strongest in people aged 40-70, and weaker in older adults. For older adults with symptomatic OSA, treatment can reduce daytime sleepiness and improve quality of life.
What to do if you’re concerned: Helpguide.org’s page on sleep apnea has a useful list of common symptoms and risk factors for sleep apnea. You can also ask the doctor about further evaluation if you’ve noticed a lot of daytime sleepiness. To be diagnosed, you’ll need to pursue polysomnography (objective sleep testing) either in a sleep lab or with a home sleep testing kit.
Whether or not you pursue an official diagnosis for SRBD, avoiding alcohol (and probably other sedatives) is likely to help.
3. Restless leg syndrome (RLS). This condition causes sensations of itching, crawling, or restlessness as a person is trying to fall asleep. The symptoms are unpleasant but not usually painful, and improve with movement. The exact biological underpinnings of this problem remain poorly understood, but it seems to be related to dopamine and iron levels in the brain. Most cases are not not thought to be related to neurodegeneration.
How common it is: Studies suggest that 5-15% of the general population meet criteria for RLS, but only 2.5% of people are thought to have clinically severe symptoms. Poor health, older age, low iron levels, and being female are some risk factors. It also tends to run in families.
Why it’s a problem: RLS has been associated with depression, anxiety, and sleep-onset insomnia. It can also get worse with certain types of medication.
What to do if you’re concerned: Read up on RLS (Helpguide.org’s page seems very good) and then talk to a doctor. Generally, you don’t need polysomnography but you should probably be checked for low iron levels. You can read about possible non-drug and pharmacological treatment options at Helpguide.org.
4. Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep (PLMS). This condition is not easily treatable, but I’m listing it since I’ve discovered it’s much more common than I realized. PLMS causes intermittent movements while asleep, usually in the lower limbs. It can affect the toes, ankles, knees, or hips. The movements may or may not wake the person up; they can be annoying to a bed partner.
How common it is: Studies estimate that 45% of older adults experience PLMS. Many such older adults are otherwise healthy. However, PLMS is also often associated with other sleep problems, such as restless legs and sleep apnea. Experts believe that it’s fairly rare for people to experience clinically significant sleep disturbances solely due to PLMS.
Is it a problem? PLMS can be an issue mainly because it’s associated with other sleep problems. Most people who experience PLMS don’t notice it much, although some do find it bothersome. Only a few studies have attempted to treat isolated PLMS, and it’s not clear that there is a reliable way to treat this. In its 2012 guideline on treating restless leg syndrome and PLMS, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine concluded that there was “insufficient evidence” to recommend pharmacological treatment.
5. Insomnia. Insomnia means having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, despite the opportunity to do so (e.g. being in bed), and experiencing decreased daytime function because of this. I consider this the grand-daddy of all sleep problems, because it affects so many people in middle-age and older age.
How common is it: Very common, and it becomes even more common with aging. One study found that 23-24% of older adults reported symptoms of insomnia.
Why it’s a problem: Insomnia has been associated with anxiety, depression, fatigue, worse quality of life, cognitive decline, and a variety of other worse long-term health outcomes.
What to do if you’re concerned: The main thing to do is assess the problem, by tracking sleep and using a sleep journal. And then seek help. For older adults, it is especially important to not simply rely on prescription or non-prescription (e.g. alcohol, over-the-counter pills) substances to help with sleep. That’s because all such substances worsen brain function and increase the risk of cognitive decline. (See “4 Types of Brain-Slowing Medication to Avoid if You’re Worried About Memory” for more details.)
Proven Ways to Treat Insomnia in Older Adults
Insomnia is a very common complaint among family caregivers and older adults. Fortunately, research has shown that it’s possible to treat insomnia effectively, although it does often take a little time and effort.
Why Sedatives Aren’t the Way to Go and Proven Ways to Taper Off Them
Before I go into the recommended treatments, let me say it again: you should only use sedatives as a last resort. That’s because most medications that make people sleepy are bad for brain function, in both the short-term and long-term.
Benzodiazepines such as lorazepam, alprazolam, diazepam, and temazepam (Ativan, Xanax, Valium, and Restoril) are also habit-forming. It can be a lot of work to wean people off these drugs, but research has proven it’s possible.
For instance, in this randomized control study, many older adults who had been on benzodiazepines for sleep (mean duration of use was 19.3 years!) were able to taper off their sleeping pills. 63% were drug-free after 7 weeks. (Yeah!)
Plus, in my own personal experience, it becomes extremely difficult once a person has started to develop a dementia such as Alzheimer’s, because then their behavior and thinking can get a lot worse if they are a little sleep-deprived or anxious. (In the short-term, almost everyone who tapers off of sedatives has to endure a little extra restlessness while the body adapts to being without the drug.) But letting them continue to use their benzodiazepine puts us in a pickle, because it also keeps them from having the best brain function possible, is associated with faster cognitive decline, AND increases fall risk.
I hope you see what I’m getting at. If either you or someone you care for are taking benzodiazepines for sleep or anxiety, and you aren’t dealing with a dementia diagnosis, now is the time to do the work of trying to get off these drugs. (If you are dealing with a dementia diagnosis, you should still ask the doctors for help trying to reduce the use of these drugs, but it will all be harder. It’s still often possible to at least reduce the doses being used.)
The key to successfully stopping sedatives for sleep is to very slowly taper the drug under medical supervision, plus add cognitive-behavioral therapy or other sleep-improving approaches if possible.
For more on this topic, and for a handy (and research-proven) consumer handout that helps older adults stop benzodiazepines, see “How You Can Help Someone Stop Ativan.” This article also addresses the question of whether it’s ever okay for an older person to be on benzodiazepines.
Now, let’s review some proven approaches to improving sleep in older adults.
Proven ways to treat insomnia in older adults:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). This means special therapy that helps a person avoid negative thought patterns that promote insomnia, along with regular sleep habits, relaxation techniques, and other behavioral techniques that improve sleep. It has a good track record in research, as described in this NPR story. A new study also confirmed that CBT-I also benefits people who have insomnia combined with other medical or psychiatric conditions.
- CBT-I can be done in person, and is also effective when done through online programs. Two online programs with proven clinical efficacy are Sleepio (see here for the study) and SHUTi.
- CBT-I may incorporate several techniques such as stimulus control, and sleep restriction therapy. This Mayo Clinic page has a nice list of specific behavioral therapy components that might be included in CBT-I for insomnia.
- Brief behavioral treatment of insomnia (BBTI). This is a shorter variant of CBT-I; it’s designed to be delivered in 4 weeks. It also has a good track record in research.
- A study also found that BBTI was effective in reducing nighttime urination.
- Mindfulness meditation. A randomized control trial published in April 2015 found that mindfulness meditation was more effective than “sleep hygiene,” to improve the sleep of older adults with a variety of sleep disturbances. Older adults assigned to mindfulness completed a weekly 2-hour, 6-session group-based course.
- Local in-person courses to learn mindfulness are often available; search online to find one near you. They may also be available at certain senior centers.
- An online version of the course used in the study is available here.
- Several smartphone based apps propose to help people with mindfulness. They are reviewed in the scholarly literature here. I personally have used Headspace in the past and liked it.
- Exercise. Exercise is often thought of as a treatment for insomnia, but the evidence seems weaker than for CBT-I. A review article published in 2012 concluded that the effect is modest. A more recent randomized trial comparing CBT-I to tai chi, for insomnia in older adults, found that CBT-I was more effective.
- Although exercise is obviously very important to health, don’t rely on it as the primary way to try to solve sleep problems.
- It’s also possible that exercise may help insomnia, but a fascinating small study suggested that in people with chronic insomnia, it can take a few months for exercise to have an effect on sleep.
Are there any medications or supplements that are safe and effective?
Benzodiazepine drugs and sleeping medications such as zolpidem (brand name Ambien) are definitely risky for older adults, as they dampen brain function and worsen balance. If you or your loved one is depending on such medications to sleep, I recommend you get help tapering off, as described above. Most older adults can learn to sleep without these medications, although it can take a little effort to wean off the drug and learn to get to sleep without them.
Many over-the-counter (OTC) medications that make people sleepy are also a problem, because most of them are “anticholinergic,” which means they interfere with a key neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. A very commonly used anticholinergic is diphenhydramine (brand name Benadryl), a sedating antihistamine that is included in most night-time analgesics, but many prescription medications are anticholinergic as well.
Older adults should be very careful about using anticholinergics often for sleep, or really for anything. That’s because they worsen brain function, and in fact, chronic use of these medications has been associated with developing Alzheimer’s and other dementias. (For more on this, see 7 Common Brain-Slowing Anticholinergic Drugs Older Adults Should Use With Caution.)
Virtually all sedatives are included in the American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults.
So those are the medications to avoid if possible.
Now here are a few medications that seem to be less risky, and are sometimes used:
- Melatonin: Melatonin is a hormone involved in the sleep-wake cycle. Several studies, such as this one, have found that melatonin improves the sleep of older adults and does not seem to be associated with any withdrawal symptoms. A 2023 review found that melatonin has a “favorable safety profile” in older adults. However, in the U.S. melatonin is sold as a poorly-regulated supplement, and studies have found that commercially sold supplements are often of questionable quality and purity. So melatonin may work less reliably here than in Europe.
- Ramelteon: Ramelteon is a synthetic drug that mimics the effect of melatonin. A 2009 study reported that ramelteon did not impair middle-of-the-night balance or memory in older adults. However, its efficacy has been questioned; a 2014 meta-analysis concluded that the clinical effect appeared to be “small.”
- Trazodone: Trazodone is an older weak anti-depressant that is mildly sedating. It has long been used by geriatricians as a “sleeping pill” of choice, as it is not anticholinergic and seems to be less risky than the alternatives. A small 2014 study found that trazodone improved sleep in Alzheimer’s patients.
For a detailed and technical review of sleep medicines in older adults, this article is good: Review of Safety and Efficacy of Sleep Medicines in Older Adults.
And again, if you or your older relative has been bothered by the need to urinate at night, I also want to recommend this BHWA podcast episode: 092- Interview: Addressing Nighttime Urination & Insomnia in Aging.
For information on evaluating and managing sleep problems in people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, see this article: How to Manage Sleep Problems in Dementia.
This article was last updated by Dr. K in January 2024.
Frank says
Dr. Kernisan:
I’m 69 and have a loy of trouble getting a good night’s sleep because of back pain from a degenerative disc and arthritis in my back. No trouble getting to sleep, but I wake up repeatedly (10+ times a night) from the back pain. I’ve tried several different mattresses, to no avail. I’m fit and slim and exercise a lot. I’ve done PT to try to improve flexibility and strengthen core muscles. Hasn’t helped. My (young) doctor recommends Mobic (meloxicam) to manage the pain, but the side effect risks look pretty severe, especially for someone on long term PPIs to manage a Schatzki’s ring. Thoughts about the meloxicam? Any other thoughts about the back pain and sleep? Thanks! Great blog.
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
Well, non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as meloxicam are risky for older adults, especially when used long-term. So I think you are right to be cautious. But actually, taking a PPI concurrently reduces the risk of NSAIDs causing ulcers.
You may want to keep looking into comprehensive ways to manage pain and sleep. You could try a chronic pain self-management program; they even have some specifically for arthritis.
You could also try seeing a pain specialist, who might have other ideas on how to manage your pain. Good luck!
Doug says
Thanks so much for all your articles, I don’t know how you find the time to produce them but I’m certainly glad you do.
My issue is sleep disturbance due to chronic pain I take paracetamol every night at bed time (about 10 pm) which helps until 3 or 4 am then it’s very difficult to find a position that doesn’t hurt. So I lie there until 6-30 ish and am glad to get out of bed off my back and hips.
I have studied Chronic pain by courses at the local re-hab facilities and tried to put the principles into practice but it’s by no means easy. GP’s are not much help I also have CAD and have had several spinal surgeries mostly successful. Age 83 and still quite active.
Any suggestions?
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
Thank you, I’m glad you find the articles helpful. I have just shared some suggestions in the comments for someone else who is being woken up by back pain as well. I’m afraid there are no easy solutions. In my own practice, we have sometimes resorted to a very low dose of opiates at night (e.g. 2.5mg of hydrocodone). I would only recommend considering this after trying various other approaches, including comprehensive lifestyle approaches to managing pain. It’s also good to try topical therapies, if possible.
Chronic pain is tough!
Tony says
Very nice article, Leslie! I am an 81 year old male, without major sleeping problems. Let me mention two things that are very helpful: A small dog snuggled up next to your legs, and very short socks to keep your toes warm.
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
Excellent ideas, thank you for sharing!
Julia Marshall says
Thank you so much for your excellent article. It is the most comprehensive article I have read to date on sleep issues in the elderly. My 93-year-old father in law is having great difficulty with falling and staying asleep. He wakes up terrified and is being treated for depression. He cannot sleep at all unless there is someone in the house with him.
Understandably, the doctor will not increase his depression meds or give him any sleep meds. I will be trying some of the things suggested in your article and in the comments.
But, I have three additional questions.
1. he has macular degeneration and cataracts, which nobody will operate on because it will not improve his sight. But, I am wondering if it would be helpful for his sleep issues or if there is any point in buying a sleep lamp and helping him to spend more time outdoors.
2. In the past, he has had thyroid issues. I am wondering if they are back or his medication is out of balance with his body and that his sleep issues are related to this. Again, the doc will not test for this.
3. Can an inability to sleep be related to low levels of the B vitamins contributing to a vitamin D absorption issue? I ask because when I had this issue, I could not stay asleep. This improved within weeks of my levels moving into the normal range with the help of sun exposure and medication.
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
Sorry to hear of your father-in-law’s sleep difficulties. Especially if he is 93, it’s possible that there are multiple issues contributing to his sleep problems. Aging and changes to the brain can affect sleep.
Many older adults do have a weakening of their circadian system. Extra exposure to light during the day sometimes helps, as does melatonin.
It’s not clear to me why his doctor would refuse to test thyroid function; you may want to ask extra questions about this. If his thyroid studies indicated that he was significantly low or high, it would often be reasonable to consider treatment, after reviewing an older person’s goals of care and also the likelihood that the treatment will be effective.
As for the relationship between vitamins B and D and sleep, I’m not aware of any studies on this. Vitamin B supplements are generally safe, so there is probably not much risk in trying it. Good luck!
Joeseph D says
I used Pravastatin for a number of years without a problem with muscle aches, etc. My cardiologist inserted a stent in my heart about six years ago and insisted that I use Crestor as a statin. Within 6 months i started having trouble with my muscle coordination and I could not sleep. I went back to Pravastatin. Most of the side effects from Crestor went away except I was unable to go to sleep. I have used Temazepam, 15 mg, when I was traveling overseas and now find that it is the only drug that seems to work. I have been taking it for the last five years along with one capsule of Unisom when I wake up at night. I am now having memory problems which continue to become more serious. I have talked to National Jewish in Denver without results. No one seems to understand why I have the sleep problem. I have tried cutting the Temazepam capsule, but it is a time release and I tend to loose part of the drug. I would appreciate any help that you can give.
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
There are many things that can cause sleep problems, and it’s possible that yours are due to more than one factor.
We do know that some forms of brain change that cause memory changes also change sleep patterns, so it’s possible that the two issues are related. You would have to work closely with a health provider to be carefully evaluated for your sleep problem, to see if there’s a cause or contributor that can be treated without medication.
Unfortunately if you are having memory issues, both temazepam and unisom will further slow down your brain and they are likely to make your thinking worse in the short tem. Sometimes to help people taper a benzodiazepine drug like temazepam, we switch to a liquid formulation since that can be tapered down more easily. I don’t think temazepam is available as a liquid however, so you would have to work with a health provider to switch to a similar medication that does come in liquid form, and then slowly taper it down. Good luck!
Sarah C says
Hi my name is Sarah, I have a father at home
He is complaining about being tired every morning he is having dinner every night at 7pm and he had nothing to eat after that
His moods are not good and I saw on the chair trying to fall sleep he drinks coffee every mornings and during the day and on Wednesdays and Saturdays he drinks alcohol like 3 glass of wine and maybe 2 bottles of beer what can he do to stop that
And what can he do to reduce that to stop feeling tired every morning I am just worried about him. He is 75 years old what can I do to help him I need help with that
Thanks
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
Sorry to hear of your father’s difficulties. I would encourage him to see his health providers, to get help evaluating his fatigue and also to get help assessing his alcohol use, which may be playing a role in his sleep and energy issues. It would be good if he’d let you come with him to be a supportive advocate. It would be even better if he can tell the doctor it’s ok to communicate with you, that way you could perhaps have some private conversations with the doctor as well. Good luck!
Lily Skater says
I am almost 78 yrs old on christmas day I was punched hard in the head was a bit dizzy for a few days went to my doctor jan 14th as since then havenot been able to et to sleep til 5 or 6 am usually go about 2 am have been on ativan for about 20 some odd years the doctor said probably had a concussion and put me on trizadone 50 mg well it isn’t working wa s awake till almost 9 am this morning and slept till about 12.20 pm. Sometimes in the ast and recent when I have to get up to go to a appointment I dont sleep well but usually when I went to bed around 2am I would sleep 6 or 8 hrs my doctor is away and none of the other doctors at his office will offer suggestions can you offer any suggestiona thankyou in advance Lily
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
Sorry to hear of these issues and how terrible that you were punched! If you feel you are continuing to have symptoms related to this incident, I would recommend you let your health providers know, so that they can help you determine whether additional evaluation is needed. Sorry if your doctor’s colleagues are not being helpful; unfortunately I cannot offer more advice online, the type of advice you need can only be provided within the context of a doctor-patient encounter. You may want to try requesting an in-person appointment with one of your doctor’s colleagues, if they are unwilling to offer advice by phone or messaging. Good luck!
Min says
I have been on benzos for 40 years! Currently on 15 mg of Temazepam. I have suffered profoundly from lack of sleep. It is idiopathic in nature. I was diagnosed by Dr. Peter Hauri, a renowned sleep psychiatrist.
I cannot fall asleep without a Temazepam (I have been on 7 or 8 sleeping pills thorugh the years). I sometimes cannot fall asleep, I sometimes fall asleep but wake after a few hours and cannot sleep again. I sometimes am awake most of the night.
Just very recently, out of the blue, when I take the Temazepam, I am asleep in minutes — something that NEVER happened. A person I know who has written a book on insomnia told me she does not believe the Temazepam is causing me to fall asleep so quickly. In fact she said, I do not believe that is the cause.
So I am very concerned about why this is happening, out of the blue.
Would you have any idea why she feels the sleep is not connected to the Temazepam? Is it possible for me to go off of Temazepam after 40 years. I am now 90 years old. Does he falling asleep so quickly have to do with that fact?
I hope you can shed some light on this. I have tried CBT in the past but it did not work for me. I was never sleepy, just tired all the time. It is still that way.
thanks for your help.
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
Hm, interesting that suddenly you find you respond differently to the temazepam. Hard to say what might be causing this. Unless you have other worrisome symptoms, you could just do some watchful waiting and see what happens…you might go back to your usual sleep pattern, and if not, then you could consider investigating further. (Although, I don’t really know what would be done unless you are noticing other changes or symptoms. But ask your usual health provider, that’s always best.)
In terms of getting off temazepam at age 90, after taking it for 40 years…well, I think it’s technically possible to reduce the dose or taper off, but it would require some effort and you’d be most likely to find the change tolerable if the medication is decreased very very very slowly.
Otherwise, although studies have shown that it’s possible to treat insomnia non-pharmacologically in older adults, I don’t believe any studies have focused on people your age.
I would recommend discussing your concerns with your usual health provider. You could also see if you can find a sleep specialist with particular experience with people your age. Good luck!
Daniel Guibord says
One thing I’ve found that contributes very significantly to neutralizing insomnia is Yogurt.
That is: homemade yogurt. I have not tried the industrially produced type, as it usually contains much less beneficial bacteria — some brands contain insignificant amounts of beneficial bacteria —, and usually contains all kinds of added chemicals that may disturb your sleep, and may even affect your health in a negative manner.
Homemade yogurt has a very significant calming effect on the digestive system.
Homemade yogurt is a significant contributor of Tryptophan and its absorption by the small intestine due to its liquid form (Tryptophan is an important precursor to melatonin, serotonin, and some other neurotransmitters and biochemicals — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan).
Homemade yogurt is a significant contributor to the proper balance of the intestinal flora.
If you suffer from insomnia, try this as an added factor that will contribute to your sleep:
60 to 80 grams of homemade yogurt immediately before going to bed.
If you typically wake up during the night and usually go back to sleep about an hour later, eat another 60 to 80 grams of homemade yogurt immediately before going back to bed.
It works very well, but you must also get rid of whatever factors contribute to your insomnia (e.g., lighting, etc.)
For your information: With today’s industrial process for pasteurizing milk, you do not need to heat it up to a high temperature to kill bad bacteria; they are already dead from the pasteurization process. All you need do is bring its temperature to proper yogurt making temperature. I’ve been using this method for years, and never ran into a problem. If the milk would not be pasteurized, then of course you’d need to heat it up to high temperatures to kill bad bacteria.
You may also want to check out the freeware f.lux software; Google > f.lux
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
I had not been aware of any research on yogurt and sleep, however when I just took a look, I see that the results of one small study suggest that fermented milk can help with sleep.
For people who tolerate yogurt without digestive distress, presumably there’s little downside to trying this strategy. Based on the available evidence, I would say we don’t know if it’s likely to work in most people, however. It may also depend on one’s genetics and individual microbial gut flora.
Beth says
I truly never sleep, have never slept, & am 55.. i just stay awake for days, up to a week straight.. when it makes me start losing my balance, affects my thoughts, and I know I need sleep, I will break down & take a sleeping pill. I know it has taken a huge toll on my health & appearance but I just seem to be made to not sleep.. if anyone understands & has help, please let me know…
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
Sorry for your long history of sleeping difficulties. I would recommend seeking out a sleep specialist, they may have additional ideas on how to help you. Good luck!
Jennifer says
My long established sleep disorder (going to sleep promptly but waking up after two or three hours and being unable to go back to sleep) did not improve through CBT (for six weeks I kept to a sleep deprivation programme, only being allowed to sleep between midnight and 6am). In fact this worsened the effect of my sleep problem because I was unable to properly function during the day. Activities like driving felt unsafe.)
In desperation I tried the Zeez sleep pebble. After two weeks this began to prove effective. I still wake up regularly during the night but am able to go back to sleep. MAGIC.
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
Interesting. I hadn’t heard of this but I looked it up, it seems to be some kind of small device that emits subtle pulses sensed by the brain. No published research on it or a similar technology that I could find, so I can’t say what the risks are, but they are presumably minimal, compared to all the waves and frequencies we are surrounded by in our wireless-enabled world. I’m glad your sleep has improved.
Judy says
Hi Jennifer, I have just come across this article and read your comment about the Zeez pebble. I am considering buying one. Has it continued to be helpful for you two years on? Thanks
Liz Schumann says
My problem is that I wake up after about five hours good sleep, need to go to the bathroom, and then find it really hard to get back to sleep. What is the cause of this and how can I change things so that I get to sleep for more of the night? Thanks.
Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says
I can’t really say what the cause is, but I think your issue is not uncommon. If there is no medical problem keeping you awake after your bathroom trip, I would guess that either your body feels it’s gotten enough sleep (are you napping during the day?), or that your difficulty falling back asleep might be related to certain behaviors or thoughts. The app Headspace has a package of sleep meditations, including one specifically designed for when you wake up during the night and have difficulty getting back to sleep. You could try something like that and see if it helps.
I would also recommend discussing this type of sleep difficulty with your health provider, as they will be in a position to ask more questions and help you correlate this issue to any other health issues you might be experiencing. Good luck!
Cheryl Carpenter says
It is extremely important to block all light from your sleeping environment. Blackout windows, no cell phone or computer lights, etc.
When you rise to use the bathroom, use a small flashlight for safety and navigating, do not turn on lights.
Resource: Lights Out. TS Wiley