I'm 65 and Sleeping Like A Kid Again

Hi I’m Barbara,

Let me tell you, the last 6 years of my life has been a nightmare, both figuratively and literally.

Like most women age 60+, we struggle with our bodies changing. From our hair changing texture and color to our skin starting to wrinkle but worst of all is not being able to sleep.

See for me I have always been able to sleep pretty easily, but once I hit the BIG 6-0 things changed.

Now I lay in bed night after night thinking unable to turn my brain off. I usually go to the other room and watch TV or read so I don wake my husband. Then I will usually go to bed around 2 or 3 am.

I know this affects my husband because I notice myself getting more irritable and short with him for no reason. It’s not like he is doing anything, I just can't sleep.

I had it, something had to change.

I just could not take it anymore. 

So, I decided enough was enough, I am going to find a way to get more sleep.

Later that week I went to the doctor and told him about my problem. He told me this is fairly common with women my age and that I should not worry he has something to help.

The doctor wrote me a prescription for a sleep aid and I was extremely excited to try it. On the first night, I took it, just like the pharmacist said and then woke up with an awful headache, and I felt tired like I have been drinking all night.

If this morning hangover is what I have to deal with to sleep, it's not worth it. I went and told the doctor about this and he says “ yes, that headache and hangover feeling is a side effect. But you did sleep right” I thought to myself what is the point in sleeping if I wake up feeling worse".  Oh, almost forgot, the doctor said other side effects from taking a prescription sleep aid are:

Dizziness

Blurred Vision

Depression

Weight Gain

 Dependency

Like why would I want to take something that would have those side effect? I was even upset he didn’t tell me about all of them when he prescribed the sleeping pills.

So I stopped taking the pills for my health but like clockwork, once I stopped taking the pills my sleeping problems came right back. (Tossing in bed, unable to relax, constant thinking and anxiety, all of it came right back)

A few weeks later I was reading a magazine at my husband's doctors appointment and saw an article about “Natural Ways to Sleep Better”.

I didn’t think much of the article, but I had time to kill "so why not give it a read" I thought.

After the first paragraph, this article got really detailed, talking about "drinking tart cherry juice, exercise and even some sort of special deep breathing exercise"  that would help you sleep better.

I can’t lie I am sort of a skeptic when it comes to things like this and immediately put down the magazine. Like really deep breathing will help me sleep more….I have been married for 27 years and my husband does things to make me breathe deep daily there is no way this stuff will work.

So fast forward a few days and my daughter is over visiting me and her father. Turns out he needed to get cataract surgery. I promise at this age it seems like the doctor can find anything wrong with you.

So my daughter asks, how I'm doing dealing with her dad and everything cause I look tired. And I tell her, dad is fine it’s just I can't sleep at night and I get really tired by the time 7 p.m rolls around.

I told her I tried some stuff the doctor prescribed to me but I woke up with a headache and it felt like I was out drinking the night before. My daughter said, “have you tried anything natural”?

"Do you think I'm going to try that?" 

My first thought went to that magazine article I read. I said yeah “like I’m going to really try drinking cherry juice and deep breathing to help me sleep, that stuff doesn’t work”.

My daughter said it’s not a lie that stuff does help and it is proven to work and has no side effects normally. (My daughter is a physician's assistant, so she may know a little about what she is talking about) So I decide, I should find that magazine I was reading and see what else it has to say about helping me sleep.

So I find the magazine and article at a local bookstore and read it in depth this time.

The article was pretty detailed and talked a lot about special herbs like Chamomile, Valerian Root, Lemon Balm, and Hops. It said that these herbs have been used for thousands for years to help people relax, clear their minds and sleep.

The article also said there is a special Doctor Formulated version of these herbs in one product called R.E.M. Evidently this product is all-natural and specifically designed to help clear the mind and allow you to reach deep sleep without any side effects. (unlike the stuff my doctor prescribed me)  

You know all this information was new to me so I told my daughter about what I read and the product R.E.M. Right away my daughter says did you order it.

What do you expect, I just learned about it?

I tell her “No way, how do I know it will work. I don’t want to waste my money”

That is when my daughter said something I will never forget. She looked at me in the face and said “If you don’t like the situation you are in, it’s only insanity that’s stopping you from doing something about it”

WOW, that hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was complaining about not sleeping, being tired, not having energy and I found something that may help me and I wasn’t even willing to give it a try.

That really doesn’t make sense. Not to mention the R.E.M product even came with a money-back guarantee. I didn’t have an excuse.

"I'm going to go for it"

So I decided to take things into my own hands and try that R.E.M product the magazine talked about.

I ordered 1 bottle, and I remember how nervous I was. Not because I bought it, but because I really hoped it worked.

So fast forward and I received my order in the mail and tried it for the first time.

I remember I took R.E.M 1 hour before bed. I went to bed and spoke with my husband about our grandkids and having them over for a few weeks in the summer. I started to feel really relaxed and calm, and then I remember waking up.

Did That Really Just Happen

I don’t even remember falling asleep and my body did not ache. Also, I didn’t have that weird hangover feeling like I did with the stuff the doctor prescribed me.

My husband noticed an immediate difference because I was up before him and I was out the bed before him and cooking breakfast. I haven't cooked breakfast for him in a year or so because I am usually still laying the bed.

Also later that night my daughter commented,  "you aren’t tired mom its 9 p.m"?  And I’m happy to say I was not.

Well, all I can say is. I am glad I listened to my daughter tried R.E.M. It’s a great product and I think everyone struggling with sleep should give it a try.   

Advertorial: By Cameron Thompson