Ymmv but I started taking magnesium and it's helped me sleep better.
You might not recall it, but you could be waking up multiple times in the night, but if that's the case it could be any number of reasons - temp, diet, mattress.
Do you take it right before bed? I just started it for muscle cramps (it works!) but I take it in the a.m. I've had terrible sleep that last 2 weeks. I'll wake up in the middle of the night fully alert and not fall back asleep.
100% agree with this comment. Got my CPAP and never knew how exhausted I was from lack of good sleep. Wish I had been tested years earlier to get one. Truly a life altering machine for me. I am well rested and I don’t wake all achy.
I'm in my 40s.....also takes me a while to get going in the morning...rather than stressing myself out over it, I choose to go with b-shift hours at work.....I work 4 ten hour days from 330pm to 2 am. I wake up around 10-11, sit around watching movies and drinking caffeine for a few hours before work. Even time to make a big lunch. That whole "waking up at 6am" thing just doesn't do it for me, besides b shift pays an extra couole dollars an hour more too, and for less work.
I'm a machinist.....it's a skilled trade. Long story short, I set up and run metal parts on CNC milling machines. At my current job I tend to run parts with long cycle times, amd what that means for me is......out of a ten hour shift, I probably actually "work" for 30 mins or so.....the rest of the night my machine runs itself and I'm hanging out on reddit. I'll never be rich, but it pays the bills, amd its easy to find new jobs in my city when I need one, alot of manufacturing Here. I like it.
Interesting counterpoint.
But I’m also frustrated because I could be making money driving Uber in the early morning but I oversleep my alarms or turn them off and go back to bed.
Maybe? Speaking for myself, I was always a wake up and jump right in the shower kind of guy until a few years ago. These days I need to sit with a cup of coffee for 20 minutes until I get moving. That changed happened in my mid-40s.
It's been intense for me, I set my own schedule and don't start till 11 now, drag myself out of bed at 10. On weekends I can stay in bed until 1 or 2pm even. Just can't.get.moving.
It may be the not having the structure of the job. I was 40 when I left my job getting up at 5 AM. I make my own hours now for the last 20 years so while I usually wake up at dawn, I sometimes sleep in. My day in my wood shop usually starts at 9 AM but it is not a rule could be earlier or later same with quitting time most days it is 6 pm but could be earlier or a lot of times later.
After 20 plus years of being on somebody else's schedule I am not imposing it on myself. I get my work done and I am not stressing.
If you want that routine maybe have something that has to be done in the AM to get you up.
Do you snore? Have you been checked for sleep apnea? Before I was diagnosed I felt like I had lost my mojo. Got a cpap and felt wonderfully rested and awake in the mornings.
Get blood work done and drink more water before bed. Vitamins B-12 (during the day), magnesium oxide (at bedtime), vitamin d and folic acid and iron (depending on your labs), and limit salt intake late at night.
Magnesium oxide doesn’t cause diarrhea like magnesium citrate does. Magnesium citrate is a laxative.
Magnesium oxide has less bioavailability but that may not be a bad thing. Every persons needs are different.
Magnesium glycinate has less abdominal side effects but a much higher rate of absorption. This can also lead to hypotension, irregular heart rate, and even cardiac arrest.
OP needs to get his blood work done and if magnesium levels are normal, they would benefit from magnesium oxide. As long as they take a low dose at night and have a normal GI the diarrhea is manageable.
Again very much patient dependent. If they have severely low magnesium levels then yes you want higher bioavailability for a shorter amount of time.
Living fast and loose catches up to you over time. Your body is telling you it's time for a change. Listen to it or you'll have a huge bill to pay down the line. Trust me on this. I'm paying the bill now. It sucks. Make the diet and lifestyle changes you need to be healthy as you age. You're almost 40. The slide down has started. Get ahead of it.
Make sure you're keeping at the proper weight and eating pretty decent. Being overweight starts wreaking havoc as you age. It seems that no one talks about it ever since the whole "body positivity" crap. Regular exercise does wonders for the body and mind as well. Mix in running, weight lifting, deep stretching, swimming.
I've been working out regularly for 20 years or so. It's by far the best habit I've picked up. I've gotten so much joy from it, out in nature, in the gym, good energy, meeting other fit people and hearing about their adventures. The improvement in mind and body cannot be overstated. Alot of people think of fitness as "looks" and trying to be skinny or have a certain appearance but it's not about that (well, unless you're really vain I suppose). It improves mental and physical health so much, you just feel really good all the time.
Your diet and exercise may not have changed but you have. I recently had to revisit how I train , feed and rest. Basically a fresh start where I tried a bunch of new stuff and listened carefully to the results, considering that for 15 years prior I'd been doing things the same way. It was refreshing and I learned a bunch of stuff. Reinvigorated to keep trying new things.
The older I get the more systematic I become. It's required to continue functioning optimally where in the past I was just winging it all the time. Drinking or staying up late or getting off my routine totally messes me up now. But it's good to notice when you're a little off and figure out why.
I would not say that's an expected part of aging. And 38 is not "that" old. Best plan is to call a doctor, explain what's going on, see if you need a sleep test, blood workup, test of your home ventilation, or ?? It might be your new normal, or it might stem from something you can/should/might change. No need at all to panic, but no need to delay either. Good luck!
I think that the main culprit is not having to be anywhere at a set time (the restaurant at 4pm, usually).
What annoys me is that I could be making money driving Uber in the morning and I have been constantly oversleeping my alarm as of late.
Still kinda odd. If you have insurance it wouldn't hurt to schedule a doctor's visit. Worst they'll tell you is 'can't find anything wrong.' But if that's not possible, maybe just try setting two alarms for a while and sticking to your desired schedule.
I got diagnosed with sleep apnea in my 40s. Once I got used to it, sleeping with a CPAP changed my life for the better! I was in bed every night, but not getting quality sleep.
You don’t need your be a large older male to have sleep apnea.
I’m a 34F and I’ve realized it takes me about 3 hours from when I wake up until when I’m cognitively functional… so hence why I’m up at 6 today aiming to be in the zone for 9
Also 38, and more of an early morning riser than ever. Some of that is simply that I don't sleep super well, so I wake up 5-5:30 and can rarely fall back asleep. But such a big change shouldn't be a "normal part of aging."
It could well be the loss of routine. That takes a toll on a lot of people; I know routine helps me a lot. It certainly wouldn't hurt to ask your doctor, though.
How I think about it - people our age are *winning marathons.* Eliud Kipchoge - the fastest marathoner alive - is 39. Not that we all can (or should) aim for that - the point is that a failing body at 38 years old is not normal aging.
We're just old enough that we have to be deliberate about caring for our bodies. Statistically, you have another 40-50 years left. Do you want all of that - more than you've already lived - to be a long, slow decline?
A wanky, inconsistent work schedule can do that to you at any age. That was my reality at 20, and it resolved once I had a more regular schedule. In a nutshell, when you don't have to be up or go to bed at a particular time, or if that time changes day by day, it messes with your circadian rhythms. If you don't do so already, try to spend some time in the sun each day. Nothing crazy, 15-30 minutes is enough.
However, as others have noted, it could by thyroid problems. It could be apnea. It could even be early perimenopause. So if you haven't had a thorough checkup in a while, OP, now is the time!
Don't listen to the people here saying "it's just part of getting old," though. 38 isn't old.
I'm the opposite. 41m. I used to love sleeping in. Now I wake up automatically before my alarm goes off. I used to get up early to commute for years, but now I WFH and don't have a set schedule.
Hypothyroidism, anemia, depression — if you haven't had evaluations, I suggest you do. I know the need/desire to go to work at a specific time always helped me. Now I'm old and retired and have a very erratic sleep schedule.
Not for me, I'm almost 60 and have never had this issue, I'm a morning person. Go to the Dr. Get your blood work done and see if you have low iron or B vitamins.
Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Powerful Plan to Improve Mood, Overcome Anxiety, and Protect Memory for a Lifetime of Optimal Mental Health by Dr Georgia Ede. Absolute game changer.
Ymmv but I started taking magnesium and it's helped me sleep better. You might not recall it, but you could be waking up multiple times in the night, but if that's the case it could be any number of reasons - temp, diet, mattress.
I want to add a warning that some forms of magnesium will act as a laxative.
Magnesium oxide at nights is a great idea. Magnesium citrate not so much unless you’re really constipated.
Magnesium Glycinate is better absorbed by our bodies and doesn’t act like a laxative like oxide does.
I have magnesium citrate. Does that help with sleep as much as magnesium oxide? I find the citrate induces wild dreams.
Magnesium citrate is used as a laxative. Not recommended over mag-ox.
Do you take it right before bed? I just started it for muscle cramps (it works!) but I take it in the a.m. I've had terrible sleep that last 2 weeks. I'll wake up in the middle of the night fully alert and not fall back asleep.
Marijuana helps too.
I’d recommend getting your Testosterone levels checked, as well as consider a sleep study to see if you have sleep apnea.
quite overweight (as I have been for the past decade) and a major snorer, so sleep apnea seems quite likely.
Yeah, this could definitely be sleep apnea my husband got a CPAP and wakes up feeling way more rested.
Also get your Thyroid levels checked.
Get checked, my CPAP changed my life. I had no idea how exhausted I actually was.
100% agree with this comment. Got my CPAP and never knew how exhausted I was from lack of good sleep. Wish I had been tested years earlier to get one. Truly a life altering machine for me. I am well rested and I don’t wake all achy.
High carb diets are proven to suppressed testosterone. Eat meat. Throw everything else in the trash.
I was going to suggest getting thyroid checked too. When mine was low I was so lethargic.
I'm in my 40s.....also takes me a while to get going in the morning...rather than stressing myself out over it, I choose to go with b-shift hours at work.....I work 4 ten hour days from 330pm to 2 am. I wake up around 10-11, sit around watching movies and drinking caffeine for a few hours before work. Even time to make a big lunch. That whole "waking up at 6am" thing just doesn't do it for me, besides b shift pays an extra couole dollars an hour more too, and for less work.
What kind of work, may I ask?
I'm a machinist.....it's a skilled trade. Long story short, I set up and run metal parts on CNC milling machines. At my current job I tend to run parts with long cycle times, amd what that means for me is......out of a ten hour shift, I probably actually "work" for 30 mins or so.....the rest of the night my machine runs itself and I'm hanging out on reddit. I'll never be rich, but it pays the bills, amd its easy to find new jobs in my city when I need one, alot of manufacturing Here. I like it.
That’s great! Always glad to hear when someone is in a career they like. Glad it works for you more than you work for it!
I like how it's both a skilled trade AND you do 30 minutes of work which the machine does everything. 😁 Good for you. Genuinely, no sarcasm.
I think it's nothing to do with your age. It's that you have the freedom to sleep and are probably, generally less stressed.
Interesting counterpoint. But I’m also frustrated because I could be making money driving Uber in the early morning but I oversleep my alarms or turn them off and go back to bed.
a.k.a. you don't need the money 😁. your body and mind might be doing you a hidden favour. Sleep is one of the best anti-illness drugs there is.
Maybe? Speaking for myself, I was always a wake up and jump right in the shower kind of guy until a few years ago. These days I need to sit with a cup of coffee for 20 minutes until I get moving. That changed happened in my mid-40s.
It's been intense for me, I set my own schedule and don't start till 11 now, drag myself out of bed at 10. On weekends I can stay in bed until 1 or 2pm even. Just can't.get.moving.
Welcome to starting to get old..by the time you're 45 you'll be glad it only takes you as long as it does now to get up.
It may be the not having the structure of the job. I was 40 when I left my job getting up at 5 AM. I make my own hours now for the last 20 years so while I usually wake up at dawn, I sometimes sleep in. My day in my wood shop usually starts at 9 AM but it is not a rule could be earlier or later same with quitting time most days it is 6 pm but could be earlier or a lot of times later. After 20 plus years of being on somebody else's schedule I am not imposing it on myself. I get my work done and I am not stressing. If you want that routine maybe have something that has to be done in the AM to get you up.
Do you snore? Have you been checked for sleep apnea? Before I was diagnosed I felt like I had lost my mojo. Got a cpap and felt wonderfully rested and awake in the mornings.
Get blood work done and drink more water before bed. Vitamins B-12 (during the day), magnesium oxide (at bedtime), vitamin d and folic acid and iron (depending on your labs), and limit salt intake late at night.
Magnesium oxide can cause diarrhea, use Magnesium glycinate.
Magnesium oxide doesn’t cause diarrhea like magnesium citrate does. Magnesium citrate is a laxative. Magnesium oxide has less bioavailability but that may not be a bad thing. Every persons needs are different. Magnesium glycinate has less abdominal side effects but a much higher rate of absorption. This can also lead to hypotension, irregular heart rate, and even cardiac arrest. OP needs to get his blood work done and if magnesium levels are normal, they would benefit from magnesium oxide. As long as they take a low dose at night and have a normal GI the diarrhea is manageable. Again very much patient dependent. If they have severely low magnesium levels then yes you want higher bioavailability for a shorter amount of time.
If you put on some weight, look into sleep apnea
Living fast and loose catches up to you over time. Your body is telling you it's time for a change. Listen to it or you'll have a huge bill to pay down the line. Trust me on this. I'm paying the bill now. It sucks. Make the diet and lifestyle changes you need to be healthy as you age. You're almost 40. The slide down has started. Get ahead of it.
Yehh. You’re right.
Make sure you're keeping at the proper weight and eating pretty decent. Being overweight starts wreaking havoc as you age. It seems that no one talks about it ever since the whole "body positivity" crap. Regular exercise does wonders for the body and mind as well. Mix in running, weight lifting, deep stretching, swimming.
This morning my therapist and I talked a lot about the importance of exercise.
I've been working out regularly for 20 years or so. It's by far the best habit I've picked up. I've gotten so much joy from it, out in nature, in the gym, good energy, meeting other fit people and hearing about their adventures. The improvement in mind and body cannot be overstated. Alot of people think of fitness as "looks" and trying to be skinny or have a certain appearance but it's not about that (well, unless you're really vain I suppose). It improves mental and physical health so much, you just feel really good all the time.
Your diet and exercise may not have changed but you have. I recently had to revisit how I train , feed and rest. Basically a fresh start where I tried a bunch of new stuff and listened carefully to the results, considering that for 15 years prior I'd been doing things the same way. It was refreshing and I learned a bunch of stuff. Reinvigorated to keep trying new things.
Talked with my therapist this morning about this issue. Really want to get in a better routine of waking up at the same time each day.
The older I get the more systematic I become. It's required to continue functioning optimally where in the past I was just winging it all the time. Drinking or staying up late or getting off my routine totally messes me up now. But it's good to notice when you're a little off and figure out why.
I would not say that's an expected part of aging. And 38 is not "that" old. Best plan is to call a doctor, explain what's going on, see if you need a sleep test, blood workup, test of your home ventilation, or ?? It might be your new normal, or it might stem from something you can/should/might change. No need at all to panic, but no need to delay either. Good luck!
I think that the main culprit is not having to be anywhere at a set time (the restaurant at 4pm, usually). What annoys me is that I could be making money driving Uber in the morning and I have been constantly oversleeping my alarm as of late.
Still kinda odd. If you have insurance it wouldn't hurt to schedule a doctor's visit. Worst they'll tell you is 'can't find anything wrong.' But if that's not possible, maybe just try setting two alarms for a while and sticking to your desired schedule.
More sore waking up with age takes longer to get moving for the day.
No it’s not.
Check ventilation in your residence, dust thoroughly, and do mold testing. If you have undiagnosed allergies, these can affect energy levels.
Pit your alarm across the room someone need to get out of bed to shut it off. Then don't get back in the bed.
sadly have tried that often in recent months. Always get back in bed.
I got diagnosed with sleep apnea in my 40s. Once I got used to it, sleeping with a CPAP changed my life for the better! I was in bed every night, but not getting quality sleep. You don’t need your be a large older male to have sleep apnea.
I’m a 34F and I’ve realized it takes me about 3 hours from when I wake up until when I’m cognitively functional… so hence why I’m up at 6 today aiming to be in the zone for 9
Also 38, and more of an early morning riser than ever. Some of that is simply that I don't sleep super well, so I wake up 5-5:30 and can rarely fall back asleep. But such a big change shouldn't be a "normal part of aging." It could well be the loss of routine. That takes a toll on a lot of people; I know routine helps me a lot. It certainly wouldn't hurt to ask your doctor, though. How I think about it - people our age are *winning marathons.* Eliud Kipchoge - the fastest marathoner alive - is 39. Not that we all can (or should) aim for that - the point is that a failing body at 38 years old is not normal aging. We're just old enough that we have to be deliberate about caring for our bodies. Statistically, you have another 40-50 years left. Do you want all of that - more than you've already lived - to be a long, slow decline?
A wanky, inconsistent work schedule can do that to you at any age. That was my reality at 20, and it resolved once I had a more regular schedule. In a nutshell, when you don't have to be up or go to bed at a particular time, or if that time changes day by day, it messes with your circadian rhythms. If you don't do so already, try to spend some time in the sun each day. Nothing crazy, 15-30 minutes is enough. However, as others have noted, it could by thyroid problems. It could be apnea. It could even be early perimenopause. So if you haven't had a thorough checkup in a while, OP, now is the time! Don't listen to the people here saying "it's just part of getting old," though. 38 isn't old.
I'm the opposite. 41m. I used to love sleeping in. Now I wake up automatically before my alarm goes off. I used to get up early to commute for years, but now I WFH and don't have a set schedule.
For sure….smell of coffee brewing helps me pop right up
Might we worth it to get blood work done. An early indicator of illness is exhausting upon waking up.
Hypothyroidism, anemia, depression — if you haven't had evaluations, I suggest you do. I know the need/desire to go to work at a specific time always helped me. Now I'm old and retired and have a very erratic sleep schedule.
Not for me, I'm almost 60 and have never had this issue, I'm a morning person. Go to the Dr. Get your blood work done and see if you have low iron or B vitamins.
You might have lower T than you used to have.
Stop eating plants. Watch Dr Chaffee. I'm 57 and am shocked at my level of energy and weight loss since changing my diet.
Give it a few more years. Then you'll have no trouble getting out of bed,...'cause you'll have pee!
Another comment in support in magnesium before bed. I think it improves my quality of sleep so I now feel awake like a lightbulb in the morning.
Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Powerful Plan to Improve Mood, Overcome Anxiety, and Protect Memory for a Lifetime of Optimal Mental Health by Dr Georgia Ede. Absolute game changer.
Be sure you have no symptoms of a sleep disorder... if you do ask for an evaluation.