Melatonin works for me usually only two nights in a row. So I stop taking it after that.

If I need a really good sleep I will take two Tylenol PM capsules and get a solid 7 to 8 hours.

For me an absolutely dark room is necessary for me to stay sleeping.

For me. Working out several days a week. Plus x6 days of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on top of that.

I don't have a choice but to sleep good. Some days's I'm so freaking tired that I have no choice but to sleep through the night and beg for more when it's time to get up.

But I'm 45yo. Occasionally I do have a weird insomnia style night. But it's rare. Once every few months.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
Melatonin works for me usually only two nights in a row. So I stop taking it after that.

If I need a really good sleep I will take two Tylenol PM capsules and get a solid 7 to 8 hours.

For me an absolutely dark room is necessary for me to stay sleeping.

If you look at the Tylenol PM label, it's just Tylenol and diphrenhydramine.

Tylenol is acetaminophen and diphrenhydramine is Benadryl.

Tylenol PM isn't expensive but it's more expensive than buying a store brand bottle of acetaminophen and a bottle of diphrenhydramine.

Same exact ingredients, dosing and efficacy for a lot less.

That's a good introduction to the topic, para, and a nice bit of prose. I do know that kind of nap, but it's been awhile. At age 73, I have a much better acquaintance with insomnia than I have with good sleep.

Mid 50s here and for the last several years, I haven’t slept worth a flip. Go to bed and wake up three or four hours later and usually that’s it. I used to sleep great but I was probably a lot more active also. I don’t take melatonin or Benadryl as I hear the long-term effects of those are not very good. Nowadays, a six hour night is like Christmas. I need to try the 321 principal but I just haven’t been able to commit to it. Three hours before bed no food two hours before bed no drink one hour before bed no screens. I really don’t know what I would do the last three hours before I go to bed if I didn’t do those three things. Ha ha.

I bet half of my posts on this forum are at it 2, 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. Getting a late start at 5:15 AM on this one. On the other hand, my teenage daughter can sleep till 2 PM with three alarms going off right next to her head.

quote:

Originally posted by Warhorse:
Melatonin works well for me, allowing me to sleep
for 7-8 hours.

Same. Add a shot of Afrin in each nostril to keep my nasal passages clear and it’s made a big difference. Deep REM sleep.

I guess I'm blessed. I usually hit the pillow and I'm out for 6-7 hours. I can nap in the front seat of my ambulance until the CAD or radio wakes me up.

At 68 I'm still going full on. Work 6 or 7 days a week. Today I mowed, moved some fence panels, and hauled brush from a big limb that came down in a storm a couple weeks ago. A couple hours of jujitsu every week.

I'm 57. Two other change I made in 2025 that I believe improved my sleep were giving up caffeine entirely and reducing my alcohol consumption to one or fewer drinks per week. Comparing June 2026 to June 2024, my REM sleep is up 19% (to 1hr 39 min) and my deep sleep is up a whopping 73% (to 1 hr 19 min). Overall sleep score is up from 77 to 85 on Fitbit.