THANK YOU JULIE CHEN

Those who have been with me for a while know I am a sucker for the easy fix.  I firmly believe most things in life can be cured or mended with either a life style change or a gadget. I feel we spend to much money and time on complex fixes. That is just me.

I have mentioned before that I don't sleep well and this has carried over from my early days. This seems to plague much of society.  When I was younger, 4 hours of sleep a night was fine. 

I was never aware of being tired. I remember smugly reading that Thomas Edison thought anyone who got 8 hours of sleep a night was a fool. He thrived on 4 hours. Difference was, he got a lot done in his extra 4 hours. Me--not so much.

When I hit retirement, I started going to sleep much earlier so a 10 PM lights out left me bright eyed at 2 AM.  Don't know if you are aware but that is a boring time of night in the confines of your home. You sure can't call anyone for a chat and infomercials stink. Kindle or the computer are  your only friends.

No longer was I energy charged for the rest of the day as I was when younger. I was tired. So I resorted to naps and sleep aids when I'd get desperate. I was on a spiral that I really didn't like.

I go to sleep quite easily, just don't stay asleep. Wide awake after those measly 4 hours. Tried every trick in the book to get back to sleep. 

If I am ever dementia tested, I can do the counting backwards test from a hundred like a champ--even by 7's. I've tried that particular trick many, many  times. Nada.

Tried reading, have black out window shades, a sleep mask, cold room, no eating after 4 PM, tried eating turkey before bed, raise the head of the bed, exercise, no exercise, warm bath--- the list goes on and on. Still nada.

Julie Chen

I tend to let the TV run when ever I am home for I use it as a white noise to drown out my tinnitus (ringing in the ears). While walking past the TV I caught a bit of the show The Talk recently when the host Julie Chen gave her solution to sleep problems. My ears perked up and I sat down to watch.

She said she had a tip and that we would thank her for later. Julie said that when you need to go to sleep, inhale deeply to the count of 4, hold your breath for the count of 7, then exhale to the count of 8.  Rinse and repeat.  She said it may take several repeats but that it will work.

Having nothing to lose, I tried her method. I can only say that for Julie and me, it works splendidly.  I am now clocking 7 hours plus almost every night. I still wake up but only very briefly and the breathing trick puts me right back to sleep. 

OMG Julie, where have you been all my life??  Oh that's right--you weren't born for most of it. 

So I am passing her tip along and hope if this is a problem for you or someone you know that the answer can be just this simple. Really hope it helps you as it has me. You're welcome.