VFW Post 9876 Surgeon

Sleep disruption is one of the most common complaints of aging. Men, in particular, complain of being unable to return to sleep following that inevitable nighttime call of nature. A couple of simple changes can be very effective in relieving this problem.

Sleep researchers know well that any intrusion of light is severely disruptive to the sleep cycle. Without thinking, most people will turn on lights while answering "the call." Men seem to find it necessary to light the target.

One way to ensure a speedy return to sleep is to avoid turning on any lights. Instead, use any alternative light sources to find your way to the bathroom. Open the curtains slightly to allow in some exterior light; use a nightlight or even a small flashlight; leave a light burning in an adjacent room with the door slightly ajar. Anything to provide the minimum of light to safely reach the bathroom.

Once there, sit down! There are any number of psychological and muscle stresses involved in hitting the target from a standing position. Almost all of these are eliminated by simply sitting down. Men who find it difficult to ‘get the stream started’ often find that this, too, is easier while sitting down. Again, there is no need for a light to do this. Having emptied your bladder, return immediately to bed, no detours. You should find it easier to return to sleep by having eliminated many of the factors that have previously disrupted you sleep.

It is also important to try to get as much uninterrupted sleep as possible. One way of doing this is to answer that "the call" as soon as it happens. It is common to be awakened 3-5 hours after falling asleep with the feeling of a partially full bladder. Go and empty it. If you "fight through" the urge and fall back to sleep, you will likely be awakened again within an hour or two with an irresistible urge. Your sleep has now been interrupted a second time. You’ll have a shorter period of sleep before your normal wake-up time. Get the chore out of the way the first time you are awakened and you’ll likely get a longer stretch of sleep afterward.

One final word of advice. Psychiatrists use the abbreviations TFA and EMA to describe two of the more common symptoms of depression. These are "trouble falling asleep" and "early morning awakening." Not every occurrence and especially if you have one and not the other of these symptoms, means that you are depressed. Clinically, depression presents in many forms. Changes in sleep patterns are often one of the earliest signs of clinical depression. These are followed by other changes in one’s mood.

In order to be diagnosed as "depressed", one must have at least four of the following symptoms:

TFA and EMA, especially if one does not feel "refreshed" after a period of sleep;
poor appetite;
loss of energy, easy fatigability or excessive tiredness;
anxiety, agitation or retarded, slowed movement;
a lack of pleasure, loss of interest in former activities, &/or decreased interest in sex;
feelings of guilt or self-reproach;
diminished ability to concentrate, slowed or confused thought;
recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.

In well over half of all cases of new onset of depression, the patient will also complain of a new physical symptom. This could be a complaint in any part of the body. GI complaints are common, especially a change in bowel function. Another very common, new symptom is an anxiety attack.

The onset of depression with age is extremely common and is nothing to be afraid of or ashamed of. If you find yourself with any combination the above symptoms that persist over a few weeks, talk to your doctor and see if some anti-depressants can help. There is no "stigma" attached to taking care of your body!