Sure is a great gift Sue but then,and I`m off topic, speaking of gifts......My sister has decided that if I need a kidney she will be the one to donate and my brother has decided that my house needs central air con so he`s organizing that to be installed for me.

My father repeated a conversation he had the other day with my brother about chemo drugs,evidently there`s one that isn`t covered by the PBS and costs up to fifty thousand a year, my brother without hesitation told my father that he would be happy to cover that for me for as long as I need it!

Words cannot express how I feel about the support I receive from my family.

It sounds like you have a wonderful family Roo. It is wonderful when family stick together and support each other. You are truly blessed.

I got a Cat Purr CD for Christmas two years ago, and it sure is cool. It is such a relaxing sound that it really does help me go to sleep.

Oh Roo, what a great thing to have family that is so supportive and helpful. You can get off topic any time you want as far as I'm concerned. I'm always happy to hear about close knit families. Mine is very few and far between. Hope your chemo is still going okay. If it weren't for two insurance programs we have, don't know what we would do with cost of meds.

I went to a sleep specialist and the 2 things he impressed on me were to have a hot shower before bed because we fall asleep better as we cool down. Second was to look out at the daylight as soon as you wake up. This helps reset your internal clock. Hope this helps.

I sleep from around 12-30 A.M until 5-30 A.M. I'm OK on that as long as I get a couple of 15 minute dozes a day, one after lunch and the other after main meal time (around 6 P.M)

I have one of those magic foam mattress covers, and it is wonderful. Had it for 3 years now, and still works as well as the day we got it.

mountaingoat, I like the advise, but suppose, you've been showering as a 'wake-up' forever? Won't the PM shower also, wake you up? The daylight thing is a problem for me, too...I always shut off the alarm, and stand at the window for a minute. Now we're coming on winter, it's DARK when I look out!

I guess nothing is for sure, but I DO have my Xanex!

I don't have trouble falling asleep, but I wake up way too early, after having slept 4 hours or so. This problem is called "terminal insomnia", which sounds ominous , but really just means waking too early. It's frustrating because I still feel tired and groggy, but can't get back to sleep.

I don't have problems falling asleep... my primary issue is staying asleep.

I rarely am able to sleep longer than 3 hours at a stretch so my day usually goes like this.: I usually go to bed around 3am or 4 am and sleep until 6 or 7 am. Sometimes I take a one hour nap around 2pm and sometimes I take a second one hour nap around 11pm.

I don't get stressed out or worry about the number of hours I sleep because that makes it even harder to fall asleep. I've never heard of anyone dying from sleep deprivation and inevitably your body will command you to go to sleep when you finally get tired enough.

That's more or less the approach I take. The only problem with it is that sometimes I will *need* to be well rested, and I'm not. If I've only had three hours sleep the night before, a long drive the next evening is scary.

I either read or listen to the news.

Audiobooks! They help me take the focus away from the bad stuff. =(
I have a few favourites (The Invisible Man, Congo, Jurassic Park). I also have a good collection of Art Bell recordings.

Sleeping is never an easy task!