Mary - Interview 05

Age at interview: 72

Brief Outline: Mary is a retired Secretary and travel organiser. She lives on her own, but has a daughter and grandchildren living nearby. Mary likes to keep very active during the day and helps with looking after the grandchildren. She also attends Keep Fit and Tai Chi and likes to sew and do crafts. Mary believes sleep is very important and would like to have more sleep, but also feels that she doesn't want to waste time sleeping as there are so many things she enjoys doing.

Background: Widowed, 1 child, retired Secretary/conference and travel organiser

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Since her heart attack some four years ago, Mary has been very careful about her health and makes sure she eats a balanced diet and gets plenty of exercise. Mary noticed her sleep changed about this time, but isn’t sure of the cause, although thinks it may be connected to the medication she takes. Mary has noticed that if she has things to worry about this really disturbs her sleep. She finds herself thinking about her problems in the night, but in the morning realises they weren’t as serious as they appeared in the night.

 

Before Mary goes to bed she has a cup of Horlicks, but isn’t sure that helps with her sleep because she sleeps just as well when she only drinks water. She also doesn’t think it is a good idea to eat before going to bed, so avoids eating anything after her evening meal. Mary does take a glass of water to bed with her, and in the morning can tell if she has woken up in the night because the glass of water will be empty.

 

Mary hates wasting time in bed in the morning and would much rather get up and get on with things. Similarly, Mary does not want to sleep during the day, and if she occasionally sits down and dozes off after lunch, she gets very cross with herself. Instead of taking a nap during the day, Mary would much rather go for a walk. As Mary is so busy with things to do during the day, she doesn’t have time to take a nap, but sometimes during the evening, or when at the cinema she may fall asleep because she is resting.

Mary isn't sure whether she is waking because she needs to go to the toilet, but will go anyway so she can go back to sleep quickly.

So you talked about going to bed about 11.30 and then getting up at about 7. So that’s like seven and a half hours, but you have a break as well, is that every night? You said you go to the loo?

 

No, not every night, but lots of nights. I turn over and I think I might as well go to the loo now.

 

Right so are you aware of needing to go to the loo? That’s waking you up or is it you are awake?

 

I don’t know, sometimes I wonder about that.

 

But you will go to the loo anyway just to make yourself comfortable?

 

Yes, because I can go back to sleep quickly then.

 

Is it upstairs the loo?

 

Yes, oh just a step away you know. 

Mary wonders whether the tablet she is taking for high cholesterol affects her sleep because she started to sleep less well when she started taking it.

I wonder if it’s the statin that I take, I take a statin, because cholesterol caused my heart attack so that’s probably the most important medication I take, I don’t know.

 

Did they put you onto that straight away?

 

Yes. they told me in hospital I was one of the very unlucky people, that although I was ticking all the boxes to keep fit, I had that hereditary cholesterol.

 

Oh okay so that’s why you need to take the tablets. So since then what is it that’s changed about your sleep?

 

Well I just wake up once in the night probably or early morning. And that’s it or may be because may be I don’t do quite as much now as I did then. I don’t know. 

Falling asleep during the day makes Mary cross, especially as she has so many things to do.

I wouldn’t want to [sleep in the day] I have done sometimes, gone to watch the news with a cup of tea over there, and in the middle of the day and it’s because I’ve relaxed. So I could easily go to sleep in the day I suppose. But I would be very, very cross.

 

Would you. Why?

 

Well I would. And usually I’m supposed to be somewhere quite soon after that.

 

So how long would you fall asleep for in the day time do you think?

 

Ten minutes.

 

Okay so you’re not talking about having a nap for an hour?

 

oh no, no, no.

 

I programme my day from, to get things going, go here, do this, do that. And it wouldn’t fit in to go to sleep.

 

Do you think there will ever come a time when you might fit it into your day?

 

May be when the children are at secondary school and I don’t have to pick up from school or … but then I’ve got other things. No, I hope I will always be able to get up and do what I want to.

 

Do you think there’s anything wrong then with napping during the day?

 

No I would rather go for a walk. I think that’s relaxing. I just go on my own and its leafy and pretty and …

 

What about in the winter would you do it then?

 

Yes. I would still walk in the winter.  

Mary sometimes falls asleep watching the television, or listening to the radio, and would be woken up by the noise.

You mentioned you had a television in your room is that right?

 

Yes.

 

So is that something you’d watch in bed every night?

 

No. If I’m watching something down here and I think I should be in bed I go and get myself ready for bed whilst sort of watching the end while I’m moving around and then I might just watch the end, but normally if I try to do that it sends me off, you know, watching anything sends me off to sleep.

 

So even in bed you might fall asleep?

 

Yes.

 

And does the television stay on then?

 

Yes, sometimes it’s about quarter past one and I hear this noise.

 

So you have to get up and turn it off or …?

 

Yes. I go straight back to sleep.

 

And what about the radio. Do you have a radio?

 

I like the radio Sunday nights. There is lovely music. And Sunday nights I try and be in bed at eleven to listen to David Jacobs Music Hour. So that’s till midnight.

 

And that’s Sunday night. So you’re awake listening to that till midnight?

 

Well if I’m really tired and say one more piece and I’ll… but sometimes I have to wake up and just switch that off. 

Mary believes sleep is important, but she also believes it is a waste of time and so its importance is linked to what she has to do during the day.

So thinking about you have this healthy attitude to food that is important in terms of health how does sleep fit in with your thoughts about health, or how does it if it does?

 

Not really, one doesn’t interfere with the other, you know.

 

And do you think sleep is important?

 

Oh yes. Very. Maybe I do need more sleep. I don’t seem to be able to. I couldn’t go to bed earlier. I have tried and tried.

 

Oh you have tried that?

 

Yes. I couldn’t go to bed at half past nine.

 

What made you try and go to bed early?

 

I have tried to do it, but I haven’t done it.

 

So it is not a case of getting into bed then before?

 

Maybe I think sleep’s a waste of time, you know, but I know how important it is.

 

But at the moment how do you feel about the level of sleep you’re getting?

 

I think it’s okay because I manage to go through the day fine. And but who knows whether next year and another year older I may need a bit more I don’t know. 

Mary worries about her family in the night, but is aware in the morning that this was probably a waste of time.

No the thing that keeps me from sleeping is the worry of people. If one of the grandchildren are not well then I know and I lay up there for ages, and you know, I like to get up and take them to doctor there and then to …

 

To stop the worry about it?

 

So I do worry about people.

 

So if I said to you what is the one most significant thing that affects your sleep?

 

If I do have something to worry about.

 

And is that recently or has that always been the case?

 

No I’ve always worried. It is one of my downfalls.

 

So it something that you think might be keeping you awake at night?

 

It’s the thing that’s most likely to keep me awake. Yes. Is worrying.

 

And do you do anything if you know that is what is doing it, keeping you awake, is there anything you do?

 

Well you try talking to yourself and saying if you worry all night it is not going to change it and then the next morning they get up and go to school and you think why did I.