Richard - Interview 25

Age at interview: 67

Brief Outline: Richard is a part-time member of an employment tribunal, a job he has been doing for several years. He likes to remain busy and active, and thinks it is important to keep himself occupied. A few years ago he had a stroke, and is also a diabetic, and he believes this is when his sleeping problems started.

Background: Divorced, 3 children, part time representative on employment tribunals

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Richard finds he has to get up a few times in the night to go to the toilet and believes this stems from when he was diagnosed as a diabetic. However Richard accepts that this is the way his sleep is at night now and doesn’t believe in worrying about it.

 

Richard does, however, have periods during the day when he is overcome by tiredness and does worry about this because he doesn’t see a reason for it. Richard tries to fight this sensation but sometimes does sleep for about an hour during the day and wakes up feeling revitalised.

 

Richard firmly believes it is important not to have a routine when you retire because this makes you feel older, so he does not have a set bedtime or getting up time and tries to have an active social life.

 

Richard doesn’t take any medication for his sleep because he feels he is already on enough medication to prevent a further stroke and to control his diabetes. If his sleep got a lot worse, he would go to see his doctor.

Richard leads a very active social life and finds the idea of having set sleep routines boring.

Yes. 92. I stopped full time work.

 

92. Did you notice a change in your sleep when you stopped full time work?

 

No.

 

It just carried on?

 

Hm.

 

Did you maintain your daily routine going to bed at a certain time and then getting up?

 

I have never done that!

 

Oh haven’t you?

 

I think that is boring.

 

What did you do then?

 

I don’t know. I never have set times to go to sleep or…

 

So what makes you go to bed now? What’s your …oh I need to go to bed?

 

Just feel a bit tired and think it is about time to go to bed. But it could be any time. Early hours of the morning!

 

So sometimes you are awake until the early hours of the morning?

 

I lead an active social life. Let’s put it that way.

 

So you are out?

 

I am out yes.