Can't STAY asleep :(

cormie

Hi,
For some reason I always seem to wake up after about 4 hours sleep. If I go to bed at 12, I'll wake up between 4 and 5, 2, between 6 and 7, 4 between 8 and 9 etc. That part isn't too annoying what's annoying is that once I wake up, I find it pretty hard to go back to sleep. In most cases, it'll take an hour or so to get back to sleep and then I might only sleep for 2 hours and wake up again and feel I need the full 8 hours still so have to try again.

Has anyone had similar experiences and how did you cope with it?

Is there anything I could take to conk me out that would be safe to take regularly and that wouldn't leave me wrecked?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Black Swan

cormie wrote:

Has anyone had similar experiences and how did you cope with it?

Yes. I found that strenuous daily exercise helped. Also cutting back on coffee, tea, and soda with caffeine. I am not a smoker, but it is also a stimulant, as are some drugs. Cut or eliminate them? And it sounds silly, but warm milk has worked for me on occasion or one glass of wine, as well as reading novels before bed time.

Wisht

ye my friends goin thru that at the mo except he only sleeps for 3 hours n finds it really hard to get to sleep in the first place. hes goin crazy bout it..did ya try sleepin pills..or is that just a bad idea..id b afraid i wudnt wake up in time 4 work or sumthin

cormie

I got my first full 8 hour sleep the night before last, it was amazing, got so much done the next day compared to usual.

I think it's a factor of 2 things. Something I've been busy working on for ages with people from Canada (6/8 hours behind) has finally been finished so I've no more urge to check the progress if I do wake up to go to the bathroom etc in the middle of the night.

The other thing too, is I took 40 drop of Valerian hops before I went to sleep that night, you're only supposed to take 20-30. I did try 30 nights prior but it didn't do anything for me.

It could be one or the other, I'm going to take another 40 tonight and maybe none tomorrow night and see what happens.

pp_me129

cormie wrote:

I got my first full 8 hour sleep the night before last, it was amazing, got so much done the next day compared to usual.

I think it's a factor of 2 things. Something I've been busy working on for ages with people from Canada (6/8 hours behind) has finally been finished so I've no more urge to check the progress if I do wake up to go to the bathroom etc in the middle of the night.

The other thing too, is I took 40 drop of Valerian hops before I went to sleep that night, you're only supposed to take 20-30. I did try 30 nights prior but it didn't do anything for me.

It could be one or the other, I'm going to take another 40 tonight and maybe none tomorrow night and see what happens.

Maybe it would be better to take 40 tonight 30 next night 20 next etc..

pikku

This kind of early waking can also be a symptom of stress - whenever i am under pressure or seriously stressed, this is what happens to me.

I have tried sleeping pills in the (recent) past and I can honestly say, DON'T! They totally conk you out the night you take them BUT as soon as you try to stop taking them (even after just ONE night) you will find your insomnia even worse (in my case i went from falling asleep and waking up early to not being able to goto sleep AT ALL) for a couple of nights, until whatever chemical was in those tablets wore off. So i would never take them again.

If you find you get anxiety about not falling asleep or that you start panicing about it, then half a xanax or valium is very helpful in preventing that panic from setting in. They dont make you sleep, but help you to chill out a bit.And no rebound sleeplessness the next day.

As other posters have said, i also find re
Reading a novel before going to sleep helps lots, as does a bath before bed and avoinding coffee after around 13.00 each day. If im particularly bad at a certain time, i only allow myself coffee up to 11 or 12/. it really makes a difference.

Good luck op!

carryboy

I, probably am so lucky for not having those kinds of problem. My bed upon seeing it would entice my eyes to close as soon as I lay my back on it.;)

condra

carryboy wrote: »

I, probably am so lucky for not having those kinds of problem. My bed upon seeing it would entice my eyes to close as soon as I lay my back on it.;)

Rub it in why don't you...

DeVore

I get this except its 2 hours and its as accurate as a stopwatch when it happens. I tracked it to a number of things...

1. Overtiredness! Believe it or not if I have had a rough nights sleep before or have pulled an all nighter the next night I would craaaaawl into bed but 2 hours later, bing, I'm looking at the ceiling!

2. Drunkeness! This sometimes happens when I'm plastered

3. Stress, this seems the most common one.

Also, its extremely accurate, I mean to the minute if not closer. I will wake exactly 2 hours after I nod off (which I have 0 problem doing ). I've even recorded my sleep to see if someone was joking with me or if there were any signs of anything (nothing, obv).

Warm milk DOES help, even if it was in coffee believe it or not! (I advise to try it without the coffee ). Warm milk releases a sleep-hormone into our brains within 20 minutes of consumption.

Hope this helps OP, its a bloody bugger of a thing. Be glad you get back to sleep and that you get 5 hours, I never got more then 2 and never get back to sleep. At the end of 5 days I was noticeably crankier and utterly unproductive as you might expect! I was also exhausted but that just made the problem worse (see 1!).

DeV.

steveone

I sleep like a corpse for three hours.absolutely gone to the world... then I have to walk the house until maybe 5am. when i eventually fall asleep.. and guess what... yep ---the soddin alarm goes off at 6....it's like surgery trying to wake up..so I spend most of the day looking like a corpse..

Splendour

Posssibly the reason we wake after a couple of hours sleep is due to low cortisol levels. Most of us don't have a problem falling asleep, but we tend to wake up shortly afterward.

Apart from the obvious no caffeine/alcohol stimulants, the next step is to eat some protein before going to bed ie: chicken, cheese, nuts but I think best of all is an egg. The reason we wake is because of our bodies need protein to stay asleep and if we eat some before hitting the sack, we've a better chance of getting a good nights sleep.

Night now...

Conor Bourke

I have tried sleeping tablets and experienced similar problems, AVOID!!!! I have often found that a few drops of Lavender Oil on the pillow is an extremely effective way to achieve a deep, long sleep (and you wake up with lovely smelling hair). Also I someitimes put on a favourite CD with the aim of listening to it in entirity and usually I end up relaxing so much and enjoying it to the piont where I'm fighting to stay awake til the end, and because your body and brain have had a long cool-down period, you should sleep solidly. Ditto reading a good book.

Splendour

Lavander oil good for sleep but Roman Chamomile oil is much better, or if you don't mind trippy dreams, Benzoin oil is also good...

topper75

I have same prob as OP - about 4 hours! Destroys me the next day and spirals onwards through the week.

Thanks folks for all the tips above - I'll try them all.