Sleep -issue?-
Options
Replies
-
I wonder why those of us with sleep problems seem to wake up at the same hours,1-1:30 and 3? I had this issue and did go to the doctor she just gave me melatonin,it doesn't work that great so I take 1/2 of a unisom with it,I'm pretty sure mines hormone related tho,just try not to stress cuz the more you worry about lack 'o sleep,,the worse it is
There is an issue with Melatonin. Our bodies supposedly make far less of it on a normal basis, yet most supplements have up to 10x that amount so that they work quickly. Problem is, taking it long term in high doeses can leave you immune to its effects and sometimes cause sleeplessness during the night like some of us describe. For that reason I try to only take it on days after a rest day when I've had more sleep than normal but still need to get to sleep early so that I can get up early and work out the next day. That reduces it to a 1-2x per week that I take it. The supplement I buy at the store has a whopping 10mg per dose, so I break it in half, and sometimes in quarters.0 -
i tried to nap...surprise surprise i woke up exactly an hour 20 later xD I never nap i try not to mess my schedule up. But im peeling myself awake even though id rther go sleep more >.> See how this makes me feel im tired of being tired lol0
-
Just as an observation: There are multiple types of insomnia (different symptoms), and multiple potential reasons for each type. In a thread like this, it can help to be as specific as possible about what symptoms you have, and what the cause is (if you know).
In particular, the causes/solutions for "can't get to sleep/can't get back to sleep" types of insomnia tend to be quite different than those for "wake up often and go right back to sleep" types. There's some solution overlap for some people (e.g., drugs), but not total.
With the sleep interruption type, unknown cause, a number of things did me personally no good at all (and I should have included a list of these in my initial post on this thread.
Things that didn't work for me: Eating/not eating before bed, changing caffeine consumption, hot milk before bed, herbal teas, lavender or other aromatherapy, limiting pre-bed screen time, standardized sleep/wake times, yoga before bed, hot baths before bed (with/without Epsom salts), melatonin, manipulating bedroom temperature and/or blankets, several different sleeping drugs (OTC and prescription), meditation, sleep apnea treatment, the sleep clinic experience generally . . . and probably some other things I'm forgetting.
I didn't particularly have faith in some of the things I tried - I thought they were ludicrous woo - but I was desperate. I would've tried anything that sounded safe and legal, and did. Unlike some who've reported here than waking every 90 minutes is OK because you still get quality sleep, I was a walking zombie.2 -
You mentioned PCOS. Get a hormone panel. I dealt with this after losing weight and lost my period. no PCOS but estrogen and progesterone remained super low so I didn't get periods for years. My sleep was very similar to yours. The only thing that has helped is increasing calories to maintenance or close to it. Large deficits (the leaner you are, the more extreme your body detects hundreds of calories below maintenance) will make your brain jerk you awake to "hunt for food". It's a survival thing. If you don't have a regular period due to low hormones and not just PCOS you will likely have issues with sleep as hormones regulate everything. If your hormones look normal then ignore all this
1 -
The only thing for certain that has helped me to get a full nights sleep is prolonged rest. What I mean by that is I generally work out 4x per week pretty consistently sometimes 5x per week, as in always. The last time I got a full nights sleep, and even managed to sleep for about 9 hours I was sick the prior week and took about 5 days off in a row from exercising. Might have been exhaustion, or the fact that my body got in a slump of no energy from the flu. Who knows.
I'm too much of an exercise addict to try that again and test the theory but it was the best sleep I've had in likely a year. Most of the time when I wake up at night it has to do with temperature regulation, I wake up in a pool of my own sweat and then can't get back to sleep. Wife can be freezing to death and I'll be sweating lol. Been that way most of my life. I'm one of those people who like it cold as *kitten* in the room so that I can stand to have blankets on me, or even to have a fan running on me at night. One year she bought flannel sheets and I about died. Since then (I made them disappear and bought her new cotton ones lol) I have banned flannel sheets in the house. ;P I'm surprised she's put up with me for 26 years. lol4 -
Another magnesium recommendation - when I'm stressed/dieting/training, I find my sleep becomes irregular. Magnesium gets me to sleep through the night.0
-
@AnnPT77 did you have an 8 hour or 24 hour study at the sleep clinic? FWIW, I tried everything for my severe sleep issues (I couldn't keep a job and it nearly ruined me), but a 24-hour sleep study provided the diagnosis I needed to get back on track.
It was 8, on a couple of separate occasions. Thanks for the info about 24 - that's good to know. I'm arguing with the sleep people about something else now (I need my CPAP pressure reduced post-weight-loss, but am not "cured", and they don't seem to be processing this well
because I'm reporting things that "don't happen" ). I'll add the 24-hour idea to my list. Even 15+ years after onset, I still have some sleep interruptions, just not as bad as originally. 1 -
I've thought about buying the weighted sheets or blankets that are being used for anxiety. I think my issue is that my stress level is high so I don't relax enough to stay asleep.
2 -
I've thought about buying the weighted sheets or blankets that are being used for anxiety. I think my issue is that my stress level is high so I don't relax enough to stay asleep.
I used to completely turn off the heat at night and sleep with seven quilts. Very heavy. Slept great.
Now that I am living with my OH I can't do that - 62 degrees is as low as I can get away with
That's just one blanket, one quilt, and a folded quilt over my feet.0 -
Spliner1969 wrote: »The only thing for certain that has helped me to get a full nights sleep is prolonged rest. What I mean by that is I generally work out 4x per week pretty consistently sometimes 5x per week, as in always. The last time I got a full nights sleep, and even managed to sleep for about 9 hours I was sick the prior week and took about 5 days off in a row from exercising. Might have been exhaustion, or the fact that my body got in a slump of no energy from the flu. Who knows.
I'm too much of an exercise addict to try that again and test the theory but it was the best sleep I've had in likely a year. Most of the time when I wake up at night it has to do with temperature regulation, I wake up in a pool of my own sweat and then can't get back to sleep. Wife can be freezing to death and I'll be sweating lol. Been that way most of my life. I'm one of those people who like it cold as *kitten* in the room so that I can stand to have blankets on me, or even to have a fan running on me at night. One year she bought flannel sheets and I about died. Since then (I made them disappear and bought her new cotton ones lol) I have banned flannel sheets in the house. ;P I'm surprised she's put up with me for 26 years. lol
My OH and I have such completely different sleep environment needs that separate bedrooms is the only way for us to go.0 -
I've thought about buying the weighted sheets or blankets that are being used for anxiety. I think my issue is that my stress level is high so I don't relax enough to stay asleep.
I use a cooling weighted blanket. I grew up sleeping in very cold rooms with lots of blankets, so I feel cozy with a lot of weight on me. I can't get my bedroom cold enough now (can't open windows due to noise, can't use air conditioner or fans because the bf can't sleep that way) so I have a cooling weighted blanket because it's hard to sleep with no covers on. I also have ice-pack socks and a cooling pillow (I'm a sleeping mess!) I honestly don't see how it would help with anxiety, however. If the mind is racing, I'd recommend daily meditation, body scans, and solid sleep hygiene. You could test your theory before paying all that money, though. If you feel more relaxed under a lot of blankets now, it would probably help.1 -
I will try the magnesium. My insomnia is really fun. I can be tired (droopy I call it) at 9 pm and then with every passing hour I become less tired. This can happen even after not sleeping for 48 hours. That part I have under much better control and it is manageable but it is very sensitive to big changes like diet and weather.
At one time I struggled with my mind racing but my nighttime techniques have pretty much wiped that out.0 -
This is going to sound weird but I had a similar issue. Then I started watching anime online for ideas for my artsy hobby for 1-2 hours before bed, sitting in bed, and suddenly I started falling asleep like normal and staying asleep.
I realized my problem wasn't looking at a lit screen in bed. My problem was listening to opposing opinions that were basically telling me I was a horrible person (politics, religion, etc) right before bed on my phone or computer. And that stress would stay with me for hours, keeping me awake. Now I intentionally avoid discussion forums an hour before bed. That includes these forums, just in case.
So if you can, find a mindless escape within some kind of TV show, preferably something more for kids and teens so that stress topics that can be opinionated are avoided. Doesn't have to be anime, but definitely no opinion late night talk shows, no reality shows, etc. Find something fun and upbeat.
And for reference, I just watch anime on Crunchyroll for free.4 -
Drinking ginger tea helps a lot with my sleeping. I am barely an adult and have terrible bags under my eyes from lack of sleep. I usually wake at about 5 in the morning and don't sleep until 11 (sometimes 12)! It's a bad habit, but I also suffer from anxiety and sleeping issues since I was a child. I would get up at 3 in the morning trying to wake my mom up sometimes because I got scared of the dark XD.
I can't take medicine to help me sleep because it triggers suicidal thoughts, and melatonin pills just give me awful nightmares (same with codine cough syrup, but I only took it because I was sick).
What calms you?0 -
JaydedMiss wrote: »I've never been a good sleeper and am quite familiar with the 90-minute nap sleep pattern! What has really helped me in the last couple of years is to use a sleep mask. I'm pretty conditioned now to close my eyes and go back to sleep when I wake up during the night. My guess is that since I can't see a clock to start spinning about how much sleep I'm missing with these wake-up episodes or be affected by any ambient light in my room, it makes it easier to just rollover and go back to sleep. Either that or I'm actually a parrot and when you put a blanket over my cage (or a mask over my eyes), I zonk out
glad that helps you sadly im a freak who needs to buy new pillows every 2 weeks because they get to soft and if my head sinks into it even a tiny bit and goes near my nose i cant sleep i feel like im suffocating lol. Sadly a sleep mask on me would be the same way xD Nothing near my nose when i sleep. Im weird i know lol
Sounds like you’re using the wrong pillow then. They make firmer pillows that don’t have much sink at all. I have one from Ikea that’s memory foam and barely sinks at all even after 3 years intermittent use.0 -
This is going to sound weird but I had a similar issue. Then I started watching anime online for ideas for my artsy hobby for 1-2 hours before bed, sitting in bed, and suddenly I started falling asleep like normal and staying asleep.
I realized my problem wasn't looking at a lit screen in bed. My problem was listening to opposing opinions that were basically telling me I was a horrible person (politics, religion, etc) right before bed on my phone or computer. And that stress would stay with me for hours, keeping me awake. Now I intentionally avoid discussion forums an hour before bed. That includes these forums, just in case.
So if you can, find a mindless escape within some kind of TV show, preferably something more for kids and teens so that stress topics that can be opinionated are avoided. Doesn't have to be anime, but definitely no opinion late night talk shows, no reality shows, etc. Find something fun and upbeat.
And for reference, I just watch anime on Crunchyroll for free.
It doesn't sound weird at all. I watch old TV shows that I know really well and are completely safe. I avoid phone calls from certain people after 7pm and I avoid anything else that will get me worked up. If necessary I create a fictional problem and I allow myself to try and solve it so I don't get invested in solving a real problem. These techniques have worked for me for 7+ years now. They at least solves one of the issues I have.
2 -
I've thought about buying the weighted sheets or blankets that are being used for anxiety. I think my issue is that my stress level is high so I don't relax enough to stay asleep.
I got a weighted blanket about a month ago. It's absolutely amazing. I was averaging about 3 hours a night. Now I'm regularly getting about 6 hours of solid sleep.1 -
There is some growing interest (University research) into inulin - found in veggies like leeks and you can buy as a supplement - and its role in helping the body regulate its sleep hormones.
(It is coming out if the body of 'proper' research into gut bacteria and their impact on health - as opposed to 'woo'! But I guess I will get woo-ed at anyway. Hey ho.)1 -
I've thought about buying the weighted sheets or blankets that are being used for anxiety. I think my issue is that my stress level is high so I don't relax enough to stay asleep.
I use a cooling weighted blanket. I grew up sleeping in very cold rooms with lots of blankets, so I feel cozy with a lot of weight on me. I can't get my bedroom cold enough now (can't open windows due to noise, can't use air conditioner or fans because the bf can't sleep that way) so I have a cooling weighted blanket because it's hard to sleep with no covers on. I also have ice-pack socks and a cooling pillow (I'm a sleeping mess!) I honestly don't see how it would help with anxiety, however. If the mind is racing, I'd recommend daily meditation, body scans, and solid sleep hygiene. You could test your theory before paying all that money, though. If you feel more relaxed under a lot of blankets now, it would probably help.
@amandaeve mind sharing a link? I never heard of regular or cooling weighted blankets until this thread. Then I went to Mom's yesterday and she had just bought a regular weighted blanket for my brother. I got under it and it was great, but I figured it would be too hot for it soon.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 913 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions