Struggling to get enough sleep

I have no problem falling asleep at night, but I do not remember the last time that I slept the whole night through. I go to bed at about 9:30 / 10:00, then usually about midnight the vicious cycle begins...I wake up every hour or two until shortly before 5:00. 5:00 is my normal time to get up. This cycle began when I was really stressed out a few years ago and I have been unable to break the habit except on very rare occasions when the exhaustion finally catches up to me. Any advice would be welcome! I have tried leaving my phone in the other room as I have a bad habit of using it to check the time when I wake up and I have blackout curtains. I live in the country so noise is not an issue.

Replies

kshama2001

Sleep deprivation is horrible! I also leave my phone in another room. I can turn the light on on my watch if I need to see the time.

Here are some things for you to consider:

If you are getting up to pee, what time do you stop drinking beverages in the evening?
If hunger is waking you up, save some calories for a bed time snack and perhaps look if your overall calorie deficit is too aggressive for the amount of weight you have to lose.
My sleep is better when I exercise regularly. (Doing so too close to bedtime keeps me up.)
Timed release melatonin helped me stay asleep until I became peri-menopausal, and had to switch to something stronger.

MelanieCN77

Do you nap in the day? I have the waking up after a couple of hours problem if I try to go to bed too early. Even though I fall asleep, it won't be a full night's rest. Same if I have any caffeine after mid afternoon. Do you have a good evening routine and try to stick to it as much as possible?

NovusDies

Melatonin helps. What works best for me is my nightly ritual of relaxing and avoiding anything that I find stimulating starting about 90 minutes before bed.

I have been trying a weighted blanket lately. It is too soon to report any additional effectiveness.

ladybug4233

I could have written this post word for word. This started late February. I’m not hungry, not on electronics, workout almost every day and don’t need to pee. I may be peri menopausal. Whatever it is it is frustrating. Melatonin (6 mg) doesnt help and unison makes me irritable.

whmscll

Are you waking up because of stress/anxiety? Or for some orher reason?

quiksylver296

A magnesium supplement helped for me. I use this.

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Vitality-Supplement-Raspberry-Lemon/dp/B00BPUY3W0/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=calm&qid=1554301753&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

grimendale

I've been using the Stop, Breathe & Think app to help me sleep, and it's done wonders. It has a great falling asleep guided meditation that helps me calm my brain and sleep better. I've also heard good things about the Sleep with Me podcast, which helps people with anxiety fall asleep (although it isn't for me). It might be worth talking to a doctor about sleep meds or to see if there is some other issue (such as sleep apnea) that might be affecting your slumber.

InspectorRed

I don't nap during the day and I'm not stressed right now (at least nothing out of the ordinary). I hadn't considered that it might be hormonal, I am likely perimenopausal so that could be part of my issue.
Thank you for all the input, I have never needed 8 hours of sleep a night but 6 or 7 hours of uninterrupted would be awesome!

Crafty_camper123

What is your caffiene consumtion like during the day? I used to have trouble sleeping because my mind would race at night. I quit caffiene by noon and noticed I was sleeping better. Since caffiene has a long half life, it may be something to look into. I never thought caffiene effected me like that, until I gave it a try.

Kalex1975

I have pretty much the same issue... have no problem falling asleep but wake-up multiple times throughout the night. If you can't figure this out on your own and if your insurance covers it, I would recommend having a sleep study performed...

I am seeing a sleep doctor and have been using a BiPAP machine for a few years. I use to have severe obstructive sleep apnea. My apnea hypopnea index (AHI) was over 126/hour in 2015 (meaning I stopped breathing more than twice a minute). Since then, after I lost all my weight, the AHI is down to about 17/hour now (no obstructive apneas now, just hypopneas which is shallow breathing)...

I mention this because sometimes there could be a larger issue. After I started using the BiPAP everything just became easier... how I felt, my energy levels, and losing weight. WebMD has a nice article about how lack of sleep can affect weight loss here: https://www.webmd.com/diet/sleep-and-weight-loss

Best of luck to you!

Maxxitt

In addition to the good advice about melatonin, magnesium, perimenopausal changes and possible sleep apnea, alcohol can also be a sleep disruptor in that while it may make it easier to go to sleep, it often causes the frequent awakenings later. Just a thought - for many people, one beverage may not be disruptive but two may be (especially in women since we metabolize alcohol a bit differently than men due to weight, hormones and amount of lean mass).

apullum

Since this has been going on for so long, have you asked your doctor to refer you to a sleep specialist? There are various medical issues that can affect sleep, as well as therapies (both medication and not) that they can try.

kshama2001

ladybug4233 wrote: »

I could have written this post word for word. This started late February. I’m not hungry, not on electronics, workout almost every day and don’t need to pee. I may be peri menopausal. Whatever it is it is frustrating. Melatonin (6 mg) doesnt help and unison makes me irritable.

6 mg melatonin could be too much. I've heard too much is counter-productive. I've only taken between 1 and 3 mg.

kshama2001

NovusDies wrote: »

Melatonin helps. What works best for me is my nightly ritual of relaxing and avoiding anything that I find stimulating starting about 90 minutes before bed.

I have been trying a weighted blanket lately. It is too soon to report any additional effectiveness.

I love love love my weighted blanket! It's like a hug

I have this one, which I can use almost all year round. (Too hot in the dead of summer unless the AC is lower than I'd like because I'm cheap.) I got it when it was $100 off last year. https://www.weightingcomforts.com/collections/all/products/cool-max-weighted-blanket-white

My mom got this https://magicweightedblanket.com/collections/minky-blanket/products/light-blue-minky for my brother, who doesn't like it because it's not wide enough. (Mine is wider.) I am currently trying his. It is a lot warmer, and because it is now warmer at night I'm going to swap back this weekend.

kbmnurse1

Try Melatonin.

InspectorRed

I will probably try melatonin, I tried it previously but I am not good at remembering to take a pill everyday so I was very inconsistent with it. I will have to make it a priority and maybe set an alarm on my phone to remind myself to take it.

whmscll

You want to take it at bedtime or about 30 minutes before. No sooner.

Strudders67

I can totally sympathise as I went through this a few years ago. Sleeping tablets did nothing to help, I tried less alcohol, more alcohol, going to the gym, not going to the gym. Mine turned out to be wisdom teeth coming through (I was in my 30s and didn't think it was even possible) and the problem went away when they were removed, so that's not much help to anyone else. However, as I went in to menopause I found my sleep being disrupted again. I now meditate myself to sleep (usually with an app such as Headspace - I just listen to the 10 free sessions then go back to session 1 - or Calm) and find that I sleep right through.

I definitely suggest talking to a doctor, as it's been going on for a while, but meditating may clear any thoughts that are racing through your mind, even subconsciously.

musicfan68

If I go to bed too early, I wake up several times. You said you only need 6-7 hours, so try going to bed around 11 and see if that helps.

Keto_Vampire

Sleep hygiene is step 1...do you have any triggers/rationale on thoughts of why you are waking up sporadically?

Try creating a sleep environment only used for sleeping/intimacy (no electronics, no temptation of lounging/laying around), temperature controlled environment (fans/white noise are fine, should be a slightly cool environment), blackout/shaded area (you're good on this), distractions (unfortunately, pets can often be problematic), limit fluid intake, restrict exercise earlier in the day/afternoon (just leave enough space between exercise & sleep - a few hours (3-4 minimum) is sufficient), avoid large meals (allow 2-3 hours minimum, more of a problem with GERD/elevated head of bed helps), management of stimulant intake & alcohol

Not sure melatonin is optimal in your instance; melatonin is better for initiating sleep onset whereas you are having issues staying asleep. Occasional use of doxylamine succinate (12.5-25mg) on an empty stomach (more fat delay peak onset of effect and chances of morning hangover) is ok for staying asleep (do not make a habit of; tolerance develops esp. with chronic use 7+ days....1-2 times per week is generally fine). Longer half live (doxylamine) vs. diphenhydramime/BENADRYL & metabolite products (dimenhydrinate) is more optimal for getting a solid 7-9 hours of sleep (Note look at the active drug part on UNISOM labels...not all UNISOM products are doxylamine - often source of confusion)

reversemigration

I second sleep hygiene. One thing that may be helpful is keeping a sleep diary, so you can connect potential issues in your routine to the problem (and alternately, changes in routine to sleep improvement.) In addition, unfortunately, life changes can lead to bouts of insomnia - menopause, chronic health problems, etc. If your insomnia persists, I'd recommend seeing a sleep medicine physician/NP.

If you're thinking about using meds to help, make sure to check side effects and interactions with drugs you may already be taking, and in general take them for only short periods of time (a couple of weeks.) Doxylamine, for instance, is an anticholinergic which doesn't always play well with other anticholinergics.

http://sleepeducation.org/essentials-in-sleep/healthy-sleep-habits

InspectorRed

Lots of good comments and advice, thank you, everyone!

csplatt

aes1219 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

ladybug4233 wrote: »

I could have written this post word for word. This started late February. I’m not hungry, not on electronics, workout almost every day and don’t need to pee. I may be peri menopausal. Whatever it is it is frustrating. Melatonin (6 mg) doesnt help and unison makes me irritable.

6 mg melatonin could be too much. I've heard too much is counter-productive. I've only taken between 1 and 3 mg.

I take 15 mg and it works well for me.

Melatonin is sold at different concentrations, I believe. (My husband is a pharmacist.) So how many mg you take depends on which bottle and brand you bought.