Waking up in middle of the night

A typical night lately. I go to bed, fall asleep just fine. Then about 2:00 AM I'm awake. Read, watch some tv for about 20 minutes, then can fall back asleep until normal wake up time. Not sure why...any thoughts?

Welcome!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Replies

  • Posts: 25,753 Member

    I do that when I'm super stressed.

  • Have you always done it? One of my sons has always slept in two batches. As a little kid I would sometimes find him asleep on the floor, collapsed face-first into his toys. As he got older half the time when I got up I'd find that he was asleep on the couch instead of his bed. He's 22 now and he still does it....gets up around midnight, stays awake for about 30 minutes, and goes back to bed. I think it's just how he's wired.

  • Posts: 391 Member
    edited November 2021

    I haven't always done it, but I'd say it's been going on for half a year or more. I seem to be getting enough sleep, since I have no issues being tired during the day. I'm just curious if it happens to other people.

  • Posts: 894 Member

    I think it’s due to COVID. I’ve always slept through the night until COVID started. Now, I often wake around 3 or 4 a.m. our minds are worried and wake us up. Just a guess.

  • Posts: 1,917 Member

    It is a common trauma response or if you have ptsd or cptsd. But anxiety can cause it, or even change of diet people who do keto have this problem where they just are awake and with energy

  • Posts: 2,998 Member

    That’s exactly what I came here to share.

    Also it is more common than many would suspect. I know some people, academics and artists, that do this and cherish the time. They use it for journaling or similar.

  • Posts: 978 Member

    I agree, I think it's really quite common but most people don't realise it. For years growing up I used to wake up at 3:30 and then just be awake for around half an hour before going back to sleep. Now as an adult I go through stages of doing this for about a week at a time.

  • Posts: 7,460 Member
    I always thought it was because our sleep cycles are about 4:hours. From light to deeper sleep, then back to lighter at about 4 hours for most people. Closer to 5 for me.
  • Posts: 90 Member
    i do the same sometimes. try increasing your activity level some.

  • Posts: 3 Member
    I used to always wake up about 2:20am. Depending upon how crazy my mind was, I would often not be able to go back to sleep. When I stopped drinking alcohol, my early morning wake-up sessions ended as well. Have frequently heard about this phenomenon among other AF folks. It's something about how one's body processes the alcohol.
  • Posts: 4,540 Member
    Start with the point made by @Deviette. It’s normal. The “problem” if there is one, isn’t waking up, it’s about getting back to sleep.

    If you have a reliable routine for that I’d just stick with it. Don’t fight and make this into a stressor. Stress is the enemy of sleep.
  • Posts: 931 Member
    I woken up at 2.30-3am since I was a child
    These days I use it to sneak in an extra meal.
    I guess I do the 4 hour fast as I pretty much eat every 4-4.5 hours 24/7
  • Posts: 746 Member
    I usually wake once during the night, sometimes more frequently. And sometimes it takes an age to get to sleep. What I do not do is get up, read, make a cup of tea or whatever. If I need to get up for the bathroom I keep the lights as dim as possible and go straight back to bed. I may check the time once, but don't keep looking at the clock. I lie in bed in the dark, resting and maybe doing some sort of meditative type thoughts. I keep stress levels as low as possible and figure I am at least getting rest, if not sleep.
  • Posts: 4,374 Member
    SnifterPug wrote: »
    I usually wake once during the night, sometimes more frequently. And sometimes it takes an age to get to sleep. What I do not do is get up, read, make a cup of tea or whatever. If I need to get up for the bathroom I keep the lights as dim as possible and go straight back to bed. I may check the time once, but don't keep looking at the clock. I lie in bed in the dark, resting and maybe doing some sort of meditative type thoughts. I keep stress levels as low as possible and figure I am at least getting rest, if not sleep.

    Same, although no light at all for me. There's an emergency flashlight plugged into the hall outlet that has a little nightlight on it so I can see well enough to get to the bathroom and back.

    A clock without a light is an absolute must for me, otherwise I'll just keep checking the time and getting more and more anxious (and further away from sleep). When I stay in hotels the first thing I do is turn the clock around so I can't see it.
  • Posts: 901 Member
    I also sleep in the 4hr cycles that seem pretty common in this forum. Some nights it's easier to fall back asleep than others. I can fall back asleep faster if it's an environment issue that can easily be fixed; room too hot, too loud or bright outside. The main thing that wakes me up early is if I'm really hungry, then I can't fall asleep until I've had a snack.
  • Posts: 58 Member
    I wake up at 3 most nights. No idea why and it’s quite frustrating!
  • Posts: 812 Member
    If you're able to go back to sleep and it's not impacting you during the day then it's just one of those things. Sleep patterns often change as we age, and you're doing exactly the right thing instead of laying in bed being annoyed you can't sleep, and perpetuating it, you do something else for a bit then sleep again. Sounds ideal!

    Since I hit my 30s I became an early bird incapable of lying in. Previously I could quite happily sleep for 12+ hours a day if I chose to! I do get some early waking insomnia (can't go back to sleep for love nor money) but thankfully that's been improving since I started seeing a women's health specialist.
  • Posts: 28 Member
    I doubt this is your reason....lol..... but I started waking up in the middle of the night during menopause and it hasn't changed..... I can not remember the last time I "slept thru the night". Most nights I can fall back to sleep but not always..... <<<<sigh>>>> I really miss sleeping thru the night :|
  • Posts: 1,155 Member
    edited December 2021
    I doubt this is your reason....lol..... but I started waking up in the middle of the night during menopause and it hasn't changed..... I can not remember the last time I "slept thru the night". Most nights I can fall back to sleep but not always..... <<<<sigh>>>> I really miss sleeping thru the night :|

    Same - and I used to sleep really well. Problem is then I fall asleep on the couch the next evening and the whole thing repeats. Maybe once every week or so I get so exhausted and manage to stay awake late enough that I sleep through the night.
  • Posts: 4,374 Member
    I just reinstated my weighted blanket (didn't use it at all last winter due to injuries/surgery) and realized it seems to help me get back to sleep faster when I wake up in the middle of the night, which is guaranteed at least once a night. It was a pretty dramatic difference when I started using it again because I'd been having an extended period of long wakefulness.

    It also makes getting out of bed a lot less appealing when the alarm goes off though.
  • Posts: 142 Member
    I wake up in the middle of the night every night to go to the restroom. I haven't slept a full 8 hours undisturbed in years. :neutral: I usually have no issue falling back asleep though thankfully, but yeah, somewhere between 1 and 3am every night....
  • Posts: 9 Member
    Go to You Tube and try one of there Sleep and lose weigh hypnosis. Even If I get up to go pee (at 65 you do most the time) I go back to listening and fall back sleep.

Welcome!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.