Waking up a lot at night

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shovav91
shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
in Chit-Chat
For the past couple weeks, I've been waking up many times throughout the night. I've been having trouble falling back asleep, and as a result I've been exhausted. I don't want to take sleeping pills, but considered melatonin. Does anyone else have this problem? What do you do? Any advice is greatly appreciated; I just miss sleeping.

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  • jakejacobsen
    jakejacobsen Posts: 595 Member
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    I take 5mg of melatonin it works for me, with no groggy effect after my morning coffee. But you need to go to bed with in 20 minutes of taking it or it seems not to work for me.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
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    Same here, I'm waking up at least every hour.
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
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    I've just started doing Bikram yoga in the evenings and I sleep a lot better on nights when I do it. It's not necessarily that I'm exhausted, because I often exercise before bed - but I think it's the meditation at the end. It relaxes my whole body and I sleep very well.
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
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    I have REM issues which cause me to get really super crappy sleep most nights. I alternate between Melatonin (3mg) and Amitriptyline (it's an anti-depressant used a lot for fibromyalgia) which seem to help without me feeling funny in the morning.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    Same issue, just this past week.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    Before you go to bed, sit indian style on your floor with no TV, radio, or any other noisemakers. Sit up nice n' straight with your palms on your knees facing upwards. Slowly close your eyes and breathe in through the nose and out the mouth counting 3 seconds in and 5 seconds out. Breathe deeply and methodically focusing on nothing else. Do this for 10-15 minutes until you feel completely relaxed, then go to bed. I do this on days when I get really stressed out and have trouble getting things off my mind.
  • 42hockeymom
    42hockeymom Posts: 521 Member
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    Are you falling asleep to the TV? Do you shut off all things electronic at least an hour before you to to bed. If not, you're giving your brain time to "down shift" and this may help you a lot. Also, is it really dry in your room? If it is, do you have a glass of water close by for drinks? I have found that when it's really dry, I wake up a lot. If I don't have water to drink I won't fall back asleep at all. It's probably stupid, I know, but it works for me.

    I've got a set routine that I follow before bed. Shutting down everything, stopping reading, dimming down lights. Then I'll go to bed about 30 minutes after that. Put my audio book on my iPod, set the timer for 20 minutes. And fall asleep probably in 10 to 15 minutes. I sleep like a log for 8 hours or more (if I let myself).

    There have been studies shown that people who don't do the whole "down shifting" and turning off, do not get the REM they require. I'm not against drugs, I just thought I'd offer another opinion.
  • Johnny_Castle
    Johnny_Castle Posts: 159
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    OMG as soon as you said I don't wanna take sleeping pills I was gonna reply take melatonin. I literally just got home from the store to buy melatonin pills. You may want to see what's the cause of this happening and prevent that.
  • hofdog
    hofdog Posts: 269 Member
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    http://www.naturemade.com/Products/Sleep/Nature-Made-Sleep-Natural-Sleep-Aid

    I have used this in the past when I am having trouble sleeping. You can even take one in the night if you have trouble falling back asleep. Does not make you feel groggy in the morning.
  • shanolap
    shanolap Posts: 1,204 Member
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    Sleepytime Extra herbal tea works for me. Or try Valerian root (herb).
  • sryan8408
    sryan8408 Posts: 244
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    Could it be a vitamin deficiency? I was having a lot of troubles sleeping and I started taking some multivitamins and I've been sleeping like a baby! I would talk to your doc about it.
  • xSophia19
    xSophia19 Posts: 1,536 Member
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    I wake up loads during the night! Sometimes i wake up shoot out of bed and stand by my window and im really out of breath! No idea why i go and stand by my window? Maybe bcos i can have a look outside or something? Not like theres anything fun to look at lol! I also find it super hard to fall asleeep! Even after a hard days work of excercising or shopping or work etc! I just cant fall asleep =( takes me hours!

    Someone on here a while ago told me to take a nice hot bubbly bath right before you settle down for bed, soo about 11pm before i wanted to fall asleeep i made a huge hot bubble bath and when i got in there i started to feel sleepy, i layed back in the bath tub, and i fell asleeep! I woke up like 4 hours later (around 3am) freezing my bum off!! Sooo i wouldnt really recommend taking a hot bath right before you want to go sleep!! Lol. Im lucky im still alive if im honest!!

    Anyway, you could try reading a book, switch off your tv about 30 mins before you lay down for bed, or have some like aroma therapy stufff in your room..

    Personally i dont read in bed, it hurts my eyes and i get headaches, ive got some of this aroma therapy spray stuff that i spray on my pillows and top of duvet. i spray it on every night when i settle down for sleep, and it really works :)
  • dalgirly
    dalgirly Posts: 280 Member
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    I have no problem sleeping, but often people I work with do.

    Most people at work who do (sleeping all day is hard for some people during night shifts) take melatonin. It seems to work well for them.
  • kmshred
    kmshred Posts: 393 Member
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    every freakin night lately. HATE IT.
  • shellimus
    shellimus Posts: 158 Member
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    I have a terrible time sleeping. Here's what is currently working for me and I sleep like a baby. I take 3mg of *time-release* melatonin. I have to read until I'm about to drop my book, then I wear a lavendar-scented sleep mask to block out the light. I also have a ceiling fan which creates a little bit of white noise.

    Without reading, I have a difficult time falling asleep. What I found was that my mind would run a million miles a minute and I couldn't settle down. The reading forces me to not *think* so much, which really helps.

    Without melatonin, I have a hard time staying asleep. Now I sleep all night. But, it's true, you have to take melatonin as you are getting into bed, because if you take it too long before you go to sleep, it won't work.

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