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I keep waking up between 5-6am. I'm shattered when I go to bed and mostly drop off to sleep quite easily. I'm not having freaky dreams that are waking me up but every morning, I wake up. I can't get back to sleep and feel like I need more sleep
In reply to RockAngel:
I am very similar. I put my own sleep irregularities down to unresolved issues during the day. If by evening I'm never quite on top of a situation the knowledge of its existence keeps me on edge. The tiredness reaches a level where I can't really do anything effective about the problem so I drift off to sleep, genuinely tired. But my internal body clock wakes me up early knowing I gotta fix it.
After several days of this your body adopts the pattern and its quite hard to shake.
I am very similar. I put my own sleep irregularities down to unresolved issues during the day. If by evening I'm never quite on top of a situation the knowledge of its existence keeps me on edge. The tiredness reaches a level where I can't really do anything effective about the problem so I drift off to sleep, genuinely tired. But my internal body clock wakes me up early knowing I gotta fix it.
After several days of this your body adopts the pattern and its quite hard to shake.
In reply to RockAngel:
If you can't sleep and have nothing better to do, can you please settle our 8 month old? I manage to get to bed around midnight and then am rudely awoken at 5am by an hour of screaming before it is time to get up so if you aren't doing anything better...?
You have my sympathy though. I am shattered!
If you can't sleep and have nothing better to do, can you please settle our 8 month old? I manage to get to bed around midnight and then am rudely awoken at 5am by an hour of screaming before it is time to get up so if you aren't doing anything better...?
You have my sympathy though. I am shattered!
In reply to RockAngel:
Youre ok as Long as you dont keep waking at 3AM every morning, as thats the demonic witching hour for waking the possessed (According to films anyway)
Youre ok as Long as you dont keep waking at 3AM every morning, as thats the demonic witching hour for waking the possessed (According to films anyway)
In reply to RockAngel:
I've had the same problem for a while now, feeling shattered by 8pm and always waking up at stupid o'clock in the morning. I mentioned it to the doctor while I was there for something else and they recommended forcing myself to stay up later and going to bed at 11pm exactly every night, along with all the usual sleep hygiene advice. Despite a concerted effort over two weeks it didn't really work for me and I felt like it was pretty standard "can't sleep advice" but might be worth a shot if you usually go to bed early. They said changing your sleeping pattern was really hard and at first you'll get less sleep and feel like a total zombie but keep with it and you'll adjust.
Can you identify when it started? I know that for me it was in the summer, with the window open and seeing the sun and hearing the birds at 4am and getting used to waking up then. Is anything waking you up in the morning, someone going to work or being noisy early on?
The other thing I considered doing was putting a clock up in the bedroom set to the wrong time, because whenever it is I'm waking up it usually stays exactly the same for a while (almost to the minute) and I think I'm aware of the time as I'm drifting in and out until the clock hits whatever and then I'm suddenly fully awake.
Something I used to do as a kid when I couldn't sleep was pull the covers, chuck the pillows down to the other end of the bed and sleep with my head at the foot of the bed. A little random but it did work for me at the time, depending on when you have to get up you might have enough time to get up, sit in the cold with a book and a hot drink and go back to catch another hour or so sleeping upside down!
I've kind of embraced the mornings now, although it's maybe easier for me as even though I know I've not slept enough I'm generally full of beans till about midday. The mornings are the best, especially the chilly ones, crunching up into the garden clutching a coffee and a cigarette and looking out over a frozen town sleeping under the stars. I also kind of feel like it's my body's way of saying "hey Ben, remember those days of late nights and wild parties...well f*ck you, it's over! We're a morning person now."
I've had the same problem for a while now, feeling shattered by 8pm and always waking up at stupid o'clock in the morning. I mentioned it to the doctor while I was there for something else and they recommended forcing myself to stay up later and going to bed at 11pm exactly every night, along with all the usual sleep hygiene advice. Despite a concerted effort over two weeks it didn't really work for me and I felt like it was pretty standard "can't sleep advice" but might be worth a shot if you usually go to bed early. They said changing your sleeping pattern was really hard and at first you'll get less sleep and feel like a total zombie but keep with it and you'll adjust.
Can you identify when it started? I know that for me it was in the summer, with the window open and seeing the sun and hearing the birds at 4am and getting used to waking up then. Is anything waking you up in the morning, someone going to work or being noisy early on?
The other thing I considered doing was putting a clock up in the bedroom set to the wrong time, because whenever it is I'm waking up it usually stays exactly the same for a while (almost to the minute) and I think I'm aware of the time as I'm drifting in and out until the clock hits whatever and then I'm suddenly fully awake.
Something I used to do as a kid when I couldn't sleep was pull the covers, chuck the pillows down to the other end of the bed and sleep with my head at the foot of the bed. A little random but it did work for me at the time, depending on when you have to get up you might have enough time to get up, sit in the cold with a book and a hot drink and go back to catch another hour or so sleeping upside down!
I've kind of embraced the mornings now, although it's maybe easier for me as even though I know I've not slept enough I'm generally full of beans till about midday. The mornings are the best, especially the chilly ones, crunching up into the garden clutching a coffee and a cigarette and looking out over a frozen town sleeping under the stars. I also kind of feel like it's my body's way of saying "hey Ben, remember those days of late nights and wild parties...well f*ck you, it's over! We're a morning person now."
In reply to RockAngel:
Fix your getting up time, work out how much sleep you think you are getting and then go to bed that number of hours before your getting up time. If you are awake more than 15 minutes get up until "sleepy tired" again before returning to bed. You slowly increase the sleep time by going to bed a bit earlier each week until back to normal This can be a pretty brutal process but there is good evidence it works for serious insomnia....may be a bit OTT for you yet!?
Fix your getting up time, work out how much sleep you think you are getting and then go to bed that number of hours before your getting up time. If you are awake more than 15 minutes get up until "sleepy tired" again before returning to bed. You slowly increase the sleep time by going to bed a bit earlier each week until back to normal This can be a pretty brutal process but there is good evidence it works for serious insomnia....may be a bit OTT for you yet!?
In reply to tmawer:
That's pretty much word for word the advice I got so I'm sure it's worth a shot but I did feel like it was the generic advice doctors give when someone says they have sleep trouble. You spend5 minutes explaining you don't have trouble falling asleep but you wake up early regardless of how well you've slept and they say "just don't stay awake in bed more than 15 minutes." And you say, "but I don't have trouble getting to sleep" and they say "its tough for a while but you'll find your able to go top bed earlier and you'll get to sleep quicker in time." So you say, " but no, I get to sleep easily it's just I wake up early even when I need more sleep." So they say, "just give it a try for a couple of weeks and if you're still having trouble getting top sleep then come back and see me." So you say "but...ok then, never mind."
That's pretty much word for word the advice I got so I'm sure it's worth a shot but I did feel like it was the generic advice doctors give when someone says they have sleep trouble. You spend5 minutes explaining you don't have trouble falling asleep but you wake up early regardless of how well you've slept and they say "just don't stay awake in bed more than 15 minutes." And you say, "but I don't have trouble getting to sleep" and they say "its tough for a while but you'll find your able to go top bed earlier and you'll get to sleep quicker in time." So you say, " but no, I get to sleep easily it's just I wake up early even when I need more sleep." So they say, "just give it a try for a couple of weeks and if you're still having trouble getting top sleep then come back and see me." So you say "but...ok then, never mind."
In reply to RockAngel:
What works for me is to break out of the rut, usually achieved by a late night involving alcohol and dancing. Go to bed proper late. This seems to reboot my preferred sleep pattern.
What works for me is to break out of the rut, usually achieved by a late night involving alcohol and dancing. Go to bed proper late. This seems to reboot my preferred sleep pattern.
In reply to BnB:
thats happening on Friday, but knowing that I dont sleep after a few drinks anyway, I dont see it working all that well. After Ive had a drink and go to bed because Im tired, I just seem to hover in between sleep and awake until morning and then feel rubbish because Ive not slept and now have a hangover. The late night thing might kickstatrt it but I dont seem to get to sleep until after midnight anyway. I think Id have to stay up all night to rejig the clock
thats happening on Friday, but knowing that I dont sleep after a few drinks anyway, I dont see it working all that well. After Ive had a drink and go to bed because Im tired, I just seem to hover in between sleep and awake until morning and then feel rubbish because Ive not slept and now have a hangover. The late night thing might kickstatrt it but I dont seem to get to sleep until after midnight anyway. I think Id have to stay up all night to rejig the clock
In reply to ByEek:
Sure I'll do that. Its got to be better than surfing the net looking for stuff to buy (that I dont actually need or want)
Sure I'll do that. Its got to be better than surfing the net looking for stuff to buy (that I dont actually need or want)
In reply to RockAngel:
I can wake up early when I've got things on my mind, or when there's something life-related going on. When there's something amiss.
You might just be going through a weird 'waking up early' phase... ()
I can wake up early when I've got things on my mind, or when there's something life-related going on. When there's something amiss.
You might just be going through a weird 'waking up early' phase... ()
Post edited at 11:59
In reply to RockAngel:
It's a good expression BnB uses - "rebooting" your sleep pattern. When I need to do that with mine, I fall back on drugs for a couple of nights and then I'm fine. I take codeine because it makes me sleepy but you can try the various herbal sleep remedies - Nytol etc.
It's a good expression BnB uses - "rebooting" your sleep pattern. When I need to do that with mine, I fall back on drugs for a couple of nights and then I'm fine. I take codeine because it makes me sleepy but you can try the various herbal sleep remedies - Nytol etc.
In reply to Sharp:
I think the point is, that if, say for example, at the moment, you are sleeping for 4 hours, then if you force yourself to stay awake until 4 hours before the time that you WANT to get up (so for example, if you want to get up at 7am, you don't let yourself go to sleep until 3am), then because your body is used to sleeping for 4 hours, then you are pretty certain to sleep all the way through - after all, you will be knackered, having stayed up until 3am!
You will still get your usual 4 hours sleep, but without the frustration of waking too early. So they are trying to answer your 'waking too early' problem, using advice that they do repeat because it does work.
Also - what times do you get up when you are not working? Do you try to stick to the same time, 7 days per week?
Another thought is what screens are you looking at? The blue light from screens (tv, tablet, computer) can disturb your sleep rhythms, so it might be worth trying to cut your use and do things like read paper books instead?
Also, you don't say if you have been taking naps during the day or at weekends to try to catch up at all? You really want to avoid doing this as once again, this will just interfere with your sleep patterns
Finally, there are loads and loads of resources on the web with all sorts of good ideas.
Good luck - it's very frustrating.
> You spend5 minutes explaining you don't have trouble falling asleep but you wake up early regardless of how well you've slept and they say "just don't stay awake in bed more than 15 minutes." And you say, "but I don't have trouble getting to sleep"
I think the point is, that if, say for example, at the moment, you are sleeping for 4 hours, then if you force yourself to stay awake until 4 hours before the time that you WANT to get up (so for example, if you want to get up at 7am, you don't let yourself go to sleep until 3am), then because your body is used to sleeping for 4 hours, then you are pretty certain to sleep all the way through - after all, you will be knackered, having stayed up until 3am!
You will still get your usual 4 hours sleep, but without the frustration of waking too early. So they are trying to answer your 'waking too early' problem, using advice that they do repeat because it does work.
Also - what times do you get up when you are not working? Do you try to stick to the same time, 7 days per week?
Another thought is what screens are you looking at? The blue light from screens (tv, tablet, computer) can disturb your sleep rhythms, so it might be worth trying to cut your use and do things like read paper books instead?
Also, you don't say if you have been taking naps during the day or at weekends to try to catch up at all? You really want to avoid doing this as once again, this will just interfere with your sleep patterns
Finally, there are loads and loads of resources on the web with all sorts of good ideas.
Good luck - it's very frustrating.
In reply to RockAngel:
Could be a whole lot of different things. Most of these I am sure you will know so no point repeating. But if you have been through all of the usual suspects and still have (chronic) problems, you might need to think out of the box so to speak and then one possibility you might want to search for - http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=576244 . Changed my sleep without doubt.
Could be a whole lot of different things. Most of these I am sure you will know so no point repeating. But if you have been through all of the usual suspects and still have (chronic) problems, you might need to think out of the box so to speak and then one possibility you might want to search for - http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=576244 . Changed my sleep without doubt.
In reply to RockAngel:
I invariably have to get up & pee during the night, often takes ages to get back to sleep, sometimes I'll pop some melatonin which does the trick - but not if I have to get up in the next 3 hours as this will mean waking up all groggy.
I invariably have to get up & pee during the night, often takes ages to get back to sleep, sometimes I'll pop some melatonin which does the trick - but not if I have to get up in the next 3 hours as this will mean waking up all groggy.
In reply to Sharp:
You have trouble getting to sleep. You wake up at 4am and then have trouble getting to sleep. Apply the advice to your problem. Doctors repeat this advice because it has been proven to work. Proven to increase the amount of sleep you get. Other options that are addictive pills, pills with scary side effects or giving you unproven and ineffective advice would be their other options. These options are scary.
Doctors who give you proven safe effective advice are acting professionally
Good luck
> That's pretty much word for word the advice I got so I'm sure it's worth a shot but I did feel like it was the generic advice doctors give when someone says they have sleep trouble. You spend5 minutes explaining you don't have trouble falling asleep but you wake up early regardless of how well you've slept and they say "just don't stay awake in bed more than 15 minutes." And you say, "but I don't have trouble getting to sleep" and they say "its tough for a while but you'll find your able to go top bed earlier and you'll get to sleep quicker in time." So you say, " but no, I get to sleep easily it's just I wake up early even when I need more sleep." So they say, "just give it a try for a couple of weeks and if you're still having trouble getting top sleep then come back and see me." So you say "but...ok then, never mind."
You have trouble getting to sleep. You wake up at 4am and then have trouble getting to sleep. Apply the advice to your problem. Doctors repeat this advice because it has been proven to work. Proven to increase the amount of sleep you get. Other options that are addictive pills, pills with scary side effects or giving you unproven and ineffective advice would be their other options. These options are scary.
Doctors who give you proven safe effective advice are acting professionally
Good luck
In reply to RockAngel:
What time does the heating come on? I wake almost as soon as the heating comes on.
What time does the heating come on? I wake almost as soon as the heating comes on.
In reply to RockAngel:
Ride the wave and make peace with your situation
stop any alcohol
dont sleep with a tv in your room
paint the walls a different color
look at what you're sleeping on and sometimes with
work out if your a cold or hot sleeper and adjust the room temp accordingly - open a window.
dont eat too much before bedtime
literally speak to yourself and tell yourself to shut down
get to bed early and rise early and just think that 5am starts in the winter for climbing belong to you.
man up....sometimes we have to
and rest in this knowledge that some of the most inspired people suffered from sleepless nights and wrote inspired accounts of human life
dare i say it, thatcher ran the country on 4 hrs sleep. sorry.
tell us what works if anything does.
d
Ride the wave and make peace with your situation
stop any alcohol
dont sleep with a tv in your room
paint the walls a different color
look at what you're sleeping on and sometimes with
work out if your a cold or hot sleeper and adjust the room temp accordingly - open a window.
dont eat too much before bedtime
literally speak to yourself and tell yourself to shut down
get to bed early and rise early and just think that 5am starts in the winter for climbing belong to you.
man up....sometimes we have to
and rest in this knowledge that some of the most inspired people suffered from sleepless nights and wrote inspired accounts of human life
dare i say it, thatcher ran the country on 4 hrs sleep. sorry.
tell us what works if anything does.
d
In reply to drsdave:
Then she must have been a bed wetter, as she clearly lacked a conscience
> dare i say it, thatcher ran the country on 4 hrs sleep. sorry.
Then she must have been a bed wetter, as she clearly lacked a conscience
In reply to Skol:
Or this example
Groucho Marx whose once said
“Q: What do you get when you cross an insomniac, an agnostic, and a dyslexic? A: Someone who stays up all night wondering if there is a Dog.”
Or this example
Groucho Marx whose once said
“Q: What do you get when you cross an insomniac, an agnostic, and a dyslexic? A: Someone who stays up all night wondering if there is a Dog.”
In reply to RockAngel:
Another "Me too" here. I think its because with an oncoming wedding weeks away, which will be fantastic but really takes some organising, plus leaving my current job the week before the wedding, and starting a new job the week after the wedding, frankly there's too much going around my head.
So out light a light, because I'm stressed and enhausted, then wake up at 5am worrying about something. Grrr.
I hope mine will be better post wedding. I hope yours gets beeter too. Not to say that's very helpful, but whether there is anything in your life stressing you may be relevent.
Another "Me too" here. I think its because with an oncoming wedding weeks away, which will be fantastic but really takes some organising, plus leaving my current job the week before the wedding, and starting a new job the week after the wedding, frankly there's too much going around my head.
So out light a light, because I'm stressed and enhausted, then wake up at 5am worrying about something. Grrr.
I hope mine will be better post wedding. I hope yours gets beeter too. Not to say that's very helpful, but whether there is anything in your life stressing you may be relevent.
In reply to John_Hat:
These work for me:
http://m.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=2132
Meant to be natural.
These work for me:
http://m.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=2132
Meant to be natural.
I have generally found sleepless nights are due to some stress or anxiety. While you might not be able to resolve it immediately in time you hopefully will and you will have full nights sleep again. In the mean time some tips are:
A camomile tea before going to bed, though this can result in needing the toilet in the night, so might not be the best.
Remove visible clocks, so you don't know what time it is or how long you are awake for,only get up when the alarm goes off.
Try lying on your back. and relax your muscles, especially your jaw and eyes.
Don't read the internet just before going to bed/sleep
If you are really tossing and turning. Get up and go to another bed or the sofa.- don't forget your alarm clock.
Avoid alcohol it can result in poor sleep and disrupt sleeping patterns for the following couple of nights
I'm sure I have more.
WB (another bad sleeper)
A camomile tea before going to bed, though this can result in needing the toilet in the night, so might not be the best.
Remove visible clocks, so you don't know what time it is or how long you are awake for,only get up when the alarm goes off.
Try lying on your back. and relax your muscles, especially your jaw and eyes.
Don't read the internet just before going to bed/sleep
If you are really tossing and turning. Get up and go to another bed or the sofa.- don't forget your alarm clock.
Avoid alcohol it can result in poor sleep and disrupt sleeping patterns for the following couple of nights
I'm sure I have more.
WB (another bad sleeper)
In reply to drsdave:
> “Q: What do you get when you cross an insomniac, an agnostic, and a dyslexic? A: Someone who stays up all night wondering if there is a Dog.”
>
BrillIn reply to drsdave:
I don't drink, not often anyway. I'll have a drink once every blue moon. I like being sober. It's not that.
The heating comes on at 6-9pm. Can't afford it for more than that.
New mattress so it's not that.
May have an idea about why but that requires me running the gauntlet trying to get a dr appointment
I don't drink, not often anyway. I'll have a drink once every blue moon. I like being sober. It's not that.
The heating comes on at 6-9pm. Can't afford it for more than that.
New mattress so it's not that.
May have an idea about why but that requires me running the gauntlet trying to get a dr appointment
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