Insomnia Anyone?

[jyl]

Anyone have trouble sleeping?

I have no problem falling asleep, takes only a few minutes. I usually go to bed around 9PM-10PM.

But for the last couple months I've been waking up at 2AM-3AM, almost every weekday.

So I get some quality PPOT time, I guess, but by the time I get back to sleep, it's almost time to get up. I rise around 4:15AM-4:30AM. So I basically don't get enough sleep, am rather sleep-deprived by the weekend.

Don't know why I am waking up in the wee hours, could be stress (as posted before, we recently started a new company, so a lot to think about).

It's not the bed, got a Select Comfort "Sleep Number" bed and it is the most comfortable thing I've ever slept on. Nor is it the wife she sleeps soundly and quietly. The cat stays down at his end of the bed. The kids sleep through the night, down the hall.

Anyway, what's the solution?

I've tried taking a Tylenol PM at bedtime, but I'm too groggy at 4:30AM the next morning.

[CJFusco]

It's almost always something mental-psychologically-related. Usually stress. From what I've read, the "waking up after a few hours" problem is harder to diagnose than "I can't fall asleep".

By most accounts, people that wake up in the middle of the night often do so because they've used alcohol or sleep medicine to help them fall asleep. EIther that or they drank too much liquid before they went to bed and wake up with a pressing need to urinate. The third common reason for waking up in the middle of the night is that the sleeping is dreaming about something unpleasant.

Sleeping from 9 or 10 til 2 or 2:30 doesn't sound extremely terrible, but I understand that you'd be pretty annoyed and burnt out by the weekend. I go through a thing in which, every 4 or 5 months, for a few nights in a row, I jus tcan't falll asleep. During these periods, I get 2 hours of sleep a night. I used to stress out about it and figure out things I could do to help me sleep, but I found that the WORST thing you can do is think about trying to sleep. This will only make things worse.

Do you get a lot of exercise? A very VERY common reason for not sleeping enough is that the body hasn't burned off enough energy during the day, so it is restless at night.

[lendaddy]

I had insomnia for 20+ years. I would run on 2-3 hours of sleep most nights.

About a year ago it stopped and it makes no sense to me. I am under much much more stress than ever in my life, so that's not it. I'm also in the worst physical shape of my life. Hell if I know, but I'd gladly go back to insomnia for the old me and scenerio.

Edit:

I forgot that I quit smoking 2 years ago, but I'm not sure I buy that as the remedy as I had insomnia before I smoked as well.

[Joeaksa]

Started taking Ginko Biloba (90 mg) at night and find that I have a more restful sleep. As well found that I dream more, or remember them better and am wide awake when I wake up instead of waking up groggy.

Usually hit the sack anywhere from 10:30 to 11:00 and wake up at 05:30 without an alarm...

[on-ramp]

Read Stephen King's "Insomnia" .. that might help you.

seriously, it's probably stress.

do some Yoga right before you go to sleep. Buy a DVD and relax for an hour or so. clear your mind from the day's activities.

what is running through your head right as you are about to go to sleep?

[bigchillcar]

i listen to relaxation cd's. if i wake up in the middle of the night, i just start it up again. tylenol pm has made me groggy as well. i prefer extra strength unisom..but sometimes i wake up a unizombie.. i can't tell for sure whether alcohol helps or hinders. i've been under some of the highest stress levels of my life the past few months, but amazingly, i've been able to fall asleep as well. i often have bad dreams which wake me up around 4 am, but i usually fall back asleep. getting out of bed is a chore during the week...and on the weekend i can't seem to sleep in even if i want to..and i always want to..

[Jims5543]

Exercise, I find I rest better at night if I get in a good workout sometime during the day. I like going first thing in the morning.

I just got back in the saddle again after a long time off (I think I stopped in Oct and gained 14 lbs fast) I already dropped about 5 lbs and the last 10 will come off fast.

I know that by 11 at night I am ready to sleep and usually do not open my eyes again until 0600 sharp like an alarm clock. My alarm clock is set for 6:30 just in case.

[azasadny]

I have had chronic insomnia for over 5 years now and the last year has been the worst. I'm taking Lunesta 2mg to sleep now and it works. I'm going to work myself down to 1mg, then off the Lunesta. No side effects, just hate the cost of the Lunesta and having to take a medicine to sleep. I've been to sleep clinics and they told me I don't have "sleep apnea" but they can't tell me what the problem is, although they see abnormal EEG activity. Stress, caffeine, etc... have all been ruled out as a cause. Insomnia is a royal pain in the a**, but it could be worse, I guess...

[azasadny]

I remember when stomach ulcers were believed to be "stress related" and turned out to be caused by a particular strain of bacteria. I don't believe insomnia is "stress related", but that insomnia causes stress in your life because your body/mind doesn't get the rest it needs. Just my .02 worth...

[bigchillcar]

+1 to what jim said. i completely forgot to add that. i workout 5 days a week, but in the evening, usually from 6:30 until about 8 pm. it make a huge difference..releases a lot of stress and good endorphins throughout the body.

[Moses]

I never, ever sleep a full night. I fall asleep instantly and sleep for about 2 hours. Then I'm up every 30-40 minutes till I get tired of it and get out of bed around 5AM. My phone usually rings once or twice between midnight and 6 am, so I've become a light sleeper. I don't want my phone to wake the family, so I usually answer on the first ring.

Did I mention I'm a light sleeper? If a squirrel breaks wind a block away it wakes me up.

[Mike Bonkalski]

^ Same as Moses. I can't tell you the last time I slept the night through. It's even worse now that we have a 3mo old. The first time she gets up, its 50/50 on whether or not I go back to sleep at all.

I'm a very light sleeper, but it seems to be worse when I have a lot of stuff on my mind (stress??). I wake up and my mind just starts running and I start thinking about the same things over and over again in an endless loop. I find I can go back to sleep again if I just write down the things that are going through my head.

[JavaBrewer]

I had the same issues. Fell asleep quickly but woke ~ 0200 and then struggled till 0400 b4 going back to sleep till 0600. I stopped taking one Tylenol PM b4 bed and substituted with 1000MG calcium - seems to work better for me. Also try deep breathing exercises...seriously. It gets your mind off the "endless loop" and really does trigger your body/mind to relax. It may take practice but I'll be darned if it doesn't work.

[Mike Bonkalski]

David,

I've seen a few studies that shows a link between calcium supplements and prostate cancer in men. They may be hooey, but it may be something to check into.

[Flatbutt1]

I used to have a g/f that would accomodate me orally on those sleepless nites but alas she is gone. Now regular exercise, avoiding naps on the couch in the early evening, eating an earlier supper and a glass of wine all seem to work nicely.

[jyl]

I think I need to get back on the bicycle. The weather has been a bit discouraging, as has the workload. In the meantime, will look for some of that herbal stuff mentioned. It probably is mostly stress and too much work. Well, that's going to be the way it is for a while, knew it going in.

If you see me browsing PPOT at 3AM PST, tell me to get the ---- back to sleep.

[bigchillcar]

again, relaxation cd's are great...just you an old cd player, pop it in and fall asleep. i have probably 8 different ones..

[azasadny]

Maybe that's why I have insomnia, I've been listening to Spinal Tap and Dread Zeppelin!