How can I sleep through the night?
July 25, 2015 5:41 AM Subscribe
I've always had off and on issues with sleeping straight through the night, but the last few months I've fallen into a consistent pattern: go to sleep between 10-11pm, wake up completely awake around 3am then struggle for the next ~1 hour to fall back asleep. Every. Single. Night.
The worst part is that I feel more well-rested at 3 am than when I wake up again around 6 or 7 am after managing to finally fall asleep again.
Things that might matter:
--Reasonable healthy 31 y.o. male--maybe a few pounds overweight.
--I exercise close to daily, but almost always in the mornings or early afternoons.
--I drink coffee, but only in the morning.
--Diet is vegetarian, probably have a bigger meal than I should for dinner around 7 pm.
--Doing all the good sleep hygiene things: winding down and darkening room at night, sleeping in very dark, quiet room etc.
--Just recently started experimenting with supplements like GABA and melatonin--I feel like it's helping me go to sleep more quickly and perhaps improve overall quality of sleep, but in two weeks it has not helped with the problem of waking up in middle of night.
Things I'm considering:
--Ditching coffee altogether.
--Eating a much lighter evening meal.
--Reading a book when I wake up at 3am to help me fall asleep faster.
Anyone else have this problem and more or less conquer it?
The worst part is that I feel more well-rested at 3 am than when I wake up again around 6 or 7 am after managing to finally fall asleep again.
Things that might matter:
--Reasonable healthy 31 y.o. male--maybe a few pounds overweight.
--I exercise close to daily, but almost always in the mornings or early afternoons.
--I drink coffee, but only in the morning.
--Diet is vegetarian, probably have a bigger meal than I should for dinner around 7 pm.
--Doing all the good sleep hygiene things: winding down and darkening room at night, sleeping in very dark, quiet room etc.
--Just recently started experimenting with supplements like GABA and melatonin--I feel like it's helping me go to sleep more quickly and perhaps improve overall quality of sleep, but in two weeks it has not helped with the problem of waking up in middle of night.
Things I'm considering:
--Ditching coffee altogether.
--Eating a much lighter evening meal.
--Reading a book when I wake up at 3am to help me fall asleep faster.
Anyone else have this problem and more or less conquer it?
i often do this. and i read somewhere that it was considered quite normal in victorian times for people to wake in the middle of the night for a time. some searching turns up this article which has further references.
so i don't think waking up is the problem. rather, the problem is that you feel crappy at 7am. if you tried fixing that, and just accepted (or even enjoyed!) your hour of wakefulness in the middle of the night, you might have more success?
one idea would be an alarm clock that wakes you up when you are in the right "phase" of sleep. another would be to go to bed a little earlier so that you get more total time asleep.
on posting: clearly great (or well-slept and refreshed) minds think alike!
posted by andrewcooke at 5:54 AM on July 25, 2015 [5 favorites]
so i don't think waking up is the problem. rather, the problem is that you feel crappy at 7am. if you tried fixing that, and just accepted (or even enjoyed!) your hour of wakefulness in the middle of the night, you might have more success?
one idea would be an alarm clock that wakes you up when you are in the right "phase" of sleep. another would be to go to bed a little earlier so that you get more total time asleep.
on posting: clearly great (or well-slept and refreshed) minds think alike!
posted by andrewcooke at 5:54 AM on July 25, 2015 [5 favorites]
I don't have an overall solution for avoiding the magic 3 a.m. wakeup call (happens to me, too), but instead of reading, which tends to keep me awake longer, I solve riddles instead.
I'm using an app/game at the moment, but you can get a book, or find a good site, whatever works best, and just pick a fairly hard one, turn the light back off/the tablet off, close your eyes and try to work it out in your head. I save the harder ones for 3 am insomnia-busting, and I'm usually back asleep before solving.
posted by taz at 5:58 AM on July 25, 2015
I'm using an app/game at the moment, but you can get a book, or find a good site, whatever works best, and just pick a fairly hard one, turn the light back off/the tablet off, close your eyes and try to work it out in your head. I save the harder ones for 3 am insomnia-busting, and I'm usually back asleep before solving.
posted by taz at 5:58 AM on July 25, 2015
I did this for years until my kids were born and I expect once this sleep deprivation passes, I will do it again. It just seems to be natural for me. The term for it is segmented sleep, it's very common, and might actually be more natural than eight consecutive hours. Here's the NYT on it a few years ago.
Key for me was accepting that it's just the way things are which made me less stressed out about being up and able to fall asleep easier. A book is an OK idea as long as its not a very exciting one and you can read it with a very dim or red tinted light. Absolutely no screens!
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 6:08 AM on July 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
Key for me was accepting that it's just the way things are which made me less stressed out about being up and able to fall asleep easier. A book is an OK idea as long as its not a very exciting one and you can read it with a very dim or red tinted light. Absolutely no screens!
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 6:08 AM on July 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
I use Benadryl.
I also avoid screen time for at least an hour before bedtime if I am having any sleep issues whatsoever.
posted by entropone at 6:22 AM on July 25, 2015
I also avoid screen time for at least an hour before bedtime if I am having any sleep issues whatsoever.
posted by entropone at 6:22 AM on July 25, 2015
Do you drink alcohol with your largish evening meal? It's often reported as being disruptive to sleep, especially later in the night.
The half-life of caffeine is something like 6-8 hours, so if you drink it in the morning only it should be totally out of your system by 10pm. But different people have different reactions, of course.
My best answer to the wee-hours wakeup is sex or masturbation. ymmv.
posted by dis_integration at 6:27 AM on July 25, 2015
The half-life of caffeine is something like 6-8 hours, so if you drink it in the morning only it should be totally out of your system by 10pm. But different people have different reactions, of course.
My best answer to the wee-hours wakeup is sex or masturbation. ymmv.
posted by dis_integration at 6:27 AM on July 25, 2015
When this happens to me, I usually need a snack. Sounds like you are exercising and eating lightly. Maybe put an energy bar or other snack by your bed and eat it when you wake up?
I've read fitness blogs about this problem when cutting weight.
posted by littlewater at 6:30 AM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've read fitness blogs about this problem when cutting weight.
posted by littlewater at 6:30 AM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
When is the last time that you use your computer/smartphone or look at any other screens before bed?
This is only one possible solution, but try f.lux. It matches the time of day to remove the blue light from your computer screen. Since I began using it about six months ago, I've consistently had not only a much easier time getting to sleep, but staying asleep.
I also started daily Soto Zen meditation and would recommend using a meditation/mindfulness app like Insight Timer (which has several guided meditations, many designed to help you fall asleep).
Definitely eat a smaller meal in the evening. That big dinner before bed is creating a lot of work for your body.
It's good that you exercise in the morning; exercising in the evening/at night can actually stimulate you to stay awake.
Also, when you say your room is very dark, just how dark? Is there any light seeping in? I'd track down any excess light/excess electronics use in your bedroom and eliminate it. (Don't keep a TV in your bedroom.)
Another suggestion - using a fan to create white noise.
I am generally opposed to the regular use of melatonin supplements. The research is all over the place concerning melatonin's effectiveness for sleep and any side effects, but in general it's better to produce a happy, sleep-inducing environment than to rely entirely on the use of a hormone supplement if your body is ultimately healthy and capable of producing it on its own.
posted by nightrecordings at 6:34 AM on July 25, 2015
This is only one possible solution, but try f.lux. It matches the time of day to remove the blue light from your computer screen. Since I began using it about six months ago, I've consistently had not only a much easier time getting to sleep, but staying asleep.
I also started daily Soto Zen meditation and would recommend using a meditation/mindfulness app like Insight Timer (which has several guided meditations, many designed to help you fall asleep).
Definitely eat a smaller meal in the evening. That big dinner before bed is creating a lot of work for your body.
It's good that you exercise in the morning; exercising in the evening/at night can actually stimulate you to stay awake.
Also, when you say your room is very dark, just how dark? Is there any light seeping in? I'd track down any excess light/excess electronics use in your bedroom and eliminate it. (Don't keep a TV in your bedroom.)
Another suggestion - using a fan to create white noise.
I am generally opposed to the regular use of melatonin supplements. The research is all over the place concerning melatonin's effectiveness for sleep and any side effects, but in general it's better to produce a happy, sleep-inducing environment than to rely entirely on the use of a hormone supplement if your body is ultimately healthy and capable of producing it on its own.
posted by nightrecordings at 6:34 AM on July 25, 2015
Yes, I've had this same sleep situation for at least 10 years. Sometimes it gets really bad and I don't fall asleep again at all, or for only an hour or so.
I drink no caffeine and have fairly good sleep hygiene, so I've come to accept it as something that's not going to change. To deal with it, I just go to bed earlier. And I protect that early bed time mightily, giving up most weeknight activities that would infringe on it.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 7:14 AM on July 25, 2015
I drink no caffeine and have fairly good sleep hygiene, so I've come to accept it as something that's not going to change. To deal with it, I just go to bed earlier. And I protect that early bed time mightily, giving up most weeknight activities that would infringe on it.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 7:14 AM on July 25, 2015
Yes, I struggled with this for a long time. Eventually I started developing a lot of anxiety about waking up in the middle of the night, fear that I wouldn't fall back asleep and that I'd be tired the next day. Unsurprisingly, that anxiety pretty much made it impossible for me to fall back asleep once I inevitably woke up at 3am.
What worked for me is Trazodone. It's an old-school antidepressant that sucks as an antidepressant but magically has pro-sleeping side effects that make you stay asleep for as long as you need with minimal grogginess in the morning. I relied on a dose of Trazodone every night before bed for a few years, and it got me back into a bedtime-positive place where I stopped having that anxiety about waking up. Now, I can sleep completely without it.
Anecdotally, it seems like this is something that happens to everyone I know once they reach 30. There must be some biological reason?
posted by joan_holloway at 7:34 AM on July 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
What worked for me is Trazodone. It's an old-school antidepressant that sucks as an antidepressant but magically has pro-sleeping side effects that make you stay asleep for as long as you need with minimal grogginess in the morning. I relied on a dose of Trazodone every night before bed for a few years, and it got me back into a bedtime-positive place where I stopped having that anxiety about waking up. Now, I can sleep completely without it.
Anecdotally, it seems like this is something that happens to everyone I know once they reach 30. There must be some biological reason?
posted by joan_holloway at 7:34 AM on July 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
Richard Bootzin, a sleep researcher at University of Arizona, has developed an empirically-based technique for sleeping through the night called the Bootzin Technique. The National Sleep Foundation website may also be helpful.
One of the ideas for the Bootzin Technique is "training" yourself to sleep through the night. This is accomplished by getting out of bed when you wake up. Going to another room where you do something quiet, like reading, until you get sleepy. Then you can go back to bed.
posted by forkisbetter at 7:37 AM on July 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
One of the ideas for the Bootzin Technique is "training" yourself to sleep through the night. This is accomplished by getting out of bed when you wake up. Going to another room where you do something quiet, like reading, until you get sleepy. Then you can go back to bed.
posted by forkisbetter at 7:37 AM on July 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
I have this problem and I suspect it's related to work stress for me. I found Sleep With Me, the podcast, and it's been great.
posted by KathyK at 7:38 AM on July 25, 2015
posted by KathyK at 7:38 AM on July 25, 2015
When you wake up in the middle of the night, what's happening? How do you feel? Are you anxious? Excited? Bored? Do you feel tired but can't sleep, or are you not tired at all? I think the answers to those questions might make a difference in how to work with it.
Segmented sleep is actually really, really normal. Until the (relatively recent) invention of artificial lighting, almost everyone slept this way. You'd go to bed when it got dark, sleep a few hours, wake up, have an hour or two of quiet time (talking with family members, sex, prayer, quiet contemplation, whatever), and then go back to sleep again until it got light again. So biologically, it's completely normal. And many people who still sleep this way today find it very restful and fulfilling to have that hour of quiet time in the middle of the night.
If it's distressing for you or if it doesn't work with a schedule that is manageable for you, there are definitely ways to minimize it. But what techniques will work may depend on the reason for the issue. If you're having anxiety, different solutions may be in order from if you're just not tired.
If none of your home remedies are working, there are sleep clinics where you can get an assessment and find out what's going on in your brain when it's happening. That can help you develop, in consultation with a doctor, medical, behavioral, or other possible solutions.
posted by decathecting at 7:43 AM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Segmented sleep is actually really, really normal. Until the (relatively recent) invention of artificial lighting, almost everyone slept this way. You'd go to bed when it got dark, sleep a few hours, wake up, have an hour or two of quiet time (talking with family members, sex, prayer, quiet contemplation, whatever), and then go back to sleep again until it got light again. So biologically, it's completely normal. And many people who still sleep this way today find it very restful and fulfilling to have that hour of quiet time in the middle of the night.
If it's distressing for you or if it doesn't work with a schedule that is manageable for you, there are definitely ways to minimize it. But what techniques will work may depend on the reason for the issue. If you're having anxiety, different solutions may be in order from if you're just not tired.
If none of your home remedies are working, there are sleep clinics where you can get an assessment and find out what's going on in your brain when it's happening. That can help you develop, in consultation with a doctor, medical, behavioral, or other possible solutions.
posted by decathecting at 7:43 AM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Try going to bed earlier, like 9:30-10, definitely eat dinner earlier (by 7) and lighter. Try waking up for the day around 6. I never used to think that it mattered what time I slept as long as I slept about 8 hours but I have found huge differences with 11 p.m. sleep versus before 10 p.m. sleep, and likewise with waking up for the day.
posted by lafemma at 7:51 AM on July 25, 2015
posted by lafemma at 7:51 AM on July 25, 2015
I have this exact problem, too. (Exacerbated now by Wellbutrin, but I've always had it.)
I can't say I've beaten it, because it still happens to me regularly, despite working on my sleep hygiene and minimizing caffeine and getting f.lux and all of that. A half dose of Benadryl helps sometimes, not always; if I take the full dose I'm too groggy the next day. Melatonin helps me fall asleep but it seems to wear off before the 3 a.m. wake-up.
Sometimes I get up and read for an hour or two if I'm just having a total anxiety meltdown about not being able to sleep, but I find this delays going back to sleep and makes me feel even worse the next morning. YMMV.
What's helped me the most is doing some sort of guided or self-directed meditation to get back to sleep. My self-directed meditation goes like this - I lay on my back (like the corpse pose/savasana in yoga, which I'm primed to find relaxing) and count back from 100, taking a deep breath with each count. Like ... 100, deep breath, 99, deep breath, 98, deep breath.... It sounds a little goofy but focusing on the breathing and counting really helps me let go of intrusive thoughts and relax.
posted by the turtle's teeth at 7:53 AM on July 25, 2015
I can't say I've beaten it, because it still happens to me regularly, despite working on my sleep hygiene and minimizing caffeine and getting f.lux and all of that. A half dose of Benadryl helps sometimes, not always; if I take the full dose I'm too groggy the next day. Melatonin helps me fall asleep but it seems to wear off before the 3 a.m. wake-up.
Sometimes I get up and read for an hour or two if I'm just having a total anxiety meltdown about not being able to sleep, but I find this delays going back to sleep and makes me feel even worse the next morning. YMMV.
What's helped me the most is doing some sort of guided or self-directed meditation to get back to sleep. My self-directed meditation goes like this - I lay on my back (like the corpse pose/savasana in yoga, which I'm primed to find relaxing) and count back from 100, taking a deep breath with each count. Like ... 100, deep breath, 99, deep breath, 98, deep breath.... It sounds a little goofy but focusing on the breathing and counting really helps me let go of intrusive thoughts and relax.
posted by the turtle's teeth at 7:53 AM on July 25, 2015
Time-release melatonin works for me. If you are drinking alcohol at night, try stopping.
posted by BibiRose at 7:55 AM on July 25, 2015
posted by BibiRose at 7:55 AM on July 25, 2015
I second the advice above to get out of bed when you wake up around 3am. I used to have terrible problems with falling back asleep in the middle of the night. It happens very rarely these days, but if I ever end up laying in bed awake for more than 10-15 minutes, I get up and out of the bedroom. I'll sit on the couch and read, write, maybe do some gentle stretching, anything to work the cobwebs out and calm my monkey-mind (but nothing involving screens!!). I get sleepier quicker that way and always fall soundly asleep within 5 minutes of returning to bed.
posted by darkchocolatepyramid at 8:42 AM on July 25, 2015
posted by darkchocolatepyramid at 8:42 AM on July 25, 2015
Like joan_holloway , I also use Trazodone for this, only I take upon my first awakening rather than when I go to sleep initially. This prevented my from awakening too early in the morning.
posted by Obscure Reference at 9:02 AM on July 25, 2015
posted by Obscure Reference at 9:02 AM on July 25, 2015
There is a theory that our ability to fall asleep runs on a 90 minute cycle, just like our REM cycles once asleep (check out Ultradian Rhythms). There is a 15-20 minute 'window' every 90 minutes or so when it will be easiest for you to fall asleep. If you find yourself wide awake, don't fight the wakefulness. As others have suggested, get out of bed and do something for the next 60-75 minutes. When the next sleep window arrives and you start to feel your eyelids getting heavy, go straight back to bed. Don't finish the chapter of the book or the round of the game, immediately turn out the light and shut your eyes. If you don't fall asleep in 15-20 minutes and are tossing and turning, don't fight it...get out of bed again till the next sleep window.
Unfortunately, I can't say that you will stop getting up in the middle of the night. Others have pointed out the research and articles about segmented sleep, but hopefully accepting the wakefulness will allow you to stop tossing and turning.
Personally, I don't have a problem with screen time before sleep. I know some people have issues with it, but to me anything that helps relax and make me sleepy is fine, even if its playing a game on my phone. I generally fall asleep quite easily, so I'm lucky, but if I miss the window, i'm going to be up for another hour, unless i'm truly exhausted...
posted by jindc at 9:55 AM on July 25, 2015
Unfortunately, I can't say that you will stop getting up in the middle of the night. Others have pointed out the research and articles about segmented sleep, but hopefully accepting the wakefulness will allow you to stop tossing and turning.
Personally, I don't have a problem with screen time before sleep. I know some people have issues with it, but to me anything that helps relax and make me sleepy is fine, even if its playing a game on my phone. I generally fall asleep quite easily, so I'm lucky, but if I miss the window, i'm going to be up for another hour, unless i'm truly exhausted...
posted by jindc at 9:55 AM on July 25, 2015
I have this as well. And I used to use trazadone too. However, what I've found that works best is a routine of listening to old time radio podcasts to fall asleep (detectives are great, because they're pretty predictable and kind of boring). Then, when I wake at 3am, the trick is to *not* turn on any light or do anything that requires messing with my body's requirement of it staying dark. (This is a thing.) I use my Audible app or again my podcast app to play about fifteen minutes of a boring book (like old gothic tales or something I've read before or is really boring, like the Decline of the Roman Empire or something russian) to get back to sleep. If I'm still not asleep, another fifteen minutes on the sleep timer until I either fall asleep or it's time to get up.
Also, deep breathing helps to get you relaxed enough. The main thing is not to get stressed about being awake.
posted by RedEmma at 9:59 AM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, deep breathing helps to get you relaxed enough. The main thing is not to get stressed about being awake.
posted by RedEmma at 9:59 AM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Do not spend an hour trying to go to sleep. This causes problems. If you cannot get back to sleep within 20 minutes, you need to do something else to help make it possible to sleep.
Reading, solving puzzles et al can help make you mentally tired enough to sleep. Or get up and have some warm milk or pumpkin seeds or other foods known to help you sleep.
Try co-q-10 as a supplement.
Try raising the standard of cleanliness in your sleep area. Mold and fungus is more active at night. That used to keep me up nights. So: Dust the entire room thoroughly. Strip the bed and wash everything. Look for hidden mold near your bed. Etc.
posted by Michele in California at 10:50 AM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Reading, solving puzzles et al can help make you mentally tired enough to sleep. Or get up and have some warm milk or pumpkin seeds or other foods known to help you sleep.
Try co-q-10 as a supplement.
Try raising the standard of cleanliness in your sleep area. Mold and fungus is more active at night. That used to keep me up nights. So: Dust the entire room thoroughly. Strip the bed and wash everything. Look for hidden mold near your bed. Etc.
posted by Michele in California at 10:50 AM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've had screwed-up sleep patterns since I was 10. My best sleep-through-the-night secret is taking 5-HTP at bedtime. When I run out, and can only take the rest of my sleep cocktail (Benadryl, Melatonin, and Elavil), I'm falling asleep just fine, but waking up multiple times through the night.
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 11:53 AM on July 25, 2015
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 11:53 AM on July 25, 2015
0300 wakeup call. Me too.
But, if I go to bed around 10pm I may wake up every hour a couple of times, and then get two hours' sleep before the 0300 wakeup..
Most times I just get up and spend an hour in a dimly-lighted room with my guitar. I've been known to fall asleep like that. Segmented sleep is the right word for me. If I can get two or three hours in a segment I do well. Thing is, I don't have to get up at any particular time, so the last segment is as long as it needs to be. I usually rise about 0700, but if I've had a bad night I may sleep until 1000.
Another way I spend the 0300 wakeup time is with a cup of warm milk, standing at the kitchen counter and thinking of nothing in particular. Back in bed, I do a relaxation exercise in which I will myself to be perfectly still. I suppress urges to move. It doesn't take long before boredom knocks me unconscious. I used to read. It seems that using that as a habit worked just fine, but it took a while for it to work out reliably. Many nights the last sound I heard was my book hitting the floor. Next night, I usually fell asleep before I could figure out where I left off.
Nowadays melatonin seems to help me drop off, but nothing seems to work against the 0300 wakeup call. I wonder if it's sensitive to time zones. Are we all awake at the same time, or is it sequential?
posted by mule98J at 12:25 PM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
But, if I go to bed around 10pm I may wake up every hour a couple of times, and then get two hours' sleep before the 0300 wakeup..
Most times I just get up and spend an hour in a dimly-lighted room with my guitar. I've been known to fall asleep like that. Segmented sleep is the right word for me. If I can get two or three hours in a segment I do well. Thing is, I don't have to get up at any particular time, so the last segment is as long as it needs to be. I usually rise about 0700, but if I've had a bad night I may sleep until 1000.
Another way I spend the 0300 wakeup time is with a cup of warm milk, standing at the kitchen counter and thinking of nothing in particular. Back in bed, I do a relaxation exercise in which I will myself to be perfectly still. I suppress urges to move. It doesn't take long before boredom knocks me unconscious. I used to read. It seems that using that as a habit worked just fine, but it took a while for it to work out reliably. Many nights the last sound I heard was my book hitting the floor. Next night, I usually fell asleep before I could figure out where I left off.
Nowadays melatonin seems to help me drop off, but nothing seems to work against the 0300 wakeup call. I wonder if it's sensitive to time zones. Are we all awake at the same time, or is it sequential?
posted by mule98J at 12:25 PM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Came in to Nth the segmented sleep diagnosis. "First sleep" and "second sleep" were as common as can be in our largely agricultural forebears. The "normal" eight hours is an historic (and probably evolutionary) novelty. If you're awake, get up. Don't stress about it. Read a bit. Listen to some quiet music. Relish the quiet. Write a letter. Then go back to bed when you feel the need. This is not cause for anxiety. Your body will get the rest it needs, one way or another. I'd recommend backing off the "necessity" of sleeping through the night and just seeing what your brain does on its own.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 12:32 PM on July 25, 2015
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 12:32 PM on July 25, 2015
Have you tried taking 500mg of magnesium before bed? It doesn't completely prevent the 3am wake up, but I find that it helps me go back to sleep much, much more easily. My husband takes the melatonin & magnesium nightly - I only take the magnesium.
posted by needlegrrl at 1:07 PM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by needlegrrl at 1:07 PM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
This happened to me all of last winter and early spring, despite bumping up my melatonin dose from 3 mg to 6 mg. My doctor suggested bumping it up again to 10 mg, and that's been working. I now tend to wake up at 6 AM, which is right when I need to. Even when I get up at 3 to use the bathroom, I'm able to fall asleep again. So melatonin might be worth a try -- start with a small dose and bump it up if needed.
posted by snowmentality at 3:29 PM on July 25, 2015
posted by snowmentality at 3:29 PM on July 25, 2015
Couple things to suggest, from someone who's been there.
1. If you're targeting a 10-11pm sleep time, absolutely look at no screens after 8pm. This has made a tremendous difference to me.
2. Find a not-that-interesting book to read when you wake up at 3am. When you wake up, tell yourself, "No problem, I'm just going to read this book for a while and not worry about falling back asleep." It definitely helps if the book is not that interesting or very relaxing to read. Think a very dense book on an obscure historical topic. Or a book of lyrical essays.
3. Drink 1-2 glasses of tart cherry juice an hour or two before bedtime. I'm not kidding-- it's a natural source of melatonin and has worked for me far better than melatonin supplements.
4. Make sure you get some sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning. If you can get outside for 15-20 minutes in the first few hours of your morning that's good.
5. The segmented sleep thing is a definite possibility. If so, again, don't stress about waking up. Just look at it as your shift between first and second sleep cycle, and do something relaxing for an hour or two.
6. Definitely ditch caffeine. I no longer drink coffee, tea, soft drinks-- nothin'. I sleep pretty well these days, and it was a long haul to get there.
I wish you the best! Sleep issues are so dicey, and can take a huge toll. Big hugs!!
posted by airguitar2 at 7:06 PM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
1. If you're targeting a 10-11pm sleep time, absolutely look at no screens after 8pm. This has made a tremendous difference to me.
2. Find a not-that-interesting book to read when you wake up at 3am. When you wake up, tell yourself, "No problem, I'm just going to read this book for a while and not worry about falling back asleep." It definitely helps if the book is not that interesting or very relaxing to read. Think a very dense book on an obscure historical topic. Or a book of lyrical essays.
3. Drink 1-2 glasses of tart cherry juice an hour or two before bedtime. I'm not kidding-- it's a natural source of melatonin and has worked for me far better than melatonin supplements.
4. Make sure you get some sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning. If you can get outside for 15-20 minutes in the first few hours of your morning that's good.
5. The segmented sleep thing is a definite possibility. If so, again, don't stress about waking up. Just look at it as your shift between first and second sleep cycle, and do something relaxing for an hour or two.
6. Definitely ditch caffeine. I no longer drink coffee, tea, soft drinks-- nothin'. I sleep pretty well these days, and it was a long haul to get there.
I wish you the best! Sleep issues are so dicey, and can take a huge toll. Big hugs!!
posted by airguitar2 at 7:06 PM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Other folks have mentioned this, but I'll reiterate: This is called segmented sleep, there is nothing wrong with you and you really shouldn't be drugging yourself to sleep through it. It is very common - in my family, everyone has it, so possibly genetic relationship? What I do personally is plan to always be up for an hour or two around 2-4am. This is when I read the paper, read askMe (hello!!) and sometimes watch TV. This also requires that I go to sleep earlier (9pm) to make sure I really get enough sleep for the night. There is nothing wrong with you and my suggestion is instead of fighting your natural clock, figure out a way to embrace it.
posted by Toddles at 2:28 AM on July 26, 2015
posted by Toddles at 2:28 AM on July 26, 2015
Just to add...
"The worst part is that I feel more well-rested at 3 am than when I wake up again around 6 or 7 am after managing to finally fall asleep again. "
This is my experience too, but I don't perceive it as the "worst part" - I enjoy the fact that I am really awake and try to take advantage of it.
posted by Toddles at 2:29 AM on July 26, 2015
"The worst part is that I feel more well-rested at 3 am than when I wake up again around 6 or 7 am after managing to finally fall asleep again. "
This is my experience too, but I don't perceive it as the "worst part" - I enjoy the fact that I am really awake and try to take advantage of it.
posted by Toddles at 2:29 AM on July 26, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by amtho at 5:50 AM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]