I wake up at wierd times then can't get back to sleep. It'd be ok if I felt normal but I don't. At these times when after only a few hours of sleep I experience the worst of my health problems, stomach ache and headache, blurred vision and dizziness and a feeling of fear so overwhelming that I have to get up, eat something, have a little coffee and toast and take medications for my stomach and head. I wish I could sleep, just a few more hours. I know I'd feel better if I could.

Does anybody else feel this way? This just isn't once in a while this happens but everyday. I am so tired of this.

What can I do to break this cycle? I've tried staying up later but still wake early in the morning, like 4:00 AM. I do nap later in the day but inbetween the time I first wake up and then it's torture. Usually 4 or 5 hours worth. and this is everyday.

Hi again, when I first arrived here, I had posted a Sleep thread on the Sleep Disorder group here...the title is That Elusive Sleep. SLEEP is so important and so many really really struggle to get good sleep AS WE AGE more than ever. Just today another person on an OA group posted about her horrible sleep.....

One thing I found early in my search to get good sleep after my 60's, was preparing the body for sleep earlier in the evening....I start preparing my body for sleep at about 7:30PM.....this in the thread I posted. Check it out if you have not already.

I still get 8+ hours pretty good sleep and use the combo I've used for years now.

Sleep is so necessary for any healing we can get and I still wake up stiff as a board and in pain and it starts all over but I do sleep. And dream, so I know I'm getting restorative sleep.

I don't have the stomach issues as you do. I know we've talked about this on the other thread. C

Hi Wiix,

I am sorry your challenges continue.

Continue sticking with a regular sleeping schedule. If you don't absolutely have to get up at 4 am, don't. If you have to get up, make it brief, just long enough to take meds, if needed and a very quick bite to eat, if needed. Go back to bed and stay there, see if you fall back to sleep. Retrain your body to sleep through until a later hour.

mrsD had mentioned the possibility of low blood sugar awakening you at 4 am, in a different thread.

We've discussed maybe using a food diary for awhile.

We've discussed the possibility of anxiety and/or depression adding to your challenges. Are you being treated for anxiety/depression?

We've also discussed the chronic GI challenges.
Have you made an appointment with your doctor for an updated GI evaluation?

I hope you find helpful solutions soon.

I hope you can get out today and enjoy the weather.
Any parks around where you can enjoy nature?


DejaVu

P.S. A link to suggestions for practicing good sleep hygiene: http://sleepfoundation.org/ask-the-expert/sleep-hygiene

My stomach is on high alert. It's very hot here and that makes it worse. Going out is not advisable.

Oh, that's too bad.
I understand. I cannot be out in the warmest weather.

Maybe go to an indoor mall and walk?

I did that today and had fun! It wasn't too crowded.
I ran into many old friends.

I hope you have a peaceful night.


DejaVu

Hi Wiix

I used to have insomnia with no underlying pathology.

Sleep hygiene (which both Caroline and DejaVu have mentioned) works for me.

Another approach is Progressive Muscle Relaxation, which you can do lying in bed. Essentially it involves tensing and then relaxing each set of muscles in your body. I do it moving "up" - toes, feet, calves, thighs....neck and facial muscles, but the order does not matter.

Yes, I do progressive relaxation when this happens. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. It's my stomach that starts hurting shortly after I wake up. It's a gripping pain that gets worse until I just can't stand it. I take a Zantac, have some tea and cereal, eat some Tums an TRY to relax but it takes so long to settle down. And if and when I fall back to sleep my stomach wakes me up again with that gripping, nagging pain. It lasts most of the day too. Until late at night it stops and I fall asleep for the night. Then it wakes me up again and it starts all over again.

I can't go to a mall and walk. The closest mall is 20 miles away and I have to lay down by the time I get there.

It looks like you're having trouble accessing a sleep specialist (usually a pulmonologist, or breathing doctor). Even young women can have "floppy" soft palates that collapse and cause obstructive sleep apnea. An Australian indigenous pipe called a digeredoo (I ordered mine from California for about $35.) has been proved to improve tone of soft palate. It also trains you in diaphragmatic breathing. Additionally, orthodontists can make oral devices to wear at night to keep your airway open. You would need a sleep study for your insurance to cover this, but maybe your primary would order it.

For a completely different approach, mindfulness training can help you release from insomnia. What we fight, we give power to. When we stop fighting it, and just relax at night it loses its power over us. I listen to Meditation Mindfulness Full on Youtube, or UCLA has free mindfulness Youtube tapes. I went to a sleep doctor who had me read The Sleep Book by Dr. Guy Meadows. It's very different, but so for I'm really impressed.

You are not alone!

I don't have a breathing problem.