When you NEED to sleep but Can't.
 

I sleep at night but some days I wake early and need more sleep. How can I get over this hump and go back to sleep? :(

Early morning awakening (and inability to fall asleep again) is a very common symptom of depression.

Early morning wakening can also be a symptom of low blood sugar overnight. Other threads have suggested having a small amount of protein just before going to bed,eg: a hard boiled egg, yogurt etc

I did get back to sleep but it wasn't enough sleep. I guess I still needed a full nights sleep to get over the day before, which was a hairy day.

I think I'm hyper sensitive to situations and it takes me a few days to get over something. This morning I woke up just before 8 hyper aware. Will take me a few hours to get over that and calm down. Why can't I just feel normal when I wake up? :(

Wiix, did you ever try the Calms Forte' or Inositol for those wake ups. I haven't needed any for my 3-4AM wake ups recently, but when I do need them, they work for me. These are a staple on my nightstand. Of course, as I've mentioned these 2 are in my sleep combo.

And yes I've heard this blood sugar issue from other health groups I'm on. I usually don't eat anything before bed, maybe I oughta try that ... maybe an egg.

But after a few hours that egg is gone and I wake up. Every morning at 4. So I have some cereal with cream and some tea. I usually fall back to sleep after about 2 hours then wake again after a short time, about an hour or two. That totals about 6 hours of sleep. After I get up again, I have some breakfast and some coffee and stay awake, in misery for the next 3 to 4 hours. I fall back to sleep again around noon after a little lunch then awake again around 1:30. I usually feel ok by then so I stay up until suppertime. After supper I usually fall back to sleep pretty easily for a while. Then I stay awake until I fall asleep for the night, about 3 or 4 hours, then it starts all over again. I don't sleep a full 8 hours ever, it accumulates over a day. But I feel it's not enough. :(

When you write about being "in misery," what do you mean? Misery from being over-tired? GI misery? Another form of misery?

Do you get exercise in order to physically tire your body?

Do you feel you react to foods, easily falling asleep after eating certain foods because the foods feel "sedating?"

Have you had a Glucose Tolerance Test recently?

You have mentioned sometimes feeling overly stimulated from the events of a previous day. Do you feel this is anxiety? Something else?

Some people experience difficulty returning to "baseline" once their emotions have been stirred up. Calming their nervous system can then take hours or days.

:hug:
DejaVu

By "Misery" I mean I am dizzy, off balance, nauses, tired, my heart is pounding.

I'm not a good sleeper either so I understand how tiring it can be waking up so many times and then again early morning. However you seem to have a lot of different sleeps during the day too. :confused:

Sounds as if your body clock is off.

I have to make sure I get a nap in the afternoon or my vertigo gets much worse by tea time. Even if I get 15 minutes to 30 minutes, it helps me a lot. I call it my power nap.

I don't find Inositol helps me sleep but have used it on and off over the years for anxiety. I certainly have found taking a Tryptophan helps me sleep better though I try not to take them every night.

I think some people just are lighter sleepers than others too. Bladder issues, pet noises, pet cat jumping on face, neighbourhood noises etc.. I used to set up really good "sleep hygeine" habits for my children who weren't good sleepers but it's hard to follow it myself these days. Finding enough hours in the day for the down time before going to bed is difficult.

edited to add: being an hypervigilent person like myself doesn't help with sleeping at all. Perhaps your anxiety alone is the cause of the sleeping issues... just thinking out loud.

Does this occur after any/all meals, or just the morning meal (where you also have coffee or tea)?

Have you ever suspected you are sensitive to caffeine, whether in tea or coffee?

Have you started or stopped meds which now makes symptoms worse?

Do you monitor your blood pressure?
Ever been on blood pressure medication?

Have you tried any meds or supplements to help you to sleep through?

Sorry, Wiix. :( Sounds like it surely feels uncomfortable.

:hug:
DejaVu

I'm starting to work with Glycine and will be taking 1 tsp in distilled water two times per day...I sleep pretty good with my sleep combo that I've posted here, but glycine has been brought to my attention for arthritis help too. Turns out many can be glycine deficient as it's most in meats and organ meats. So, more info to try to help us.

There is a lot of info about it...for sleep, arthritis and well being in general.

Maybe the daytime sleeping is confusing your body clock, I'd try and last the whole day without sleeping. You could also try missing a complete night to see if that resets your sleep rhythm. I can identify with the cereal snacks in the night, I used to do the same and it worked when I went through a bad time in my teens. Not sure about the tea as it has caffeine, milk would be better.

It's very weak tea. I do need something warm.

This could explain it:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...b084c67220c86d

I knew there was a logical reason behind my supposed insomnia!!

This article explains exactly my sleeping pattern. I go to bed at a relatively normal time.......10 or 11 o'clock at night but only sleep a couple of hours. I get up between 1 and 2 AM and am generally up at least 1 sometimes 2 hours. I really try NOT to eat anything and only have a sip of water while I'm up. I sleep my longest between 3 -6 AM.

I'm just not going to sleep all night. Ever. It's just not in my biological clock. That would be as unnatural for me as never going to sleep at all. I've stopped obsessing about it and just enjoy my quiet hour or two in the middle of the night to either watch a movie or read.

I truly believe more people lose sleep over worrying why they aren't sleeping instead of just making the most of the sleep they do manage to get.

Everyone is different. Whether it's through naps during the day or sleeping long stretches at night we all seem to sleep either at night, during the day or a combination of both. :Zzzz:

I hear ya. :winky:

I agree with the Huff article, sleeping a straight eight hours has come about since the industrial revolution and electric lighting. When I wake in the night these days I just accept it and read a little or have a snack like a banana and go back to sleep. When I was a kid I never thought about sleep, if anything I battled not to sleep lol. How times change.

I've posted my sleep recipe here and if people here don't read it or want to follow some of it or all of it...I want to say that the little tablet of Calms Forte' homeopathic can do so much for sleep improvement.