Why do I keep waking up at 330 or 4am??

[Doryhunky]

This has been going on for months and I am exhausted. I fall asleep relatively easily. But every day I wake up by 4am. I get back to sleep around 530am but have to be up an hour later.
I also ache all over in the mornings and am very down. My mom improves during the day if I keep busy.

[Fleetheart]

How old are you? Sounds like menopause starting?

[Doryhunky]

I have been on hrt for awhile and usually it sorts this out but it doesn’t seem to have kicked in this time!

[Doryhunky]

Mom should read mood

[maybelaterdear]

Early morning waking is a sign of depression.Maybe a course of medication might help.

[FOF44]

Do you drink evenings? As you sober up it's common to wake apparently, can't recall if its a blood sugar thing or some other reason.

Also read somewhere that we get a cortisol surge at around that time to start getting us ready for the day...not sure what you'd do about that if that were the issue tho.

[Northernsoullover]

I was going to ask if you drank alcohol at all. I can't drink at all any more (am also menopausal). My sleep was too disrupted.

[CitizenCandyKane]

I get this too, tho sometimes even earlier. And I can lie awake for a good 3 or 4 hours. It's utterly exhausting and frustrating. Wish I knew what caused it. Very rare to get a proper night's sleep now.

[Branleuse]

This happens to me if i drink any alcohol

[cloudbread]

This happens to me often.
I never drink alcohol.

It's a real pain.

[lljkk]

Terminal Insomnia. I can get back to sleep after about 90-120 minutes. But it's boring as heck in meantime.

[Strawberrycreamsundae]

I was like this too but worked out it was because my body temperature drops around that time so was cold. I didn’t actually feel cold but putting a heavier duvet has worked!

[Teenageromance]

V typical waking time for the menopause.

[PhilCornwall1]

I'm usually awake by 3am or 3:30am. Mine has been caused by my Rheumatoid Arthritis, which is pretty bad. I'm usually needing painkillers by that time. Even on mornings when I don't need them, I'm awake and don't get back to sleep.

I go with it now, but it's not ideal. It leads to very long days, but it's very frustrating.

[StellaRockafella]

If you’re on HRT it’s a sign the dose needs to be tweaked. If you’re someone privately, asks for Melachron.

[StellaRockafella]

That should be if you’re seeing someone privately, (Ie. not an NHS doctor), ask for melachron.

[Doryhunky]

Thank you! I hardly drink (and don’t really miss it!) as hrt usually works I will try topping up. It may be because I am cold but I am also getting night flushes so kicking off the duvet!!

[thebloodykneeagain]

I am like this too, post menopause, no HRT. I had insomnia while going through puberty.
What (mostly) works for me is variations on alphabet games. So ,while in bed with eyes closed and trying to fall asleep again, play a game of A to Z with a topic , eg states of America, countries of the world, fruits , vegetables, towns in England etc. For me , it works more often than not. I will wake up later and can’t remember where I got up to.
Sometimes counting helps, eg in prime numbers.
It sounds counter intuitive, keeping your brain active, but I fall asleep quicker than just lying there.