Waking up at 4 or 5am and anxiety

[Sorrytodisturbyou0]

Anyone else seem to have a brain transplant in the middle of the night? I’m usually a good sleeper but for the past week most nights I’ve woken up at anything from 4 to 5am, tossed and turned, wondered if I need the loo, decide to go to the loo, get back in bed and BAM. Every single worry I’ve ever had and just huge shame and over analysis of things I’ve done in the past, running over work stuff in my mind, just brain (and heart) racing in general.

Logically I think this might be as my self care has been really off the last 10 days or so, I fell off the wagon with dry january and haven’t been exercising, I’ve just felt in a slump.

Do I hold the answer myself do you think - just better self care during the day and perhaps stop drinking again (I haven’t been drinking a lot and definitely not Xmas level!) or is there something else going on?

I literally feel like I’m losing my mind.

Same here but slowly getting better. Spent most of the Christmas break not managing more than 30 minutes to an hour a night. I am now sleeping about 5 hrs and awake about 4. I’m reading all kind of silly stuff to keep my mind from wandering to more worrying stuff, it has been horrible at work for months.

Cut out the alcohol. Cancel unnecessary appointments. Rest. Walk everyday in midday light, step outside, go for 15 minutes, then walk back, that's 30 minutes. Eat good nutrition, nothing fancy, just real food.

I was annoyed at the 4am, waking, now it's 2am. And that's after tossing & turning.

I've never been a good sleeper. Permanently bloody shattered!

With Covid it's worse though as the thoughts I'm awake with are horrible.

Haven't rtft... but I suffer from insomnia a lot too... but I have a new ritual which is helping!

• Phone stays downstairs at night. I set the alarm on my Alexa.

• in bed by about 10pm. Take melatonin and magnesium.

• listen to classical on Alexa quietly and read until I feed tired. Now that I don't have my phone upstairs I'm not clock watching.

• if I wake up in the night, I make myself lie there, and play silly boring mind games. Naming as many girls and boys names beginning with a certain letter for example, or countries. Or playing the shopping list game with myself!

• if I can't get back to sleep make sure I tell myself that I can cope, I've coped with endless other days where I've had minimal sleep.

And... no.... booze 😕😕😕. Like others, that screws my sleep!!!!

@Oneearringlost. perimenopause will most likely start in the 40's up to 12 years before the start of menopause (which on average is 51 ) and mid sleep waking is an indicator of peri. (amongst other indicators. I point this put only because I think some can think early 40's is unusual for peri..but that is not the case...knowing the cause is crucial for managing the symptoms

How do we judge whether it's peri or anxiety?

taken from the period repair manual by lara briden

Thanks for sending that extract re peri....it’s hard for me to assess if it’s anxiety or peri (or both!!)

I think I’ll see the extent to which lifestyle changes help as I’ve definitely not been kind to myself. I went for a short walk at lunchtime and going to aim for an exercise bike sesh after work finishes.

Got a splitting headache while I stare at a zoom screen though 😫

3am here. Since Jan 2019.
Presumably meno or peri it's shit.
I'm 47.
Worry about loss of liberty
Loss of women's rights
China takeover
Daughters future
Old age
Death of family
Crime
Parents
How I'll earn if I lose my job. I'll never get similar

I agree with Mildlymiffed - do not ever take your phone into the bedroom - if you need an alarm use an alarm clock or Alexa. I thought reading my phone would relax me.....but no, the phone light and reading wound me up.

In bed now. Have given up and taken a Phenergan. I cannot do another night of 3 hours kip.

I'm going to get some night nurse tomorrow, AF, good thinking. Hope you get some good zzzzzs tonight m'dear.

Me too. Night Nurse is good.

I recommend radio 4. 525 am is the shipping forecast followed by farming today.

A nice gentle start to the day!

Booze is hideous for my sleep patterns, gave up the wine a long time ago as I'd wake up with a racing heart at 4am. I've slipped back into it so will make an effort to stop again.

So I’ve had a booze free day today and ending the day with a herbal tea in bed. Fingers crossed for a sleep through til a reasonable hour (for all of us fingers crossed).

I shall be on here if not

Take a sleeping tablet, nytol for a few days should help

That’s my plan B but I’d need a trip to Boots which I probably won’t get chance to do til the weekend. Sleeping tablets scare me a bit, but lack of sleep and the mid night terror is ruining me more.

Nytol is just a temporary measure, it’s not a proper insomnia treatment so you shouldn’t suffer with side effects. It’s a drowsy antihistamine, but you could also try the herbal version if you’re scared.

Find a mindfulness course too. It teaches you how to recognise anxiety inducing thoughts, acknowledge them for a second and allow them to float away. Also to give over 5 minutes a day to 'worry'. Split the things that can be dealt with from those that can't and to ditch the latter and create a plan for the former quickly without dwelling. Exercise (especially runs) also helps to see the bigger picture and demonstrates our own resilience to ourselves

Anxiety is a normal human stress response to perceived dangers that our brains have learnt is useful. However this was developed in our 'old brain' to help us asses the risks of sleeping among numerous and life threatening dangers. Our brains are literally waking us up to check if there's a tiger on the loose! Now they wake us up because our brains interpret a modern day stress response as an imminent and life threatening danger. Our brains keep popping up potential scenarios for us to run through so we can plan for the tiger attack!

The answer is to stop the stress reaction to those situations. So that's through mindfulness, other stress management techniques or medication. Not easy I know but I find it useful to remember that there is no tiger attack...!!

Another 4am-er, sometimes I can get back to sleep half 5ish for an hour or so, but not always.

For last few days woken 5.15 ish and lie here fretting. Urgh. Am 46 never had this if I have had sleeping issues in the past it was not being able to get to sleep never had early waking before

I have had this problem. The thing is : what you need is to have sufficient mastery of a toolkit of techniques so to speak at 4 am- so that when the moment of need arrives (racing thoughts wide awake need sleep) - you can apply those techniques reliably to soothe yourself down.

You need to work at really learning practising and mastering these techniques and this needs to occur - like all learning - when you are wide awake, not going to bed.

For me - the Sleep Health course on the full version of Head Space - which I did when bright wide awake as I am meant to be at some random hour in the morning or afternoon- has sort of worked. It really does need investment of time - you are teaching yourself tricks that need time to learn practice and fully master

@Sorrytodisturbyou0 You've not posted yet...... this is a good sign 👍

Ugh, 1.30 attack of The Fear. Took a Nytol and went back to sleep eventually. Feel shit today.