I'm waking up too early - thread to share advice.

[AmyPeralta]

When I'm stressed I have a habit of waking up between 3 and 4am and not being able to get back to sleep.
I wake up really alert with worries already going round in my head, spend an hour trying to get back to sleep and then just give up and get up. I'm exhausted. Does anyone else have the same problem? Thought it might be helpful to share things that work.
In the past I've had a bit of success with:

Drinking warm water
Listening to an audio book on slow speed
Concentrating on breathing.

Also wondering if it's worth asking GP for anti anxiety meds? Although I'm generally fine during the day, would be just to stop early morning anxiety really and get more sleep.

I second the high quality only CBD as being really quite effective.
also seemed to reduce crazy pmt hormone stuff as a happy side effect!

Same boat op and I hate it

Yes and it's worse this week due to the clock change. Always worst in second half of cycle and a bit better when I get my period (peri)
Like others I just lie there maybe do a body scan imagining golden light going through every part of my body. Sometimes that works, after about an hour.

Same here. Been like this for years. Been wide awake since 3am which is common for me. Every couple of weeks I get to the point of taking a promethazine when I then sleep like the dead.

I have truly not found anything else that quells the rumination and replaying of even quite innocuous conversations in my head. So pointless and draining

I suspect I am suffering from anxiety and/or mild depression but don’t see the point of consulting the gp yet as I am fine during the day. At work I function fine even after several nights of maximum 4 hours sleep. I genuinely think also that since menopause I need less sleep.

I could have written this! Most nights I wake at about 4, with a list of really stupid worries - stuff that totally doesn't matter at all:

• I haven't paid the window cleaner yet
• I must add crème fraîche to the shopping list
• I need to send a birthday card to X

None of these are useful thoughts at 4 am! And they go round and round and round and I actually feel anxious - stomach churning at such tiny things!

I had Covid a year ago and wonder if it's related.

Audiobooks help me but it's a faff setting up the headphones etc without waking DH, and can make me even more awake.

I use a podcast for sleep hypnosis to help me sleep/get back to sleep. Sleep wave is very good and a lot of the episodes are free.

I get this a lot. To stop fixating on whatever worries are going through my mind, I play an alphabet game where I pick a category (films, animals, food) and have to think of one for each letter. It distracts me and I often drift off halfway through. If that's not working, white noise app or a podcast that is either really mindless or I've already listened to before.

Those using cbd oil what strength do you use? Ta

Nytol or melatonin tablets are good. If I'm feeling stressed, I also tell myself 'I am in control' on repeat and that works really well!

How old are you? I had severe anxiety and insomnia a little over a year ago and it turned out to be perimenopause.

As soon as I read 3-4am I thought that. It’s known as the meno-hour 😬

How old are you? Because if you’re over 36-37ish and this is a relatively new thing I would definitely say it’s hormonal ie perimenopause. It’s a first and major symptom for many women.

It’s why insomnia is so much more common in women.

That's interesting I'm 43 and it was new on me...

They didn't mention menopause.

My anxiety was SO bad though the drugs have been amazing. Life changing even. I would recommend them if anyone's anxiety/sleep is really bad as it breaks the cycle. You do need a good 8-9hours sleep though or you wake groggy on them.

I'm the same. I've suffered from early waking since I was a teenager, so definitely not menopausal for me.

I generally get up and get on with life, and sometimes get another hour of sleep at about 7am, which makes all the difference.

I find it much harder in the winter, as it is so long until any daylight. In the summer I go out into the garden to read, which is lovely.

I swear by the Rain Rain app and ThisWorks lavender spray. I sleep deeply with those two.

Exercise. You need to really physically tire yourself out each day. Failing that, trip to GP and possibly chat about medication to help.

Placemarking because I am really struggling with this right now.

Core exercises seem to help. Even gentle ones - not talking about an hour at the gym, but about 15/20 mins on the floor inc. warm up. Rocking back and forth on the spine, curl ups, lean backs - bad back type of exercises.