Anyone else a ridiculously light sleeper?

[ScotttCheggg]

Just as the title says, are you a light sleeper? I wake at any slight noise, any slight movement from DH etc. It drives me crazy, and I genuinely don’t know anyone else like this. Friends / family think I’m neurotic and / or anxious but it’s totally out of my control.

It’s got to the point where I have to listen to white noise all night (via headphones) and recently invested in 2 single beds pushed together as otherwise I was waking near enough constantly.

It makes holidays a total nightmare; I absolutely dread the sleeping situation as despite always requesting single beds, it often doesn’t happen.

Anyway, moan over…anyone else like this?!

Yes me!
Kids ruined my ability ti sleep deeply.
DH snores like a bastard.
We have to sleep in different rooms.
Holidays involve booking an extra room.
It's soooo annoying 🙄

I'm a very light sleeper. This combined with chronic insomnia over the last few years has made me sometimes dread going to bed at night. I never used to be like this, although I've never been a particularly deep sleeper. Now the slightest sound wakes me. I'm always incredulous at people on TV who sleep through people touching them or creeping around the room.

Wax ear plugs. Honestly they have been a game changer.

Yes me. I've always been a very light sleeper however this got even worse once I'd had DC1 who is about to turn 6 and is no better at all. On top of that, DH suddenly started snoring about 7 yrs ago whilst I was pregnant with DC1 and has also ever stopped. So I routinely get woken up loads of times a night by his snoring. If we had enough bedrooms I'd honestly have separate ones and it drives me mad. I've had poor health over the past 1.5yrs and extensive investigations because of so many bizarre and uncomfortable symptoms and in the end they decided that it's literally my exhaustion and poor sleep causing everything. But I can't do anything about it. I do sometimes wear ear plugs which do help a bit, but often his snoring wakes me up even when I've got them in as it's so loud and I'm such a light sleeper, and I don't find ear plugs that comfortable, they irritate my ears and make them itchy so I often have to take them out in the middle of the night.

I was always a light sleeper but thanks to DS and his medical conditions I am an even lighter sleeper as I always have one ear open for him being ill or pumps going off

Yes, I've always been like this. It's awful.

We have a spare room on the ground floor and I mostly sleep in there, kids and DP upstairs.

I also take a Nytol most nights, which helps a lot, but you can only buy one pack at a time so I don't always have them.

I fall asleep fine, but the slightest noise wakes me.

Yes I wake up if someone breathes. I think it is to do with not feeling safe as a kid. I'm programmed to be on alert all the time.

I wake at everything and anything. I wake up at noises on the driveway outside before the dog does! Then it takes at least an hour to get off again. I've found speakers in a soft headband and BBC sounds podcasts or audible books good, but they do make me dream that someone's following me around, talking incessantly. 😁

Ear plugs.

White noise headband over the earplugs.

Eye mask over the headband.

Separate duvets.

Regularly sleep apart because all of the above still isn't enough to stop me from being woken.

Like others, I've always been a light sleeper but it's got much worse with having kids.

You're not alone OP!

I echo this too.

I also can't sleep with the door even slightly ajar or with someone else awake in the room with me.

Same here. And I don't want to wear earplugs because then I worry I won't hear the kids if they need me. But I wake at everything currently.

Me!
I can’t wear ear plugs either as then my internal noises/head moving on pillow noises are amplified. Plus they hurt.
When dc3 was a baby I discovered a red nightlight helped me to sleep through any light changes and sleep past dawn. Last night I couldn’t sleep because dp was breathing too loud

How old are you? Perimenopause made my light sleeping a nightmare, HRT has helped a bit.

Yup, since having kids I cannot sleep in a bed with someone else without waking every time they move. It's a pita

Yes! The last time I had an unbroken nights sleep was probably before I had my eldest so 8 years ago. Also if I wake up then I have to pee. Would love to have 8 hours uninterrupted sleep!

I hear every sound, foxes outside, cats fighting, car engines starting. I did use a fan last year which helped a little bit.

Also can't sleep with any light at all. Basically I want to sleep like the dead 🙂

Me! Wax earplugs, an eye mask and melatonin has been the answer for me. Truly transformative.

Also a king sized bed and a double duvet each.

Yeh I'm.a super light sleeper. DH and I have separate rooms. I also have a sleep disorder which means I get hallucinations and night time panic attacks. I'm fucking exhausted all the damn time 😂

Me too! Though I have foam earplugs and I also recently added Magnesium Glycinate to the mix.

Since my youngest son turned 1 I've struggled with sleep. He was still in our room otherwise he'd be in with our 6 year old, and the 1 year old is a loud sleeper. He self soothes by making this straining sort of sound which instantly wakes me up, and the lighter nights and mornings isn't helping.

We've moved the baby in with his brother now as his brother can sleep through the noise, I have loop ear plugs for the nights I don't need to listen out for the baby and got a tommee tippee blackout blind, it's definitely helped me

Me! I've always been a light sleeper even as a child.

Recently the hall light (bedroom door is nearly closed) switches off at 4:30am without a click and I still wake up.

I listen to audiobooks all night. my ears hurt from sleeping with earbuds in but without I just cannot sleep. Progesterone gets me off to sleep but often I wake on the hour. Recently it's been 3:33 then 4:30, 5:30, 6:30 and then I get up. I despise my snoring husband at those times but usually love him at all other times.

Separate duvets help too and sometimes an eye mask.

What does melatonin do?

Does nobody else find their internal noises are too loud with earplugs in?? I’ve tried so many different types and some are more comfortable and stay in better but I just can’t cope with hearing my own stomach gurgles, creaks, breath, and pulse so loudly 😳. Also they make my head on the pillow sound really loud to me.

Same, I tried a weighted blanket. Although I had to mess around with which weight suited me, it worked. So over winter and spring, I use a weighted blanket, cotton covered, and I sleep like a log.

Summer , it's too warm for one. Well a warm summer is too warm. I've currently got the blanket on the bed. But it's not very hot yet.

Try one at 10% of your weight first as thats ideal, allegedly. I've done that and after a few weeks it didn't work, so I got heavier and same again so heavier still. I'm on a 12kg double blanket that I've folded over. Partner doesnt like it and I like all the weight on me.

Hth