How do I stop waking up in the early hours?

[LivingDeadGirlUK]

I keep waking up at 4am, its really annoying, sometimes I get another hour or so, sometimes I just toss and turn. Its been weeks if not months. I'm not particularly stressed I don't think.

What do I do? :(

Well its a chilly 5:30 start today but I was asleep at 9:30 so thats a good chunk really.

8hrs is what’s considered a full night for most people so maybe you’ve broken the back of it Living 🤞🏼

I had a hot water bottle last night & woke from dreaming that my DC had switched the heating on - only to get a w’app from him about 20mins later 😂 🔮

My olfactory hallucination this morning is hot toasted & buttered soda bread 😋 I’m fairly certain I can make that come true for second breakfast 😂

What do you think made the difference last night Living - the lavender spray, earlier night or something else?

That's good! I did 9.30 - 4.145am. Not quite enough, but ok.

Well I had a big weight off my mind, I'm going to be starting a new job soon and put my resignation in. I think my mind was just more settled than its been for a while, plus I was shattered!

Also been trying to up my daytime water intake and im def feeling less dehydrated when I wake up.

sounds like temporary stress blip then but good to have all the little extra tips from PPs should it happen again

good luck in the new job 💐

So ... wanted to report back regarding the sleep mask.

I think it may be helping! I'm getting back off to sleep a little quicker than before. Still waking lots but this small improvement I'll absolutely take!

Don't know about the rest of you but whenever we go away and stay in a hotel my first few nights sleep is always always crap, no matter how knackered I am. So I'm hoping that that if I take my mask it may trick my brain into the routine of hopefully getting to sleep a bit earlier. I'll test this when we go away over HT

OP hope you're settling into new job well x

I'm not sure how I would feel with something over my eyes when sleeping, I roll around a lot and can see it getting tangled or something!

I actually love a hotel but usually because I'm by myself and can spread out :P

New job doesn't start until after Christmas, I've got a long notice period to work but I do feel lighter. I didn't really even notice how stressed I was because I was so much more stressed prior but in reality I need a change. The low LH hormone test I had is apparently a possible indicator for stress.

I've been sleeping ok the last 3-4 nights to be honest but I'm gonna need some consistency before I think I'm out the woods.

Oh I'm pretty sure the magnesium is making my stomach a bit iffy, which is a shame as it did seem to help a bit.

I think someone mentioned upthread that magnesium could be in a spray or topical?

Maybe I heard it elsewhere but worth asking your pharmacist about if it’s working otherwise for you.

You are certainly right about not realising how much stress until it lifts a bit - someone recently suggested consciously relaxing shoulders every time you stop at a red light because most of us are hunched up in stress - I’m not fully in the habit yet but it was a revelation trying it on the journey home from the event!

I had 3nights in a row of straight 4hrs instead of my usual 2x90mins separated by an hour, tonight though I’ve had 90mins and no sign at all of a second 90mins, I’m in a good mood though so it’s not so bad (& cats were super happy to get an early first breakfast 😂)

Thankfully I had a rest day already scheduled for tomorrow as I’m gonna be zombified by about 2pm

Hopefully you are all zzzzzzzzz atm!

What is interesting to me. Is that I sleep badly when I have highly processed food. I tend to keep my food low fat as I have polyps in my gallbladder. But I did eat fattier foods occasionally. On those nights I have terrible sleep. So much so that I now only eat upf food on a day I can have a nap. Also eating those types of foods when I wake up I have a racing heart. Really need to cut them out completely. Feel so much better when I’m not on them

Well here I am again 4am crew, had a couple of glasses of wine last night and I am very dehydrated!

What we put in our bodies seems to effect us so much more as we get older :(

I've started taking Melatonin and so far so good.
A friend of mine was in Spain and she picked up a couple of packets in Aldi of all places.
You ned a prescription for it here in Ireland.

I suffer bad sleep to so know how you feel but mine is generally falling asleep issues

I've heard melatonin is great for this, personally I fall asleep like a switch so never tried it.

Trying to fall asleep is my problem too so I was using One A Night Nytol but there is an ingredient in it that has some links to dementia - I was told this by a pharmacist who freaked me out, and checked it out myself. Sadly there is something in it.
So I try to use it sparingly.
I have found the Melatonin really helps and didn't find it good in the past.

dee you may want to check with pharmacist again this time re melatonin/dementia

I was prescribed it despite being not in correct age range (NHS melatonin is only supposed to be prescribed to over 65s or 60s? older than I was at the time anyway)

I think this was down to it’s regular use being linked to dementia as well

Like most things there is a risk/benefit balance to be struck as lack of sleep affects everything

For anyone getting it in from places where it’s otc like Spain/US you may be missing gp warnings re long-term use or interactions with other meds so worth checking that

edit for typo

Thank you @WellOwlBeDamned.
I shall check it out.

I don't mean to boast but 10pm-8am 😀I feel like a different person.

What do you think made the difference for you, OP? Struggling here!

Like my dishes.. I should get up & sort it

The Government over here are rolling out free HRT from January

Nytol might help?

Tbh I think I was more stressed than I realised. Now I have my new job lined up I am still busy but its not my first thought in the morning.

The magnesium I'm not sure about but the meditation etc has been wonderful.