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? :(

Thanks OP. Certainly some stress going on here.

I tell you what I may be back to sleeping through the night but I cannot lay in it seems!.

Been having a little relapse this week but my stress levels are up. How is everyone else doing?

I had the worst night I've had for a long time. I nearly didn't sleep at all. The magnesium tablets don't seem to be making any difference. Husband snores so I'm now in the spare room (but can still hear him a bit!). But it's mainly my mind which doesn't stop! I've never been good at meditation or relaxation things for this reason. I will watch TV or read a book or even be having a conversation with someone and my mind is thinking about other things at the same time. At night I'm laying awake with a thousand things going on - going over conversations I've had, things I've watched/read, thinking about what I've got to do the next day, etc I don't have any caffeine during the day and switch off my phone well before I go to sleep. What else can I try?

@Whodrankmytea do you have earplugs?

I sympathise with the racing mind thing. That's me a lot of the time. I have work stuff going on which has killed off my sleep this week.

There’s lot of ideas upthread, jot some down as everyone has been finding different things helpful at different times.

Useful to have a Woolworths sized pick and mix of possible solutions!

With mind-racing and stress could be a good place to start would be googling CBTi, breathing techniques and giving the old relaxation recommendations another go.

Sounds a +/- situation for you @LivingDeadGirlUK losing sleep again but at least having the confirmation that the insomnia is index-linked to your stress levels rather than physical gives you a way to plan ahead.

I’ve had extra stress recently and am finding the supports I already had in place are holding for now so have only dipped to 90m one night <touch wood> no totally sleepless as yet.

I’m doing a MSE credit card recommendation thing atm 😂 working on the stress areas I can ‘pay down’ quickest and mitigating with techniques I’ve learnt and leaving the higher interest/stress rates areas to deal with later.

The latter will get worse no matter what I do rn so best I can do is clear the decks of the other areas and have a plan for exhaustion to come.

Feeling fortunate that the clock change is imminent as that will be a big help from a mood/sleep cycle pov

here’s hoping for good sleep at the weekend 🤞🏼

I've been taking cetirizine anti-allergy tablets from Sainsbury's at night for about 5 days and was sleeping very well. Even if my bladder wakes me up at 4 or 5 am, I go back to sleep immediately.
I just need a break from waking up at 4 or 5 and being unable to go back to sleep. I was trying to work out at 5 but I just can't.

Small doses (180-250 mg) of magnesium taken before bed work only for the first few hours and I need to top up at 4 or 5 am but it takes around an hour for new dose to kick in. I don't want to take higher doses of it before bed because I feel totally sedated till the next evening.

Was a bit better last night thanks everyone.

Really sympathise with the racing mind people, I have a work problem that is literally churning in my head.

Oh my god DP is snoring like the end of days.

I was awake for 2 hours from 3am ish to 5am ish and that was after taking Melatonin. 🥲
Glad it's a bank holiday here so not working today or tomorrow.

Hows everyone doing? I have been much better but still have my moments. I want to try work on my phone use before bed as zi am usually scrolling for a hour.

I gave up work and my sleep has improved massively.

I've been sleeping better since it's been darker and colder, so less waking up feeling hot (I'm way past menopause but still over heat).

I've added in some more moisturising eye drops for night as well, Hycosan Extra. Can recommend if anyone also gets the issue of being woken early because their eyes are dry and uncomfortable.

I'm glad you are doing better, I think we really underestimate how stress treats us and how much we are under!

I've still got the window open a crack...

Yes window still open for me too!

I am still waking at 3am ish but downloaded the Let's Meditate app which so far has been effective in putting me back to sleep fairly quickly. I also sleep with my window open but it is a bit risky here as we seem to get lots of bonfire smoke.

One thing I've really got from this thread thats helped so much is to just not worry when I wake up. Its not the same as sleep but laying with eyes closed is still rest and I have stopped grabbing my phone at 4am. When I do grab my phone I read a chapter of a book instead of getting engaged with social media.

My streak of luck failed last night and I was awake 3am-6am then managed an extra 30 mins or so.

There doesn't seem much reason to it. I was hot, thirsty and generally suddenly-wide-awake. I try and think what I did differently to the other days when I slept well and I guess there were more carbs than usual and maybe the house overly warm (but I had the window open when I went to bed). My period is due as well and I always seem hotter then so I think that is the likely culprit.

But yes OP, it helps not to worry about it too much. I lay and rested, got up at 6am to feed cat and myself, then managed to fall asleep long enough to salvage the rest of the day.

I have been using magnesium over the past few weeks and that has helped a huge amount. Also. The exercise and better diet has helped as well. But mainly the magnesium I think was the game changer. Still waking some. But not being awake for hours and hours and going back to sleep. But I am still waking four times a night. But getting sleep in between has helped

Has anyone had any success with snacks before bed? I was listening to a podcast which was saying that 3am wake ups could be due to spikes in cortisol caused by a drop in blood glucose. It was recommending eating pumpkin seeds (high in magnesium), almonds or another healthy snack before bed.

I have just realised my sleep got worse when I started a 12 hour fast overnight so might try reintroducing a bedtime snack tonight.

I used to have to get up for a snack when I woke up at 4am but that seems to have passed, I don't really wake up hungry even when I sleep through.

Magnesium wasn't great on my stomach I have to say, I've started taking it again as I had a couple of rough nights and its def making my digestion a bit icky.

I definitely think there is something in that. I keep a tin of almonds by the bed for if I am hungry when the 3am wake-up happens. Just before bed I usually eat a boiled egg, protein seems good for steadying the blood sugar.

Well I tried eating a small pot of pumpkin seeds and sour cherries at 9.30pm last night (I normally stop eating at 6pm). I slept until 5am, normally wake at 3am. Will test again tonight to see if it is a coincidence.

I just don't stress about it and get up. Use the time productively - I usually make a cup of tea an enjoy reading a book in silence. I do feel tired and like I have not slept enough but it's not the end of the world.