Is this early waking due to dawn phenomena? Do I need to eat before bed?

[magnacarterr]

I am waking up early most nights about about 4am and unable to get back to sleep. Someone suggested it could be my cortisol shooting up due to low blood sugar in the night hard to say. I'm not type two diabetic yet but my mum and brother are, my blood sugar tends to be higher in the am and then lower as the day goes on.

When I wake up I feel kind of agitated and my heart rate feels a bit racy, it isn't really but its too fast for sleep.

I am menopausal and I am on HRT.

Been trying various practices and supplements but someone suggested eating prior to bed might help a mix of complex carbs and protein. Other suggestions have been a spoon full of honey.

Anybody have any idea about this?

It’s a classic menopause symptom as far as I know. I take half an anti histamine when it’s bad to help me go back to sleep more easily.

I agree it is menopause related but the antihistamine isn't working for me.

I’ve had this for years, since menopause. I’m on HRT too. I always have something small to eat right before bed, some nuts and cheese. It doesn’t always work, usually when I’ve not eaten enough protein in general for the evening meal.

Interesting. I wake like this every morning but feel sick and can’t eat

There was a tik tok thing where you put ice or frozen peas on your upper chest to calm the vagus nerve. It stopped the anxious feelings. I think I just used a cold flannel -it helped a bit.

@usernotfound21 I think they idea is that you are supposed to eat prior to going to sleep to help alleviate it.

@Custark I will try this tonight, I'm vegetarian so perhaps it is possible I am not eating enough protein in general.

Do you take it before you initially go to bed, or when you wake up early hours to help go back? I remember taking Piriton years ago and it knocked me out for the night!

@Toootss Good to know I will try this.

@HumptyNumptyDumpty I think you have to be careful with antihistamines if you use the anticholinergic antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, promethazine, doxylamine, hydroxyzine, chlorpheniramine, and cyproheptadine they have been associated with increased risk of dementia.

I did try Nytol which is an antihistamine containing sleep aid but it didn't really help, I wouldn't want to use it regularly in anycase. I think some people use modern antihistamines and they do find it still helps so perhaps I will try that.

I keep some unsalted almonds by the bed as well. If I wake up I eat abut 6 of them, maybe go for a wee, have a quick drink of water. I’m usually a bit overheated so the walk to the loo cools me down. Then just to confuse things I might need to add another duvet as I’m then cold. A nurofen sometimes helps as well.

I do take half a Nytol now and then if I know I’ve got a day coming up when I need to be on form and have enough sleep. I’m scared of the dementia risk though so use them sparingly.

I did read that some people have success with something they call a 3am cocktail or something (but you drink it before bed). It’s orange juice, salt and cream of tartar (for the potassium). It didn’t work for me, it just made me thirsty. I do think electrolytes help now and again though.

If you were diabetic your blood sugar would be rising not getting lower.

I take magnesium before bed which seems to help the 3am wake up. That’s on too of HRT.

I take magnesium glycinate and ashwaganda when I have periods like this, it does help!

I've completely cut out caffeine and it definitely helps.

I have a very small bowl of cereal about 30mins before bed and it’s made a difference to me sleeping through 🙂

Yes. Not sure if it's the milk though. I sometimes have a glass of milk before bed to help me sleep. Caffeinated coffee is a distant memory. 😭

Ooo glass of milk is also a good one - particularly if there isn’t room for cereal!

I’ve now got a bit of a hankering for a Horlicks as a bedtime drink 🙂🙂

So I ate a couple of spoons of plain cottage cheese, a few nuts and a few grapes right before bed last night and I drank some water with a little salt in. I did sleep better, pretty much though until about 6am so 6 hours of sleep. I probably drank more water last night than usual but even though I remember briefly waking up in the middle of the night I didn't need to pee which is very unusual.

I will try again tonight to see how I sleep tonight.

@Orangejuiceisgood I don't actually know what is going on with my blood sugar. I have a stick monitor which I use in the AM and it is usually high normal or in the prediabetic range but my blood sugar tends to be good after eating. I have no idea if my blood sugar is too low in the morning causing my body to be pumping out more and more cortisol or if it is too high.

Decaff, blackout blinds, and a small glass of water handy. Sometimes a quick trip to the loo helps as I get restless legs as well and it seems to calm them.

CBD oil?

Do you feel tired in the day?
Not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep, it's how your body feels the following day.

Can you go to bed earlier? Or at least rest in bed, read, listen to chilled radio.

If you wake up, and I do some mornings, can stay in bed effectively dozing from anytime from 4.30am onwards, it's worse in summer, well I say worse, but I tend to wake with the sun, but I'm ok in the day, ok in the mornings, if I have little sleep it doesn't tend to make me feel that bad, I have trained myself to not stress about it.

I have a couple of books on the go usually, one is usually to put me to sleep, something no page-turning. For me Bill Bryson slots perfectly into this gap!

Radio4 is quite relaxing, most of their presenters have soporific voices. I have spent many an evening listening to the importance of goat farming for women in Africa and other such stories.

Some antihistamines on a regular basis can interfere with heart rhythm.

OP - do you have a white noise machine and black out curtains?