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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Unexplained waking with a jump at 2.08am every morning

75 replies

Ameliaaaw · 12/02/2021 18:31

Hello all,

I'd like to start by saying that I don't think I believe in ghosts or the supernatural, however I am beginning to feel uncomfortable/eery since buying my first home 3 months ago and am hoping for some advice or even just some reassurance!

I moved into my house 1 month ago after spending the first two months renovating/sprucing it up and since moving in have only slept there 80% of the time as I continue to be split across my home and my BFs home.

I am a light sleeper and often briefly wake 2 or 3 times a night.
Since moving into my house, however, I have woken with a jump at the exact same time every morning. I wake with a start and a gasp and immediately check my phone on my bedside table - 2.08am every time.
I have checked my phone to make sure no alarms/notifications are sounding at this time which they are not. When I wake I often listen and look out the windows. Each time the street is deadly quiet and I cannot see anything which would explain my sudden waking.
To add to the peculiarity of this, when I stay at my BFs home I do not wake at this time.

AIBU to feel eery and a little freaked out by this?

OP posts:
swg1 · 12/02/2021 18:46

It'll be some kind of external noise waking you. Doesn't have to be a long one, might be a plane going over or a train going past. I wake every morning when the heating clicks on.

Frequentlymisunderstood · 12/02/2021 18:50

We moved into a new home and for the first week we were woken at 5 each morning and didn’t know why.
We discovered that that was the time the hot water system had been set to turn on and, due to an issue with the pipes, there was a small bang which we hadn’t heard in our sleep but it had woken us up. Could it be something like that? Are you detached or attached? It could even be a neighbour coming in from work and waking you but, as they have gone in, there is nothing to see on the street.

Arghmetoes · 12/02/2021 19:00

Try going on flightrader (website) to see if there are any planes - this kept happening to me, except by the time I was awake the plane had passed out of obvious hearing range, but I could still see its flight path on the website.

Or, a neighbour going to work?

Bit extreme, but could you try staying up until 0215 one night to see what it is?

user234987653 · 12/02/2021 19:01

I wake at 6.10am every day bursting for a piss. Cannot work out why I need a wee at the same time because I go to bed at different times across the week.

Body and/or brain behaving oddly is all I can put it down to.

LyraLilly · 12/02/2021 19:06

Have you tried setting an alarm for 2.05 to see if there's a regular noise?

No experience myself but I have heard that if there's no obvious cause, you should try waking up a few minutes before and then going back to sleep, as it could break the cycle.

Original poster
Ameliaaaw · 12/02/2021 19:17

In a detached house and I know my neighbour works a normal 9-5 job so unlikely to be her but of course could be someone else in the street.
Hadn't thought about checking flightradar - that's a great idea thank you!!
Very tempted to set an alarm a little earlier to see if something is happening/there is a sound that would wake me but was a little nervous in case there was nothing to be seen or heard as daft as that may sound!
My friends suggested I set my camera to record around that time but I suppose if it was a faint sound it wouldn't necessarily show up on a recording.

Thanks so much for suggestions!

OP posts:
MissConductUS · 12/02/2021 19:19

It's unlikely that anything paranormal is on a 24 hour cycle. Smile

I go through periods when my internal clock wakes me at exactly the same time every morning for weeks.

Username12353784 · 12/02/2021 19:19

There could be a slight noise at that time every night that wakes you without realising. Could be a very short brief noise that has stopped by the time you fully wake and think about it.

Also, your mind and body clock can play tricks on your. Your body is paranoid about waking up at that time every night so it carries on doing albeit only in said house m. I say this as for for weeks recently my body clock woke me up at 4.40am every single bleddy morning for weeks. It was so frustrating and I couldn’t ever get back to sleep. I had no need to get up that early. It was causing me stress as I was exhausted by the afternoon!

Username12353784 · 12/02/2021 19:19

@Username12353784

There could be a slight noise at that time every night that wakes you without realising. Could be a very short brief noise that has stopped by the time you fully wake and think about it.

Also, your mind and body clock can play tricks on your. Your body is paranoid about waking up at that time every night so it carries on doing albeit only in said house m. I say this as for for weeks recently my body clock woke me up at 4.40am every single bleddy morning for weeks. It was so frustrating and I couldn’t ever get back to sleep. I had no need to get up that early. It was causing me stress as I was exhausted by the afternoon!

Your mind is paranoid not body, sorry.
Cadent · 12/02/2021 19:20

What time are you going to bed? It could be the end of a sleep cycle?

I often wake up at the same time a few hours after going to sleep.

Nancylovesthecock · 12/02/2021 19:35

Could be as simple as a neighbour flushing the loo or closing a door

FossilisedFanny · 12/02/2021 19:40

The floor boards in my bedroom crack at roughly the same time every night, even though no one is walking about, all houses have their own weird noises. I’d set an alarm to see if you can hear anything.

sparklingstars12 · 12/02/2021 19:47

Conformation bias. Your a light sleeper so probably look at the clock several times and go straight back to sleep without remembering. If it's 2:08 you think it's strange and remember

Original poster
Ameliaaaw · 12/02/2021 19:50

Going to bed at around 11.30 each night. I did wonder about sleep cycle and was going to start wearing my fit bit again to see if there was a pattern but it's odd that I'm not waking at that time at my BFs.

Going to set an alarm tonight to see if I can see/hear anything!

Thanks all!

OP posts:
Original poster
Ameliaaaw · 12/02/2021 19:52

@sparklingstars12

Conformation bias. Your a light sleeper so probably look at the clock several times and go straight back to sleep without remembering. If it's 2:08 you think it's strange and remember
This is a great point as well thank you! It's the waking with a jump and gasp which sticks in my mind as well though
OP posts:
VestaTilley · 12/02/2021 22:47

When DH was suffering with depression and anxiety he’d often jerk awake, shout out in his sleep, sit up in bed or have terrible nightmares etc. It went away as he got better. Could you be stressed or worried about anything? Eg the house move? Chances are you’ve just reset your body clock.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 12/02/2021 22:51

Maybe a neighbour has their heating set to come on at that time? Our neighbours boiler vents into our garden and makes a really odd noise.

ButtWormHole · 12/02/2021 22:54

Mine is currently 3am. I reckon it is because I get really cold at that time. This thread has just reminded me to set the heating schedule so the house doesn’t get as cold.

Apart from that I’m thinking it could be a blood sugars dip but I will see how I get on with the heating.

Feelingconfused2020 · 12/02/2021 22:58

Conformation bias. Your a light sleeper so probably look at the clock several times and go straight back to sleep without remembering. If it's 2:08 you think it's strange and remember!

I feel like there's a Jonathan creek episode about this. However I also buy into the idea that it's something specific like heating next door so I would set my alarm for 2 and just wake and wait. I don't believe in paranormal but if I did I still don't think I'd believe that all ghosts do is make a random almost indiscernible noise at exactly the same time every night and then nothing else.

Feelingconfused2020 · 12/02/2021 23:00

Also my children all woke at the same time every night when they were babies. I think our body clocks do this if we reach the end of a sleep cycle. I know 2:08 is very specific but perhaps your body has a very effective internal body clock.

JovialNickname · 12/02/2021 23:03

You're clearly in a horror film but don't know it yet.

CouldItBeTrueBlue · 12/02/2021 23:06

Maybe you could try putting the clock forward 10 mins, then see if you're noticing if it says 2.18am when you're woken with a start...(this idea made sense to me when I thought of it but now I'm trying to work out what it will prove!)

MadamBatty · 12/02/2021 23:08

2 things, it could be foxes? I hear them scream at the. Same time every night.

Or what age are you? Perimenopause can cause waking

RagzReturnsRebooted · 12/02/2021 23:11

I'd suggest setting an alarm for 2am and seeing if there's a noise. But for reason I feel like I'd find that creepy, is boyfriend there with you?

Grossedout12 · 12/02/2021 23:16

Ohhh come back and let us know