Waking up every night, getting sick of it

[dryshampooqueen]

I’m 27, I’ve never really had an issue with sleep I’ve always just slept through the night.

The last month or so, I’ve woken up every single night without fail. Once at 4am and again at 5am. I manage to go back to sleep, but it’s very very annoying.

I recently had my cortisol tested and it was high, so I suspect it’s that, but they didn’t do anything about it apart from refer me to endocrinology.
I have tried various things - I have really good sleep hygiene, I am taking magnesium glycinate, I’ve even tried having some dark chocolate before bed as apparently that helps with the blood sugar levels.

NOTHING is working and I feel absolutely shattered every single day.

Any other tips please??

Have you tried herbal tea ? Are you stressed about anything or overthinking perhaps keeping you up?

I do drink peppermint or green tea in the evenings sometimes but maybe not consistently enough! I am a bit stressed at the minute, but I didn’t think much more than normal. I have absolutely no issues getting to sleep, it’s just waking up at the exact same time each night

Do you exercise?
Do you meditate?

4am is always the time I wake up when feeling stressed. Like my body/brain gets the sleep it needs and then goes into panic or overthinking mode. Are you thinking through things once you wake? Or any bad dreams?

Green tea is caffeinated

Same it’s very annoying. I ordered 1mg melatonin from the US and take that when I wake up too early. I use iHerb (not affiliated etc etc…). Also tart cherry which you can get from H&B is meant to help as well but I’ve only just started that.

No I don’t have any bad dreams, and I feel quite calm when I wake up and can easily get myself back to sleep. It’s just irritating and I feel absolutely exhausted all day 😭

Funnily enough I was 27 when my sleep started to cause issues too.

Unfortunately for me it’s the same 12 years later.

I haven’t found anything that makes a difference (and often I can’t get back to sleep
so I am perpetually exhausted)!

Try chamomile tea it helps me it's worth a try.. i hate when this happens especially when you're used to sleeping during the night peacefully.. being restless at a certain time might be due to excitement or anxiety.. is there an event coming up maybe..

I don't drink green tea or any other caffeinated drinks after 2pm

How active are you in the day?
Are you mentally stimulated?
Try and go for a walk in a park or in nature every day.
Don't drink coffee after 12pm
Stay off your screens for a couple of hrs before bedtime and read a book
Try adjusting your bedtime for 20 mins later

If the times are that regular, are you sure it’s not something external waking you up, even if you don’t hear it consciously? Something coming on in your home or a neighbour leaving for work?

Green tea contains caffeine - i became a lot more sensitive to stuff like that in my twenties.

My friend says 3am is when cortisol drops, or something like that, so a common time to wake up. She has an adrenal disease. I have terrible sleep, have for the last 3yrs or so. I often get up at 4am, but do go to sleep early. 5-6hrs sleep is good for me

If you can get back to sleep is it really a massive problem? Not trying to minimise it but perhaps if you framed it differently in your head?

Most sleep problems are because people wake up and can't get back to sleep

I also agree with another poster - if it's regular, check it's not something external waking you up at the same time

If you are able to go back to sleep, then it's fine. A healthy person wakes up around a dozen times a night. It is often brief enough that our brain doesn't form a memory of it. Unless you are awake for hours, I'd avoid worrying about it as worry is what often makes things worse sleep-wise.

Calm app - helps my dh to relax and sleep.

I swear by magnesium butter

Try calm app sleep stories to distract your busy brain when you wake. They're nonsense really but enough to listen to and follow at 4am and written and read as a sleep aid. I am very happy having Jonathan Bailey talk me back to the land of nod 🤣

No drinks later on (needing a wee is my biggest waker upper in the night, then I can't get back to sleep again)

You are lucky to go back to sleep op. It will likely just settle down. I wake up every day at 3am and cant sleep again ( menopause I suspect) so yes it is tiring. Since having children I have barely slept in 20 years, you have to adjust.

If you can easily get back to sleep how is it a problem? I get up to go to the loo at some stage every night but just go straight back too sleep.. it should have no impact on the next day. In fact I quite like it as I jump back into my cosy bed for a few more hours of kip!! I’m sure quite a lot of people wake at some stage during the night for one reason or another. You are possibly overthinking the effect this is having on you

You poor thing, not sleeping is awful.
This is my routine for sleep.
Daylight in the morning to help me wake up. Exercise even a short walk is good.
Plenty to drink during the day, but no tea or coffee with caffeine after 2 pm, or dark chocolate as that has caffeine and I'm really sensitive to it. I'm into rooibos tea (red bush).
I take a omega oil tablet as that helps your brain and is meant to help you sleep, and a multivitamin with b1 as that is necessary for sleep too.
In the evening I have camomile tea, Magnesium glycinate ( best for sleep) and ashwagandha to relax.
If my brain is too busy to get to sleep or I wake up I listen to sleep sounds. I like an app that is meant for tinnitus called Oto, it has free sounds and a timer, also Bettersleep app is good for sounds. Now when I here the sound it puts me to sleep.
Peri-menopause makes you an expert 🤣. I hope something from that list helps you. Sweet dreams op.

Also failing to see how it's an issue if you get back to sleep. I haven't slept thru the night in over 20 years and am very happy if I only wake up once and get straight back to sleep.

White noise. I had this and white noise stopped it so I am assuming something was making noise at that time.
Once I also kept waking up at 5:50 and after few weeks by chance I figured out it was the time neighbour upstairs flushed toilet. (very crappy building)

Some of us don't feel great after broken sleep.