I Sleep poorly and wake around 4am almost every night. I fell anxious when I wake

[NuggetsForTeaAgain]

Anyone else?

I sleep terribly these days and I know that to some extent my problem is caused by disrupted hormones - thyroid issues. However, it is true that as humans get older they sleep less soundly.

I tend to wake either bang on 2am or bang on 4am usually feeling anxious and sometimes with palpitations (most likely caused by the thyroid thing). I always have my ipod by my bed and as soon as I wake up I plug in to an audiobook or an audio guided meditation. This does help me to nod back off but it usually takes an hour. Lately I have been buying ambient sounds, so I will listen to the ocean or, because I live in Pennine West Yorkshire, I just listen to the rain pelting down on the roof every night. I hope everybody had a good night last night.

Scott (love your name btw!) do you suffer from anxiety generally? I ahve bouts of it. Wonder if it is worth me getting my thyroic checked? I also find sleep type cd's/ipod music very effective

I haven't had a decent night's sleep since my DD was born, and she is 12. I would love to try all your ideas Pag but I am too lazy and stuck in my ways.

One day.

I worry about the most bizarre things in the middle of the night too.

Last night it was the amount of unused bedding in my cupboards.

It is often about the state of my fridge though.

DanceswithWolves - at your rather random night time concerns! Unused bedding How funny x

Anxiety causes my sleep problems some nights I take codeine if I'm exhausted and need a sleep. I did get some sleeping pills but only 2 weeks worth and I wasn't to take them every night anyway. Personally I think I'll always have these problems because my anxiety is deep routed in childhood issues.

I`m having the same trouble in awakening at about 12.30pm and then lying awake for 2-3 hours.....feel awful in the morning

dottyspotty to hear your troubles. Anxiety is the pits. Worse still if it is buried deep. the one thing that wiould enable you to cope in the day is sleeping at night. I have only taken one sleeping pill ever (prescribed) but I have herbal or Nytol type tabs every single night. Sometimes I can go down to only one herbal but I am petrified of not taking anything. Whcih is crazy as I sometimes don't sleep after a nytol (or similar) anyway. Fuck anxiety - I loathe it. It is the bane of my life.
Maura456 - do you try anything (relaxation, CD's, breathing etc) to calm you?

Nuggets not sure if you are still checking this thread but in response to your question, no I don't have general anxiety. It has been coming and going in bouts over the last year. Fortunately, over the last few months my thyroid medication has kicked in and the anxiety and other symptoms have gone.

If I had known back in March last year (when the anxiety/panic attacks started) what I know now, I would have asked for a thyroid function test immediately. Instead I was misdiagnosed as stressed, depressed and asthmatic. I was given inhalers, antidpressants and CBT. I didn't take any of the meds because I KNEW it wasn't stress.

It was only by chance that a locum GP ordered a thyroid function test to accompany a cholesterol test I had requested (thyroid issues can impact on cholesterol apparently). When the results came in it was a massive relief. I would recommend to any woman, particularly over 40, who isn't feeling right to ask for a thyroid function test.

Hi Nuggets.. I'm finding my way around now lol!!!

I get this too so it's been great to read everyones coments. I don't mind normal waking up as a rule, I just read for a bit and nod off again... but it's the way sometimes I wake up completely stressed that I have not been taking my medicine for weeks!!! I then have to think, what medicine am I on about? I remember that I only take one pill a day, yes, citalphram, and I know I have not missed that, so what on earth is this medicine I'm on about? It takes me about 10 minutes to convince myself that there is no medicine that I have forgotten about. If it's not me, I wake up stressed that I've completely forgotten about one of the pets' medicines for weeks. it's just bizarre.

Will try writing down that all pills have been administered present and correct tonight and see if that helps lol!

By the way, I rarely drink so this isn't the cause for me. But I probably do loads of other things wrong like drink tea last thing, carbs snacks. etc.

I also often wake up through indegestion and have a rennie then nod off again.

Have any of the tips here helped you?

Ha Ha,, only just realized there's two pages of posts.. I feel like such a beginner!! x