Insomnia - the 4.30/5.00am nightly wakeup might actually tip me over the edge!

[Mintyy]

If I don't wake up at that time, or if I do wake up and manage to get back to sleep for a while, then that is an exceptionally good night and I feel great all day. Full of good cheer (well, mostly) and reasonably energetic.

But 80%+ of the time I only get 5 hours sleep. I feel and look like hell!

What can I do? Its too late in the morning to take sleeping tablets (I have to be up at 7am). I can't understand why my body keeps waking me up when I am SO fucking tired.

Oh I know its boring ... but anyone??

i have the opposite insomnia where I cannot fall asleep when I go to bed. Some days is better; i.e when I exercise during the day.
if you take the sleeping pill at night should keep it going till your alarms goes off?

also happened to me lots last few years, lying awake between 3-5 amish...
don't know if this will help you but as soon as I took high strength magnesium supplements I slept so much better.
Best of luck

Really? magnesium? Ok, will google - thank you.

And yes, I guess I could take a sleeping tablet at 11 and hope that makes me stay asleep until 7am. Its just that I never have a problem getting to sleep when I go to bed, so that never occurs to me.

They say that insomnia is a sign of depression, but I think its actually a cause. Or certainly a chicken and egg thing.

Am so jealous of people who sleep well .

Have a look at the food hospital progam that was on last week that has some ideas. In an ideal world you should go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time every day. You should avoid doing things that stimulate your brain before going to sleep like being on the pc :). Make sure you are eating a well balanced diet , research shows that kiwis help.

Mintyy, I have that problem too. Not every night, but often enough to be very annoying. A colleague of mine has the same problem too.

Do you think it's our age?

I fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow though!

I'm the same.

i am totally and utterlly exhausted and look it.

i've just bought a load of kiwis - and will try magnesium (will try ANYTHING!)

Kalms or similar are good ,though I actually find the day time ones better to take as the night time ones make me groggy in the morning .

gingeroots, do you take them before you go to bed? And does that work to keep you asleep as opposed to getting you to sleep?

Yes before bed and I find when I do wake up I go back to sleep more quickly .

And have also found magnesium good ( plus seems to help with chocolate cravings ) ,but I'm not good at taking things regularly !

Right, think I may give them a try!