What to do with middle of the night wake ups?

[isthatwhatyoureallywanted]

Any views on the best way of dealing with being wide awake in the middle of the night? I'm usually awake for at least an hour so it's too long to just lie there. I usually end up reading on my Kindle or faffing on my phone as it doesn't disturb DH and I feel as though I should stay in bed. I'm beginning to wonder if I should just get up and do some yoga or the ironing or just go downstairs and read.

I listen to the radio/podcasts with headphones…..I’m liking the rest is politics at the moment …used to be the world service but it’s often too traumatic.

I usually drift off again.

something that helped me was getting a Fitbit. So 8 could see I wasn’t awake as long as I thought ….sometimes.

hrt has helped significantly.as did a wool duvet, regulated night sweats if that’s a thing for you.

Stop drinking alcohol and get yourself some magnesium tablets.
Get into a good sleep routine.
If DH is waking you try separate rooms - it’s brilliant !

I watch TV with headphones or sometimes go downstairs. My waking is due to stress not hormones, but you should just do whatever you want. You need to stop worrying so much about waking DH, you are allowed to leave the room, just not to be unreasonably disruptive!

Mine do seem to be easing a bit thankfully, but I tend to move to a different bed (or the sofa downstairs if that doesn't work) and then if I don't fall back to sleep easily I play a sleep meditation video on youtube (I like The Honest Guys, but it took me a while to get used to his voice).

If it gets to about 5 / 5.30 I 'll just get up for the day and take a power nap in the afternoon if I need to (easy enough for me to do as I'm unemployed but obviously not possible for people who don't work at home or have flexible working hours).

Sorry I can't be more help, it's horrible to go through.

It’s really frustrating I know, I was ironing at 5am this morning!

I've been suffering so badly from this - wake up at 2pm and drift off again at 4.30. Exhausted all day. I usually play games on my phone which is a total waste of time and doesn't help me feel sleepy again or sometimes read.

DS told me to ask the chemist for some over-the-counter old-style antihistamines (chlorphenamine (Piriton), cinnarizine, diphenhydramine, hydroxyzine or promethazine) as they have a really drowsy effect. I'm planning to do that so if I have a bad night I can take the antihistamine the next night to try and sleep through.

I love the idea of getting into podcasts but have just never got started with them.

HRT completely stopped this happening for me. Are you due a review?

*unless I have alcohol.

I’m usually up at 3:30! Being on Hrt makes no difference but I did find wearing a sleep mask helped. I’m so happy when I wake up and find that I’ve been sleeping for 5 hours!
If I wake up at 2:00, I watch Netflix and that sends me back to sleep 😄

Podcasts with your headphones on, game changer for me!

Another podcast fan here, there’s so many. There must be something that will interest you. Also audio books.

This is what I aspire to. In reality I read MN for hours and fall back to sleep 30 minutes before my alarm goes off.

You are supposed to get up and do jigsaws or something.

But I put the radio on and practice slow breathing. Sometimes hypnotherapy.

Wool duvet, much better since I started hrt and separate rooms but that was standard anyway.

Shit loads of exercise so you are knackered works for me! But also listening to the radio or reading a book, but I do live alone so am not disturbing anyone else.

Or, just accepting that you are going to be awake. It is not unusual for humans to have biphasic sleep and there are theories that the idea of having one uninterrupted period of sleep at night only started being the norm during the late 1600s.

This is from https://www.sleepadvisor.org/history-of-sleep/

Instead of feeling concerned over being awake during the middle of the night, citizens would use this time for prayer, reflection, sex, chores, reading by candlelight, and visiting friends.

Amitriptyline changed this for me. I take it for sciatica but its also prescribed for sleep issues.
But you could try piriton?
Absolutely zonks me.

Omega 3 changed this for me. I sleep a million times better now and while I do wake up sometimes, going back to sleep is mostly fine.

HRT or cut out sugar to avoid the waking at all ?

Watching hopefully.
I was awake from 1:30am and was still awake at 3 😩, then I get up at 5:15am. Come the afternoon, I am seriously flagging.

HRT isn't for me, I have a wool duvet - no help, I take magnesium. There must be something that can help.

I would like to join your thread

Previously I would have been appalled to be awake at 5am but that is a lie in😝

At the moment I am going back to sleep and then getting up later but when school restarts I can't

I do deep breathing HRT worked but progesterone made me jumpy 😞

I'm another podcast fan too. One headphone in my ear and away I go.Can no longer take HRT as just recently had breast cancer. I seem to sleep in 2-3 hour chunks but listening to a dull podcast helps me fall asleep 90% of the time.

HRT

Podcast. It doesn't really matter about the content, just a calming voice talking until I drop off again. The World Service is often dull enough. Most importantly remember that lying quietly in bed is nearly as good as sleeping so don't panic.

I started HRT a couple of months ago and it really helped initially but hasn't been so effective over the last few weeks.

I like the Calm app and usually default to 'Softly Back to Sleep' read by Jerome Flynn which is more about being at peace with the fact you're awake than trying to get back to sleep but tends to have that effect by taking the pressure off.

I’m past the worst of this now but my solution to nighttime waking is a podcast.
I find something interesting but not exciting. I just put one earphone in and have the volume quite low so I have to lie quietly and concentrate.

Sometimes I add in doing pelvic floor squeezes.