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 do slow breathing. I found the book Breath: The new science of a lost art by James Nestor very helpful.
If I'm really wide awake I get up and read downstairs but it's rare.

HRT

HRT has made a huge difference to me - the Utrogestan tablets are like taking a Nytol. If not, the World Service and the calm breathing I learnt from hypnobirthing.

Masturbation? More fun than ironing

Roselilly36
It’s really frustrating I know, I was ironing at 5am this morning!

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.

Yep that's me!

I read using a clip on book light.

Glass of cold fizzy water and YouTube meditation. Still wake up if a blackbird so much as scratches its arse but i can get back off with some gentle meditation. I'm awake several times a night. Can't have hrt

Podcasts. I like “off menu”. Audiobooks.

HRT didn’t stop it for me.

I usually try to rest/fall back asleep for an hour or so, then if I’m still nowhere near sleeping I get up, go downstairs and watch films/YouTube/read/etc.

It’s best not to stay in bed if you really can’t sleep.

Another podcast fan here. One earphone in and I just drift back off.

During lockdown I learnt some poems off by heart while I was on my daily walk and if I wake up during the night I recite one of them in my head. I sometimes have to repeat it a few times, but it takes my mind elsewhere so I am not worrying about being awake and helps get me back to sleep.

Found my people

I'm on day 10 of crap sleep again after a few weeks of "ok" sleep (definition ... go off ok but wake at the slightest sound in a 10 mile radius but get back to sleep fairly quickly). God it was joyful those few weeks.

For some god unknown reason my neighbour (semi detached with bedroom backing on, reckon he's literally through the wall from me) has an iPhone alarm set for 4am which snoozes every 10 minutes for best part of an hour. Then silence until he gets up around 7. WTF?!!! Compounded by the fact his windows are wide open. I've had ours closed last few nights which is uncomfortable and even had ear plugs in. No better. So yea. Back to being awake early doors.

It sucks. I'm trying to work out if there's anything I can politely say to him without sounding like a head case.

Going to try some of the suggestions on this thread I think.

I now slug a taurine and a magnesium tablet and watch a Netflix or read something. Seems to work.

And take antihistamines at night, ceterizine. It can sometimes make me a tad sleepy

5am is the new 7am for me. I'm shattered, just not getting enough sleep. I'm dragging myself through each day at the moment. Not fair on my kids. Bah!
Thanks for the space to moan.

HRT

It was the poor sleep that made me ask for it.

Poor sleep is very harmful. Long term it weakens your immune system, can affect insulin = diabetes in longer term, and is linked to development of heart disease.

my consultant says that few people realise how much a health risk insomnia is.

Exercise
Sleep hygiene
No booze or caffeine(after lunchtime)
HRT

This is me.

HRT had improved it slightly but I’ve had 2 weeks of horrendous sleep. Can’t drop off (even with Zopiclone) and then am wide awake at 3.30 until at least 5.30. Sometimes don’t even really go back to sleep.

I’m dragging myself through each day.

Weirdly, I’ve worked out that magnesium makes me worse! Wtf?

Oh, and physical exercise doesn’t seem to help either. I just feel even more exhausted but still can’t sleep.

On the progesterone part of my cycle my body twitches.