4am wake up EVERY DAY! Please tell me what worked?

[octonuddle]

Please give me your amazing solution to the 4am wake up?! I’ve been waking up between 330 and 5am for the last 18 months. I’m so tired in the evenings - I am going to bed about 9am and zonking out immediately (no trouble getting to sleep…just trouble getting back to sleep past 4am. I’ve tried melatonin (although it’s not the getting to sleep bit I have trouble with). Also tried magnesium cream before bed (did nothing despite persisting for a month).

It’s the only peri symptom I seem to have (with the exception of brain fog but I am convinced THAT is because I’m always bloody knackered! See also irritable!). Am 46 so I know it is likely to be peri. I’m pretty healthy, run about 20k a week, don’t drink caffeine after 10am etc) a little overweight oh and have Graves’ disease (so tend to hyperthyroid which may be messing around my sleep too). contemplating getting mirena fitted and starting eastrogen. Did this work well for anyone? I’d kill for 8 solid hours of sleep. Tell me what saved you!

Following after another tricky night.

Mirtazapine.

Hit anxiety and sleep on the head. Magic stuff.

Gosh thank you all for sharing and solidarity to the (so many!) of us affected.

Given magnesium seems to help so many, I got my magnesium based cream out the cupboard last night and SLATHERED it on..double what it says to use. Other than getting up for 20 mins with the 5 year old at midnight who had a nightmare, I got back to sleep very quickly and when I tentatively opened one eye to see what time it was this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see it was 5.10am. So….I will try again tonight (and hope the little one sleeps through!). I’m also going to buy some magnesium tablets. If that doesn’t work, then HRT it is. I think I’ll save ADs till last. I’m not depressed (I have been many years ago so I have a comparator)…I’m just KNACKERED 😂

When I went to the Dr I said I was anxious and sleep deprived (kept waking 2am or 4am) but it had gone so long I though lack of sleep was causing anxiety.

Hence the mirtazapine. I get sleep every night right though and it had been life changing. Lack of sleep is so bad.

Sustained release melatonin is released slowly over about 6 hours so you’re more likely to stay asleep as well as fall asleep. I get it without any problem from Biovea (UK arm of US site)

Which dose?

There are several types of magnesium. Citrate is the cheapest and most commonly used and it is also used for constipation, it can also cause thirst. You can find lists of the various ones online and work out which is the best for you.

@MattDamon anything from 1mg to 10mg, you would need to try it to see which is best. I think less is better but I need 8mg and have been using daily for a year. It doesn’t tend to stop working through regular usage (as it’s replacing a diminished hormone we already have in our bodies). It’s also better taken regularly.
If you buy the 2mg and 3mg it means you can take any combination from 2mg to 10mg.
If you feel more groggy than usual in the mornings (over a few days) then the dose might be too high.

Sorry if not clear, I’d start at 2mg for 5 days or so and go from there.

Why no shift your sleep times?
It might be hard at first but you are getting 7 hours sleep from 9pm- 4am.

I go to bed about 11 and sleep till 6am. Sometimes I sleep a bit longer, or go to bed by 10.30.

I get that you are knackered by 9pm but you may want to reset your sleep cycle.

I could have written your post… it happened over a period of time so I thought that it was normal but was so wrecked every day.
I went on a sleep talk in work and started the following and now I sleep right thru or else wake briefly and go back to sleep. Game changer!!!!

-no caffeine after 12
-changed my duvet from 10.5 to 4 tog
-don’t allow yourself to get too warm in your core before bed / no hot water bottles etc
-strong magnesium before bed (good brand like solgar not H&b)
-do not go on the internet if you wake up!!!!
-listen to boring podcast or audio book if you can’t immediately get off

you can fix this!!! Best of luck

I decided to lean into it, called it the reverse lie in 😂

Swimming also helps, and zopiclone.

Also currently trialling aweighted blanket as the heat makes me restless.

Slow release melatonin just means that it is released slowly rather than in a single hit.

https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/melatonin/how-and-when-to-take-melatonin/

You can get it on prescription.

Or (as PP) you can buy it from Biovea.

@comeondover Thank you! That's really helpful. I've no idea which one I was taking - just high dose magnesium bought in Boots or somewhere like that.

I'll try a different sort. I genuinely thought I had bowel cancer (which runs in the family and DM harps on about a lot). I cured myself by stopping the magnesium...

Magnesium with a "sleepy" herbal tea (twinnings do them but I prefer the Morrisons one) 30 mins before bed and no alcohol at all (sorry if you're a drinker, I was but it was causing me too many issues, not just sleep related so I've stopped). That has fixed my sleep issues at 50.

@HidingInAForest can I ask how much Mirtazapine you take? My HRT has stopped working again and so I have been advised to take up to 75mg of amitriptilyne (sp?) and 15 mg Mirtazapine.

Still not quite doing the trick, although I am only taking 35mg of the Ami

Mine works on 15mg and completely knocks me out til the morning. But if yours isn't working do go back to the Dr!

@HidingInAForest thanks for that info. I’m waiting for some blood results to rule out anything else however I’m certain it’s low oestrogen. I’m on 2 mg Zumenon and have stared topping up with oestrogel but even with that, the 35 mg of amitriptyline and 15 mgs of Mirtazapine I’m still not sleeping properly 😩