I keep waking in the night. Feeling so tired and snappy.

[uptothemoonsoon]

I am sure this is the wrong topic to post this, but 'sleep' seems to be about babies. I am getting desperate for a full nights sleep and feel tired a moody all the time. Every night I wake up in the early hours and proceed to worry about everything. I get so het up I get a hot flush, and really panicy. In the day time I can think rationally and Know these things aren't that bad. How can I keep calm at night so i can get back to sleep?

I have suffered from exactly as you are describing for years.

I do suffer from anxiety generally, but it is 100 times worse at night, I wake with palpitations and cold sweats and can't stop overthinking, for me its mainly about work related stuff.

Anyway, over the years I've been to the docs about this several times, and been prescribed various meds, the most successful was amitryptaline, which helped me sleep through the night and made me feel generally happier and less stressed during the day.

I have come off this due to pregnancy, and have been an absolute mess over the recent months. Work had become more stressful, plus the added stress about the baby (had a MC last year so am constantly paranoid). But I can't go back on the meds as they haven't been given the all clear for pregnancy.

So, I'm signed off work at the moment. The stress, tiredness etc were just overwhelming and I was concerned about the effect that could be having on the baby. I am about to start acupuncture on Friday as an alternative to the meds, so I'll update you with how that goes. Nhs won't refer for it, but my physio who I'm seeing for a pregnancy related issue does it.

So, basically what I'm saying is go and see you gp. They can will help. Good luck

That certainly sounds like stress or anxiety. Lack of sleep then perpetuates the problem and causes stress of its own. Can you point to something in your life that is a cause for concern? Would you describe yourself as healthy in general (non-smoker? low alcohol user? good nutrition etc?) I agree with the PP that you may need your GP to give you a bit of a medical once-over as there are some physical illnesses that can result in panicky/insomniac symptoms.

As well as the medical help from the GP, ask to be referred for CBT, or at least an assessment to see if it might help you. It won't necessarily solve the problems causing you anxiety but it ill give you some coping mechanisms.

One tactic I use is to keep a notebook by my bed, so when I wake up in a panic about something (or more usually, can't drift back into sleep because when I relax I start thinking/worrying about a problem) I can write down what it is I need to do. This seems to satisfy my brain enough that the "problem" is taken care off to go back to sleep. I'm not suggesting this is a cure all, or the only solution, but as a temporary measure until you get more strategies in place it might help.

You can also try looking into mindfulness, there are apps, courses and books to help you learn the techniques, but they all aid you in slowing down, being less stressed and relaxing. During very stressful periods I use a mindfullness app to relax at bedtime so I can go to sleep.

But essentially, get to a GP! Ask for help, it comes in many forms, try them out to see which will work for you.

Thanks for the replies, they are really helpful. I think my problem is my job which I find completely unrewarding and boring, but extremely manic. It is something I have to do though as there is nothing else that will fit in with my dc and be worthwhile financially. However, because I am so busy i feel guilty I don't give my dc enough attention, but I also feel quite unfulfilled. If I cannot change this, could a gp do anything to help?

They could sign you off for a couple of weeks for stress and let you recover a little . If you're struggling with sleep they could prescribe sedatives for a short period until your natural rhythms come back. Do you have any support at home for children etc or are you a lone parent?

I work for myself so I cannot take time off, but I do have a supportive DH so am lucky in that respect.

Should add... they should also check you out physically for things like sugar levels and maybe thyroid function.

This is a really good book, and covers CBT for insomnia in case you don't wait to see someone and do it yourself.

www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Insomnia-Sleep-Problems-Behavioral/dp/1845290704/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400065446&sr=8-1&keywords=CBT+for+sleep

It covers night time waking (don't stay in bed - get up and do something boring) Sleep anxiety (most people get more sleep than they think, and can manage on a few hours), and sleep hygiene (no screens in the bedroom, regular hours, sleep scheduling)

I hope it helps, but if it doesn't, you will know a lot about sleep anyway if you read it

Kalms sleep tablets work wonders for me. If I am too worked up and have too much on my mind then I wake in the middle of the night. You can take 1 or up to 4 a night, 1 or 2 is usually enough for me to guarantee I sleep through. I've also used relaxation podcasts which are around 10mins to listen to just before sleep.

Lack of sleep can really affect your quality of life and mental health. The days that I go to work I find it hard to have a full night sleep.

Been prescribed promethazine hydrochloride. It's very mild, even children can take it, and it helps with sleep, hay fever and journey sickness. It works really well for my insomnia and hay fever. You can even get it over the counter, no need for prescription. That's how mild it is.

My insomnia is also work related and feeling very unfulfilled in life job and careerwise. I've been in education for a very long time, hold a master's degree but never had a fulfilling job. I find people at work really hard to get along with too, the power games, the hierarchies, the passive aggression. All so depressing and demoralizing. I find it very hard to cope day to day.