Split night sleep for adult

[SplitNights]

I used to be a great sleeper. My record is 14 hours consecutive, I would average 8-9 hours and feel bad on less than 7.
Recently I’m waking between 12-3am after about 5 hours sleep, and not getting back to sleep til 5am if at all, then get woken for the day by child 5-6am so often getting only 5-6 hours total. I generally fall asleep, often still in my clothes, as soon as they are asleep 8-9pm at night. I’m really tired some mornings, mixing up my words at work and feeling short tempered.

Trying to stay up later doesn’t seem to help just makes me more tired.

It might be an age thing, I’m early 40s and maybe I’m a bit ruined from child waking in nights previously (they never really did split nights though). Sometimes it’s a noise that wakes me, often no reason, but then I’m awake, not stressed or worrying but not feeling sleepy until about 4am. I can stay off my phone but it’s really boring lying in the dark, can’t read a book or get up as would wake OH. It’s such a waste of time, in the day I am non stop between work, child, house, other stuff, I’d much rather have awake time in the evening when I could enjoy it but I’m just too tired to stay awake after sitting in darkened room putting child to bed early evening,
Anyone else living this stupid pattern, any tips?

I recommend vitamin C supplements, may not stop you waking up but may help you get back to sleep faster. Not widely known but they can help a lot with sleep.

I had never heard of that, thank you, I will give it a try!

It's happened to me both times I was pregnant. It's really annoying and it happens no matter how tired I am or what time I go to bed. No advice unfortunately, but I hope someone comes along with useful suggestions.

Currently pregnant and experiencing this!

I've stopped winding myself up trying to get back to sleep and just go downstairs and read now.

I had this when pregnant too. It must be hormone related somehow I suppose. I have a feeling Vitamin C links to female hormones somehow so I’ll still give it a try. Hope you ladies get some sleep tonight.

Joining for solidarity.

My sleep used to be solid. I’ve always struggled in the mornings but never any problems drifting off and staying asleep. I was never one of those who needed the loo or water in the night.

I lost a parent a few years ago and my sleep was a bit wonky then. I think it improved but the last year or so it’s been up and down. I think stress at work is a contributing factor actually.

I go to bed around 11pm. I often wake around 2-3am and can be awake for a couple of hours. Sometimes more. It’s horrid.

Early mornings are my only time for exercise, which sets me up right for the rest of the day in terms of eating better (I’ve got around 1.5st to shift) but that doesn’t happen if I’ve been up half the night. I’m also then super short-shrift with DH and DC.

Is this just the joy of approaching middle age?!?

Apparently the Tudors used to sleep like this as a matter of routine, they got up for a couple of hours in the night then had a second sleep.

Could you get some wireless headphones and listen to an audiobook in the dark? If you have it open on your phone you won't even need to turn the screen on to start it, just put the headphones on/in and click the button on the side.

@MrsHood yes the exercise thing is so frustrating, at 2am I’m excited for a morning jog, but then too tired when morning eventually rolls round.

@florianfortescue I’m not normally a fan of audiobooks but that would definitely be a better use of time, I’ll try it.

I've started doing this a but in a planned way. I have young children so I have taken to having nap from about 7.30/8pm when they go to bed until around 8.30/9pm. I then get up and work on my laptop or watch TV until about midnight, then go to bed for the evening. I wake up at about 6/6.30am.

It wouldn't work for everyone but it makes me feel as though I've had an actual evening, instead of going to bed at 9 like I used to and then waking up at 1am and toss and turn until 4am.

@florianfortescue tuere was a whole thread on here a while back where many posters were saying they didn’t follow a conventional sleep pattern.

Some basically slept when they wanted and woke when they wanted. Another common pattern was to go to bed early, then get up and do stuff between 2-6am and then go back to sleep until mid-morning.

Sounded blissful. Most were older/single/self-employed though.

@glamourousindierockandroll I used to fall asleep every night putting the kids in bed when they were little and found that doze lethal!! I felt super groggy afterwards and then didn’t sleep so well when I did finally go to bed. My kids are a bit older now so don’t go to bed until around 8:30-9pm.

I’m trying to do some exercise in the mornings to get a better (and earlier) morning routine going, and also hope that it stands me in better stead to he physically tired and then sleep better.

I would also like to stop taking my phone to bed with me. Am pretty sure that doesn’t help. But hey, let’s not go to drastic measures! 😂

Just updating to say this has finally resolved for me after stopping some regular medication I had been taking. I hope you all get your sleep back too.

www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16964783

As others said we all used to sleep like this. It does you no harm.