Does anyone have a sleep problem as an adult? If so, how have you solved it...especially if you are a lark and not an owl!

[foxinsocks]

I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Always have done and can sleep really well.

However, I am a born lark and have always got up early and gone to bed relatively early.

But one problem with being that way is that if the children have an extended period of being ill or if I get disturbed regularly at any time after about 4am, I get into the habit of waking up at that time and cannot sleep any longer.

For example, the boy next door was ill for a few weeks and woke up crying at 4am. This has meant for about 2 weeks, I got woken up at 4am and as I get up at 6am to get ready for work, I didn't go back to sleep.

Now the baby is better but my body clock hasn't adjusted and I am WIDE awake at 4am. It's like I am ready to start the day and I am waking up at 4am feeling like it is 6am (so needing a wee etc.).

How do I stop things like this happening? It happens quite often and it's annoying because by mid afternoon I am absolutely dead on my feet!

does no-one else has lunatic early sleep patterns that are hard to change?

tis v v annoying grrr

normally at some point it clicks back and I go back to waking up at 6am but I think 4am is so close to 6am that it's just not happening!

I find that 50mg of Phenergan (over the counter hayfever remedy) knocks me out for the whole night.

I'm just as you describe.

Phenergan is a life saver at times.

oh alison thank you!

I shall go and seek it out!

It's annoying isn't it. Thanks for replying.

I get like that too - waking up about 10 to 5 - wasting my last hour of sleep and then turn in to the walking dead in the late afternoon. Have never thought of using anything like that.

It comes in 10mg and 25mg. The pharmacist will ask you what it's for and you'll have to say hay fever. The last time I bought it the pharmacist warned me "you do know it will knock you out??" and I just nodded sagely.

I find 10mg has little effect on helping me fall asleep (I have a 7 week old baby so am woken constantly) but it seems to help me get back to sleep IYKWIM.

25 mg leaves me groggy if it's my turn to get up with the baby but really helps me stay asleep if it's not my turn.

If I take 50mg (the limit dose) then I don't remember falling asleep and I usually wake up with the bed completely undisturbed (suggesting I haven't even turned over in the night). I do, however, find it quite hard to get up at 7am (when DD1 gets into bed with us) if I've had the full 50mg. I usually feel a bit groggy for the first hour or so, even if I've had eight hours sleep on 50mg.

It's not cheap - a pack of 10mg and a pack of 25mg is in the region of £12 (combined cost). You need to experiment to find the right dose. I hope I won't need it forever - just when I'm going through wakeful periods (like a new baby!).

I have been waking up at 5:10am for as long as I can remember. I resort to Night Nurse when I'm tired and need a full night's sleep. Might try your suggestion alison.

it does feel like a new baby doesn't it!

I have taken phenergan before for eczema itchiness. I am quite affected by sleep inducing drugs so will try a smaller dose first anyway as have to be up at 6am for work really.

I'm almost tempted to post a picture of how bad my eyes look at the moment and today I made a stupid mistake at work and I know it's because I haven't knocked my sleep back into the right pattern.

I'm like this too. If I am ever woken (by the dcs usually) at 4am I can't go back to sleep, and while I feel fine to start with, by 4pm I can't cope any more!

I think I read somewhere that early waking is often caused by stress. Could this be you?

well I suppose I always have a certain level of stress but this pattern of waking always happens after being disturbed for a bit which makes me think it's just a cycle thing, if you see what I mean.

Once I have broken the cycle by having one night of normal sleep, it won't happen again until my sleep gets disturbed, also usually by the dcs/neighbours/naughty loud foxes etc. etc. and then it starts again! It's like my body resets itself to waking up at those hours.

I'm exactly the same

and I get eczema under my eyes through tiredness!

just to let you know, I was so exhausted last night, I fell asleep at 8ish and woke up at nearly 6am this morning! I only hope that massive sleep will knock me back into kilter now!