Anyone else wake up multiple times throughout the night?

[Roland]

I haven’t really been known as a “good sleeper”. I struggled as a kid to fall asleep, as a teenager I was borderline nocturnal, staying up all night and sleeping or napping during the day (but this was more to get peace, I wanted to be alone and was very creative during that time). I was sleeping through the night until February or March this year, then all in the sudden, I rarely sleep through the night. I wake up multiple times, often able to go back to sleep, but sometimes not.

Anyone else experience this? I know it’s pretty common with ptsd. Why would it change suddenly?

I was working full time in February/March, having to wake up early, but I kept a fairly regular bedtime. I got married in April and definitely took a while to get fully comfortable and relaxed sleeping next to someone. I started working more recently, but not full time. The job I had over the summer wasn’t early in the morning. Also I’m pregnant but didn’t get pregnant until May.

Anyways, just wondering why. It doesn’t really bother me much, except that now I can’t afford to not sleep if I am waking up at 5am something for work.

 

[enough]

i set a routine as much as possible, try to use relaxation techniques to get calm and back to sleep when i do wake up, and learn the signs that I am not going to get any more sleep and use the time more constructively than tossing and turning.
yes, i used to go months without more than three consecutive hours but pretty much 6 to 8 every night, and then start sleeping straight through with extra hours on weekends suddenly.
it goes with the disorder, it can be overcome. congrats on the marriage and pregnancy. Sleep now, the little buggers keep you up but its okay, someone got out of bed for us after all.

 

[Roland]

i set a routine as much as possible, try to use relaxation techniques to get calm and back to sleep when i do wake up, and learn the signs that I am not going to get any more sleep and use the time more constructively than tossing and turning.
yes, i used to go months without more than three consecutive hours but pretty much 6 to 8 every night, and then start sleeping straight through with extra hours on weekends suddenly.
it goes with the disorder, it can be overcome. congrats on the marriage and pregnancy. Sleep now, the little buggers keep you up but its okay, someone got out of bed for us after all.

Thanks haha and you’re right

It can just change for seemingly no reason? Is there a reason?

 

[Movingforward10]

It changed for me. I used to put my head on the pillow and be out for the night.
Now, it's hit and miss. Mostly I wake up a lot.
I notice it happens most when I am more stressed.
But also I think peri menopause might be a reason for me.

Have you tried things that are suggested to help with sleep?

 

[abovedown]

I tend wake up during nights

 

[KayW]

I'm a light sleeper and easily wake in the night but I've noticed that with any amount of stress, my sleep is the first thing that's affected.

I get up ( or at least sit up) and do something like play games on my phone or read a book) this stops my mind getting stuck on a loop thinking about stuff. Then when I'm feeling tired again, I have an app with sleep music that I play.

 

[Roland]

It changed for me. I used to put my head on the pillow and be out for the night.
Now, it's hit and miss. Mostly I wake up a lot.
I notice it happens most when I am more stressed.
But also I think peri menopause might be a reason for me.

Have you tried things that are suggested to help with sleep?

Yes, like soft music (helps sometimes to fall asleep), chamomile tea, yoga before bed, etc

 

[arfie]

i sleep like a dog with frequent naps more than long contiguous hours. at the end of a 24 hour day, i get about as much sleep as the regimented sleepers. when that weary small talk of morning/night people rolls, i call myself, "a 24/7 gal." what hours i am awake depends entirely on where the action is.

this personal weird caused me a great deal of anxiety when i believed that all humans need the standardized sleep hygiene. since i dropped that worry, it's not a problem. just different.

 

[Friday]

I have insomnia jags, & nightmare jags, a few times a year when I’m running symptom-hot.

- With the insomnia I’m either only sleeping 2-3 times a week, or only able to sleep for a few minutes at a time, and the waking-doze thing, for several weeks.

- With nightmare jags, I’ll be waking up multiple times (2-8 on overage) throughout the night. I still get about 4-7 hours of sleep, but it adds however much time it takes me to unf*ck myself and get back to bed. When it’s happening most nights? That’s just a few minutes. When it’s sporadic? That can mean 12+ hours to get 4 hours of sleep.

When I’m doing well? It’s just in the autumn for a few weeks with the insomnia, and the occasional nightmare.

 

[Sideways]

There are people with ptsd who sleep through the night!?! Really?!!!

I was working full time in February/March, having to wake up early, but I kept a fairly regular bedtime. I got married in April and definitely took a while to get fully comfortable and relaxed sleeping next to someone. I started working more recently, but not full time. The job I had over the summer wasn’t early in the morning. Also I’m pregnant but didn’t get pregnant until May.

Plus you have ptsd. With all that going on? It would be kind of surprising if your sleep wasn’t effected.

I’m totally anal about good sleep hygiene, because I need my insomnia to be as mild as possible to function. From the moment I wake up in the morning, my diet and activity throughout the day is all part of the process of getting me a half-decent nights sleep at the end of the day.

 

[Roland]

There are people with ptsd who sleep through the night!?! Really?!!!


Plus you have ptsd. With all that going on? It would be kind of surprising if your sleep wasn’t effected.

I’m totally anal about good sleep hygiene, because I need my insomnia to be as mild as possible to function. From the moment I wake up in the morning, my diet and activity throughout the day is all part of the process of getting me a half-decent nights sleep at the end of the day.

But whyyyyy is walking up through the night a ptsd thing and whyyyy does it change lol, I’m just wondering. I understand nightmares and stuff but the randomly waking up is strange to me. But most people I’ve known in real life definitely wake up in the night.

 

[Charbella]

There are people with ptsd who sleep through the night!?! Really?!!!

Omg I so relate to this!

Sleep through the night, maybe 5% of the time but then those are the nights were I get a solid 4 hours. Not sure if that’s better or worse then a broken 6 hours.

I’ve tried literally everything to sleep better. Which has lead to weeks of no caffeine going to bed in a pitch dark room and staring into space. Not for me.

I’ve found I sleep best when I just give in to the fact that sleep is going to suck because at least then I don’t have that extra stress.

I have a bunch of things I do for sleep hygiene but I’m not sure any of it makes a difference. I go through bouts of almost no sleep and times where sleep is just a thing that happens. Most nights I’m up 2-3 times a night. Things are really bad when I’m up every 45 minutes but it’s still better than not being able to sleep at all.

My doctor once said he had a pill that would make me so tired I’d sleep. Ya doc tired is not the issue. I haven’t had 6 straight hours of sleep in over 3 years I’ve got tired all wrapped up. The pill worked a few days and then didn’t. Pretty much the story of all the things that happen with sleep. It worked…until it didn’t.