Staying Asleep For 8 Hours?

[Changing4Best]

I usually wake up at some ridiculous hour, like 3 AM or 5 AM so I go to bed at 7:30 PM or so, and try to be in the sack for 8 hours, even if I cannot sleep. Sometimes I only sleep 3-4 hours, maybe 5 if I am blessed. All I know is that once my meds wear off, the ones that make me sleepy, I am usually awakened way to early. Does this sound familiar to you at all? What, if anything, do you do to fall back asleep once this kind of thing happens, is there any solution to this at all?

 

[sun seeker]

Yup... very familiar. My three choices at that point are to take something else to sedate myself, stay awake, or, if I am lucky, eventually get back to sleep.

The long-term solution is to keep working on the trauma that is making me hypervigilant. Meanwhile, I'm resigned to medication as it's better than being chronically sleep deprived.

 

[Changing4Best]

I wonder if anyone has thought of having a small glass of wine, when one wakes. Even though our meds say that this is not a good idea, could it be, if one were not an addictive personality? I have feared that I would fall down, if I got up to go the the bathroom after having had it, like say 2-3 hours later?

 

[Ronin]

Familiar, yep.

But opposite route of Sun Seeker, here. I function when chronically sleep deprived / don't remember the time I wasn't sleep deprived. I don't function well with most medication for anything.

What I do to fall asleep, tell myself the sooner I fall asleep, the sooner I can wake up and deal with whatever's keeping me awake. :banghead:;) Also greet the new day & assorted many joyous morning rituals 'in the middle of the night' to shoo depression / suicidality keeping me wake, followed by 'ooomph napping, so comfy sleepbag / blanket / curl up position / what have you'. Appreciating the good feels.

 

[Changing4Best]

I have gerd (gastro esophigeal reflux disease). Acid reflux to most folks. I have to sleep slightly sitting up, so I sleep in my recliner propped up against my wall so that it does not extend all the way down. I am laying down, yes, but not completely. I cannot sleep in a bed. This complicates everything.

I am going in for a "GI Series" (well first I have to go to my scheduled appointment with the Dr. who will prescribe this test in the Hospital). It is to see if I have any blockage in my digestive system anywhere. I had surgery in 2013 that removed 12 inches of my intestines. Thankfully there was no cancer, but I am impaired in my digestion because of this. I have to take Miralax every day, but to stay in shape down there too. All this interferes with my sleep terribly! That is my point in sharing it.

 

[Panda Bear]

I lay in bed, pissed off that I can't sleep and hate that it's been happening for over 20yrs.

No meds for me....

I wonder if anyone has thought of having a small glass of wine?

My T did tell me to try having a drink of choice at night, and unless I'm totally drunk it's a no go.

 

[renee5g]

Once I'm up I'm up can't go back to sleep at all.i gave up trying. I read or watch TV in the warmer months I would walk down the barn and talk to the mules,I bet they are happy it's cold out now.lol.I know this is no help,but you're not alone that's for sure!

 

[Friday]

My sleep doesn't usually bother me, per se. Is it f*cked? Yeah. But I can usually work around it, regardless of what shade of screwed up it's running this time. (I have a few "normal" categories of sideways sleep. And each and every single one of them has strengths I can put to use, and weaknesses I can shore up elsewhere).

Since starting to stay at my folks part time? OMFG. Now my sleep bothers the hell out of me.

Not because their way is better or anything... But because I cannot do the things I need to do to make my sleep issues a non-issue. :banghead: Grrrrr.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong about being up at 4am. Either getting up, or going to bed, at. I do both on a fairly regular basis. When I'm not wih my parents? If I'm up until 4am? I live my life. I cook, clean, read, study, work out, call friends (different time zones), go grocery shopping, etc. It's no big deal (and for out & about stuff? Awesome! No freaking traffic, crowds, or lines!). If I'm waking up at 4am? Bueno! Take a shower, cook breakfast, get dressed... Live. My. Life.

My parents days, otoh, start at 6am and end at 9pm. Period. Anything before that is "too early" and anything after that is "too late". It drives me freaking insane. :wtf: It also makes my life about a zillion times harder. I walk around exhausted & behind on everything, because my sleep does NOT fit their narrow constrains of what's "right", and I can't do the things that need doing while they're asleep... Because this is their house. I am a guest here, I don't live here.

 

[Chava]

Very familiar. I wake up right after 4 hours of sleep, pretty often. Even though I also have sleep meds, I am sure my pain meds are disrupting my sleep cycle (the consistent timing of it makes sense...I'm probably being robbed of REM). What helps is one lightweight relaxer or sedative around 2-3am, if needed...like one gabapentin (prescription) or even a Benadryl. I also allow myself to read a little bit vs get too anxious about being awake. If I take a Benadryl and just relax about the fact that I'm wide awake for a bit at 3am, I can read a little and then naturally feel sleepy 30-45 minutes later, and usually sleep a few more hours and feel okay the next day.

Though it seems really lightweight compared to prescription sleeping meds, I suspect taking 10mg of melatonin in the evening also helps me sleep better through the night...seem less likely to wake up. My sleeping pills just help me fall asleep.

Hope you find something that helps!

 

[anonymous]

wonder if anyone has thought of having a small glass of wine, when one wakes.

I have gerd (gastro esophigeal reflux disease).

Wine is likely to aggravate the GERD so I wouldn't recommend it.

I usually wake up at some ridiculous hour, like 3 AM or 5 AM so I go to bed at 7:30 PM or so, and try to be in the sack for 8 hours, even if I cannot sleep. Sometimes I only sleep 3-4 hours, maybe 5 if I am blessed.

So does this mean that you are going to bed at 7:30 and then lying awake till around midnight before sleeping? If so, have you tried going to bed later and taking your meds later?

All I know is that once my meds wear off, the ones that make me sleepy, I am usually awakened way to early.

If the meds are taking around four hours to make you sleepy and then wearing off so quickly, could you speak to your doctor about trying something different?

Is struggle with getting and staying asleep too. I sometimes use valerian, which helps a little but only if I use it occasionally. If I use it longer term it loses effectiveness quite quickly. Also it tends to give me heartburn so might not be a good suggestion for you. I also occasionally use diphenydramine hydrochloride (which I think is what is marketed as benadryl in the states. It's marketed as nytol in the UK), again though if I use it more regularly it doesn't tend to work so well.

Wondering if you've been on the meds your using for a while and you've become resistant to them?

 

[Fadeaway]

I have not tried this yet, but my therapist gave me a great idea the other day. She told me to have an exact bedtime routine. Always brush my teeth, wash my face, etc in the same exact order just before I lay down. Do it until it is automatic. She said that can take like a month or so.

She said my brain would start to associated those actions in that pattern with sleep, and that if I did those when I woke up in the middle of the night, my brain will again associate it with sleep and should make it easy to fall back asleep again.

 

[Fadeaway]

Well, here I am awake after 3 hours. although I spent a good hour before getting out of bed, trying hard to fall asleep again. Took more meds, waiting for them to kick in. I really need to start establishing this new bedtime routine so I in a month from now, I can find out if it works.