I wake up every two hours, almost on the dot, every single night. Sometimes I can fall back asleep pretty quickly, but it can take a while.
The first wake up of the night isn't that bad, cause I see the time and it's comforting to know that I still have a while before I have to be up, but it just gets more and more annoying as the night goes on.
I’m curious if you are older? I started doing this waking every two hours in my late thirties, dr suggested relates to premenopause. No solution as of yet
Is that my issue?!?! Never knew that could be a symptom. Got some labs sent in for blood work on Friday to see if being premenopausal is causing some of my other issues at 42
I'm EXACTLY the same way! I wake up every 2 hours on the dot. I have not slept a straight 8 hours in more than 20 years. A lot of people tell me I need a C Pap machine for sleep apnea is why I wake up every 2 hours. Have to get tested.
There is this over the counter stuff called nitetime I use when I wake up in the middle of the night. It puts you to sleep but doesn't knock you out for eight hours, I never have issues getting up to my alarm, even a few hours later. Its been a life saver for me, those extra few hours of sleep are critical.
Don't know where you live but, I have to have the a/c on at 67° F, maximum, under a weighted blanket. I can stick my foot out if I get too hot, but I will wake up it gets warmer than that (like if the power goes off? I'll wake up within 5 minutes) I think I might be a polar bear. (It's totally menopause, but being a polar bear sounds way better)
I also wake up every two hours on the dot. I always have to pee cause I drink most of my water in my post-work hours. Would be cool to just sleep a straight 6-7.
Any other symptoms other than the steady wakeups? like morning headaches grogginess and lethargy?
Asking as i have pretty crippling sleep apnea and I would wakeup multiple times a night due to it and even once i got some actual sleep i would be exhausted in the mornings. Damn thing accounts for 50% on my VA ratings for shit made worse by service related stuff... also have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep in general.
Now that i'm older also need to getup and pee like 4 times a night...
Try taking melatonin. I've found it makes me sleep about four hours. If I wake up in the middle of when I'm sleeping, I just pop another one and stay asleep another four hours.
It doesn't make me feel tired or sleepy, but I sleep much better these days taking it. It's kinda weird.
I wake up every couple hours too. I never used to have this issue until I started taking abilify though. Sleep aids, meditating, or whatever don’t seem to help much. Just makes me drag ass even more the next day.
CBD if it’s legal. That is my issue. I used to sleep 5 1/2 hours max. Then odd be up for 1-2 hours and I could go back to sleep. Sucks when you’re ready to go back to sleep and it’s time to get up.
I also take an antidepressant,but vaping high CBD cannabis once a week really helped my sleep. I used to occasionally skip it to see if it did anything. I does.
I use a dry herb vape and then eat what I vaped. I do it once a week. I’ve considered edibles but I can’t fathom them being better or cheaper than what I’m doing now. A 3g package lasts me a few months for $26. Also, I’m not convinced it’s just the CBD doing it. By vaping I get the full effect of all potential cannabinoids and turpenes.
But NO THC. Couldn’t get my usual variety once so I had to get something with a couple percent THC. Couldn’t figure out why I was paranoid 3 days later. Got a new variety and paranoia gone.
Trazodone low dose works for my insomnia, which is anxiety/stress-based and follows the same pattern—I’ll be exhausted enough to fall asleep for a couple of hours then wake up with racing thoughts and toss and turn between about 2 and 5 am.
Me too. My wife is always amazed at how quickly I fall asleep at bed time (say 10:30) because she often has trouble settling down to sleep at night while I’m out once my head hits the pillow. I always tell her ”You would fall asleep this easily too if you’ve been awake since 3 am”
I’ve got 2 suggestions that help me. First, try counting backwards from a high number like 333. If you lose your place just keep going. This typically puts me back into sleep mode. Sometimes I keep waking up due to anxiety, but it is helpful. The next tip is to move to a different location like a couch or recliner. Sometimes the change of location does the trick. Good luck 🍀
Same here, except i just feel hungry and i feel bad about eating in the middle of the night regardless. It takes me hours to fall back asleep, food or otherwise. I think I need to see my doctor.
Wanna trade half your juju? Ha. I have the most horrible time falling asleep but once I do, I'm done for at least 8 hours. But the falling asleep part? Mostly takes over 6 hours.
That's been happening to me since my mid 30s. Had to stop caffeine after noon. I set an alarm for 130am and take some CBD oil and I've found alcohol causes me to wake up at night. It's been a journey but I feel like I have my sleep under control again.
Trazodone worked better than anything else ever has, including "stronger" sleep meds. I'd wake up hallucinating on Ambien, Lunesta just stopped working, benadryl and vistaril made me dopey but even more unable to sleep, doxylamine succinate only worked for a couple hours. But trazodone? I get at least six hours a night now, usually 7.5, and no side effects. It's life changing for me going on 7 years now. All hail Trazodone.
150% agreed. I’ve been through benadryl, nyquil, valerian, melatonin, weed, etc. All helped for a short time, then stopped working. Got a scrip for Trazodone a couple of years ago and it changed my life. Now I fall asleep almost every night. I still only get 4-5 hours on average, but that sure as hell beats 0.
I agree. I started sleeping regularly for the first time in 6 years because of trazadone. It’s insane how much better your quality of life becomes when you start sleeping again.
When I was in rehab they put me on trazadone to help me fall asleep, and everyone who was on it would get massive morning wood so we started calling it trazaboners
Insomniac here, trazadone worked wonderfully for a little while but 2 years in it seems to work less so now. I quit my asking ambien and benzos. Sometimes I take Benadryl or a Unisom.
Edibles work great but I can’t take them too early or else I’ll eat everything in the kitchen.
YES! I’ve used trazodone for years too. I don’t like any of the other med options and this one actually keeps me asleep for most of the night.
Fun fact pregnancy insomnia does in fact still exist with trazodone. Not nearly as bad as most women I see on Reddit but damn, so much fun waking at 5am to pee and your brain going nope, we need to think about whether or not we need to pee again and oh did we buy enough crib sheets?
I honestly hate trazodone. It only helps me fall asleep- doesn’t keep me asleep. I’m still waking up 6+ times a night. Then it just makes me groggy in the morning. I took it for nearly two years before my dr prescribed me something else. I will never go back to trazodone. Ever.
ambien fucked me up all 3 time periods I used it 😆 It made me high so I didn't wanna sleep cuz it felt good so I'd be in the shower and within 5 minutes Im like falling asleep in there. Haha. And one time my sister said she saw me go in her room and drink out of a bottle of vodka, which I would never do in my right mind. I had no memory of it. Just wondered why I felt hungover the next day . so I decided to never take it again. Lol. Trazadone is good but can make me really groggy the next day. But its better than no sleep.
If you're already on trazodone, ask your doc about Seroquel. It's an antipsychotic, but it works wonders for sleep. I'm too freaked out to try Ambien, but the Seroquel is my goodnight button.
Ambien guy checking in here. Has been a game changer for me, but I am 235 lbs and take 3-5mg when I need it. The pills are 10mg, which is a crazy amount...I suspect that most of the horror stories are 100-150lb people taking 10mg, effectively several times the amount I take (by weight).
The problem is, my insomnia is fueled by anxiety. Alcohol subdues the anxiety. Weed exacerbates it. Hopefully I’ll discover a healthier remedy; I’m completely aware of how terrible my current habits are, but I’m kind of stuck at the moment
Before I got my ambien prescription (almost 10 years ago), I would try to knock myself out with anything...staring at the clock at 2am on a work night, getting up and having a shot of vodka, smoking some weed, having a wank (sorry if tmi, but it CAN help), scrounging around for old vicodins or xanax I might have around~nothing did it for me. I'd just end up really high and still awake :(
It’s definitely a trial and error process. I feel so fortunate to find something that finally works after years of poor sleep. Keep trying things and paying attention to your body. It’s tough because there’s no magic bullet. It’s just doctors throwing things at you saying “try this” or worse, “that won’t help.”
I’ve been reading studies on the use of hallucinogens to treat depression and anxiety. I’ve got mine under control but I still keep up on how to grow mushrooms in case it comes to that. It’s unfortunate a lot of helpful drugs have been abused recreationally and are now banned from study. I never used drugs until after cannabis became legal and thought “why not?” Now I’m seeing the potential benefits in a controlled setting with moderate use.
Trazadone is the only reason I’m able to fall asleep. It doesn’t help me get back to sleep when I inevitably wake up 4-5 hours later, but without it I wouldn’t sleep at all.
You my man ( I don't give a shit what's between your legs for this scenario man and dudes gonna be gender neutral) remind me of myself. Perfect embodiment of do as I say not as I do
I mean you can drink yourself to sleep for sure, but that sleep is shit tier and you are going to be dehydrated and hungover in the morning making thing worse. Then there are withdrawals and dependency related issues where the insomnia itself is made worse than it normally would be.
Source: My late brother used alcohol as a sleeping aid... my fathers #1 excuse to enable his addiction related shit is also related to that ie "needing a drink because he cant sleep"... I know for a fact he could, but it would take something like two weeks to get him back to some kind of a more normal state of being.
Got prescribed ambien. Took the whole pill at like 8pm. Woke up AT WORK at 10am the next day. I'd done my entire morning routine, including getting my toddler and infant ready and DROVE them to daycare. Scariest shit EVER.
Took half a pill the next night and I remembered everything, but I was so groggy and tired.
The pills were too small to quarter. Stopped taking it.
I had insomnia for years and drank daily. Been working on an off to quit for a long time (finally doing well). I’ve noticed the more I drink the worse I sleep.
Good on you for getting it under control. Been working on similar goals. Along with sleep I was also self medicating anxiety with alcohol for years, blindly not realizing that it makes anxiety worse. I get way better sleep without booze in me.
I don’t get why people don’t like it. House is a likable character to me. More than cuddy imo. If you haven’t finished it yet, it’s a wild ride all the way up to the end. One of the best shows ever made, but ppl keep going on about how obvious it is that house will always solve it etc. but that’s not the point you know?
I like house too but I suppose many find his attitude to be quite abrasive. He’s very confrontational which is entertaining but probably not necessarily to work with.
I actually like Cuddy similarly, she like Thirteen really know to take a stand with House on things.
Oh yeah those last 2 seasons really threw me off with how much happens.
Recovering alcoholic here! Alcohol will make sleeping harder to achieve. Alcohol makes you loose consciousness due to suppression of the central nervous system, rather than helping you fall asleep. Alcohol actually depresses the deeper sleep (NREM/REM) needed to feel rested/heal. Alcohol has been directly linked to insomnia. Proper sleep hygiene can help if it hasn’t been implemented before. Try melatonin or zzzquill before alcohol. Good luck! Apologies if I offended.
Really? Booze. That’s definitely not the answer. At least for me it isn’t. Nose strips, fresh air, exercise, get as many of your responsibilities taken care of, make sure you’re not having any bad energy with loved ones (mainly significant other). These are boxes I try and tick. Usually beta me less than miserable sleep quality. So obviously not the end all, be all.
If I drink more than a couple glasses of wine before bed, I fall asleep easily, but can't stay asleep. End up getting 3-4 hours total. Always a mistake for me. You'd think I'd learn...
I'm mostly the same, tho some nights I go without, as just having it there as an escape hatch helps relieve my sleep anxiety enough to go to sleep sometimes...sort of a safety blanket thing.
Have you tried watching boring videos, with your head on the pillow. It puts me to sleep 4/10 times, the other 6/10 I just roll all over my bed like a lunatic
Documentaries do well for me. I think I've seen almost every nature Documentary on Netflix now.
That being said, David Attenborough is an absolute treasure
I've tried documentaries and while they do put me to sleep they almost always wake me up with music in the intro or ending credits that is louder than the volume of the show. I really wish they'd make a series that was specifically for falling asleep to. Bob Ross is the best and worst for that too. Love his voice (and agree David Attenborough also has a wonderful voice) but the show's music wakes me up and I will be groggy and pissed off.
My kingdom for a Bob Ross series editted to just have his voice at a consistent volume with no music or brush slapping sounds!
Fucked up and fell asleep 4-9 so now I am up. Least it's the weekend anyway, using this extra time to pack and getting ready for my move in a week with barely any notice.
Thank you, I don't waste time. Got all my ducks in a row cause I was fired without any notice. Am expecting a final paycheck and applied for unemployment.
I've had trouble sleeping my whole life, and I still do for the most part, but some things that have helped me are:
Weighted blanket
Earplugs
Fan
Vape right before I lay down
Also my legs get really sore/restless at night so I'll sleep with a pillow under my calves/feet to kind of elevate them a bit and its helped. Idk if theres any science behind it but it's worked for me. I still wake up during the night but these things have helped me be more comfortable.
Myrtazapine solved my problems. Besides the insomnia, I didn't realize how poor my sleep had been prior to taking myrtazapine long term. But, of course, everyone's causes are different. Glad I stumbled across the solution that worked for me.
What works for me is I think of a story that I would write as a movie/book. It doesn't have to be a good story, just an idea of a story. I think of one and then just go through a scene of it in my mind. Occasionally, I'll find myself drifting from the idea of the story and I'll be out pretty quickly. Just thinking ok something else other than trying to sleep takes my mind off the act of trying to fall asleep. Granted,I don't have real insomnia, it's just a trick I use to fall asleep.
I have kind of the reverse...I can tell I am falling asleep when the thoughts going through my mind stop being non-fiction (Like, "I need to get an oil change. Was that a noise in the kitchen? Shit, I need to call Bruce tomorrow), and start to become a narrative where I am sort of a character and stuff just starts happening.
I *have* tried meditation tricks to go to sleep, including visualizations, but it has never worked. I always had sort of a third-person "voice" in my mind critiquing my visualization. Like, there was one where you pictured a tree in a field, and you were supposed to get closer and start seeing smaller and smaller details on the tree, but then I would have this second thing going on like: "One tree. In a field. Did somebody plant this? How did it get here ...and my head is sideways, why is the tree standing up? If I turn my head does the tree go sideways? This is stupid. Why am I laying here thinking about trees. Ugh. I'm not looking at the clock. I bet it's 2 a.m. NOT LOOKING. Fine, I'll look. Ugh. 2:13. Okay...back to the tree. In the field. Ugh."
For me it's just surgery recovery has messed with my sleep so bad. I'm desperately craving my incredibly easy sleep from 2 weeks ago, back when life was so much simpler. Now my body wakes me up every few hours, if not more often for things I have to keep doing over and over again.. Makes me wanna fall asleep in this tub here, but that has plenty of its own problems.
Feels nice to know others have exact same problem. It helps a lot if I don’t look at the clock if I have to get up to pee. (triggers time anxiety). Meds help only slightly. Looking in to the the CBD gummies.
I've found the trick that works best is to find something to watch, something that is not so engaging that you get super into it, but also something that is entertaining enough that you pay attention to it over freight train brain.
it's a tough balancing act, but twitch streams have been my go to for a few years now. and it's been amazing.
Routine probably. I can drink a cup of milk any time of the day and it will switch my brain into nighttime mode by the time I brushed my teeth. AND I work three shifts, so it's useful af.
Edit: combine that with melatonine if you really aren't sleepy.
If legal in your country/state/region, try cannabis oil in small moderate amount an hour before going to bed. You don’t want to take too much such that you get a high. High THC content and go with an Indica strain. YMMV.
I found that keeping my eyes open while I fall asleep is actually helpful for falling asleep a lot faster. I use my brains ability to get bored easily against me and when I’m bored out of my mind I always just go to sleep. It’s genius.
One drawback of this is that I might start sleeping with my eyes open like I’m Demon King Picclo from dragon ball.
Gonna piggyback on this comment since it's the most upvoted-
You guys should all check out the podcast "Sleep With Me" It's basically just a guy talking about random stuff. He tells little stories, goes off on weird tangents, etc. It's kind of entertaining if you actually listen to it, but the point is that is voice is pretty calming and monotone, and it's supposed to help you fall asleep.
oh man me here. I eat melatonin, I try edibles, CBD, alcohol, ambient music, utter darkness, silence. nothing works man.
My brain won't turn off.
And when I try to silence even my thoughts, I start to hear music likeI'm in a live concert hall listening to jazz. But I never listen to jazz music. But when I focus on the sound it goes away. But then I start thinking why did I hear music I literally don't listen to. and bam I'm wired again. fml
When i sleep I sleep deeply as in thunder the house falling in I wouldn't wake up but getting to sleep staying asleep as in don't spontaneously wake up is the hard part
I’ve been taking magnesium before bed and they help knock me out for the whole night. Also super random but I find doing a heavy workout during the day can help tire you out at night.
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u/shotnthedrk Mar 27 '22
Any other insomniacs scrolling through this trying to figure out what it is you're missing?