Sleep advice

You could try time release melatonin and an an antacid
like Pepcid complete or Rolaids advanced that contain magnesium. Alcohol can cause a wake up at 2 AM.
Melatonin could help falling asleep, but is mostly cleared from our system within 2 hours. It has very few interactions other than anticoagulants. Anticholinergic
antihistamines like diphenhydramine are not recommended long term. Prescription low dose doxepin
has more side effects. Have you considered a sleep study.?
.

Hello @be1976, Welcome to Connect. I know it's frustrating after seeing several doctors and many tests not to have any answers to what is causing the gut discomfort and waking you you. I'm pretty sure you are not alone. While you wait for other members with similar experience to respond, you might want to scan through discussions and comments from other members who have mentioned gut discomfort or pain at night. Here's a link to the search results - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/discussions/?search=gut%20pain%20at%20night.

Have you thought about seeking help or a second opinion at a teaching hospital or major health facility like Mayo Clinic?

This may sound weird, but I’ve struggled with this a long time. I tried Ambien, THC, Tylenol PM, trazodone, etc. none are ok to take long term and I have a long term sleeping problem and gut problem. I started listening to Jason Stephenson free on YouTube. It is sleep meditation. There is a guided meditation followed by sleeping music. It lasts for three hours. He has lots of meditations but i only use the three hour meditation for sleep. I use it if I don’t fall asleep immediately or if I wake up in the night and don’t fall back asleep immediately. I’ve been doing this for about a year with great results. My sleep is deeper and more restful. Not dangerous, not addictive, no side effects. I highly recommend it.

I was placed on Seroquel for sleep after many years of psychiatric medication‘s destroyed my sleep.

I now have to contend with getting off of the Seroquel, which is a process in itself.

If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t have taken the psychiatric medication‘s, and I would use all non-pharmacological methods to improve my sleep before taking any medication.

The sleep doctor I see has confirmed what my tracking and research had already told me, drugged sleep is not good sleep. Though sometimes necessary.

I hope you find good health and peace soon.

You are experiencing an arousal mechanism, and my guess it is associated with your gastro-intestinal problem, whatever it is. If it is reflux, a tbsp of apple cider vinegar will probably help. This sounds counter-intuitive, but the reason we get stomach contents traveling up into our throats is because the pyloric valve is not shutting. It shuts in response to stomach acid. If you're getting stomach contents rising into your esophagus, you may not be producing sufficient stomach acid. So, the apple cider vinegar, one swallow, will often induce the closure of the pyloric valve. I have proven this to myself several times over the past 12 months. It can't hurt, really, and might be worth a try or three.

Has apnea been ruled out?

I posted this to another comment in the Sleep Health group:
Try and have a sleep study done. Ask for an anxiety med; I took Sertraline for a while until my anxiety resolved. Then, ask your Dr to test your cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that affects your sleep cycle. Lots of info on-line about it. It can contribute to osteoporosis, which is why a Dr finally recommended a 24 hr urine test for me, which found high levels of Cortisol. I am waiting to hear from my Dr and what the next step is.

I've been going through the same sleep issues as you for 2+ years and haven't had a good nights sleep in that time. After having Covid, I suddenly developed severe insomnia which began with one night of no sleep at all. Since then, I only sleep a few hours before waking up unable to go back to sleep. I've tried Trazodone along with low dose (2.5mg) melatonin. I've since weaned off the Trazodone because I didn't think it was helping, but am considering starting it again as my sleep has been worse lately. Now, I take sleep gummies (10mg CBN) and 2.5mg melatoin and usually fall asleep ok but wake after a few hours and can not get back to sleep. If I get 5 hrs of sleep, I feel lucky. A year after my insomnia started, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which causes body pain and is known for causing sleep problems.

I hope you find some answers. Insomnia is so terrible.

See my response above about Sleep Meditations. My insomnia started with Covid as well.

Managing here with four or five hours of sleep, that’s better than I used to get. I’m doing pretty well though, not really complaining.
My husband passed away last July, I had stayed awake during those last days, and my sleep hasn’t been “normal” since. Later got a prescription of Trazodone, then had a bad fall on a minor hike, and was told in the hospital that I blacked out before I fell. Spent two nights there, had a black and blue face, hurt like the devil, but tested out normal.
I had taken that med late that previous night, and took that hike before breakfast. Well, I learned from that! Too old to go on any hike by myself, etc. But I felt good, LOL.
I have not taken Trazodone since.
Am praying that the lack of sleep doesn’t affect my overall health, and so far my family doctor doesn’t seem worried.
I do wonder of long term effects.
Am I sticking my head in the sand?
Oh, I tried that Beam sleep drink, now drink some Chamomile tea and take 5 mg of Melatonin. Keeping out blue light, and used to listen to white noise.
Do think I’m doing pretty well, just hope - like I said above - that I’m not sticking my head in the sand.

@llynch17056. Wow, thank you so much for the reference to Jason Stephenson on Youtube. I will definitely try his methods. My sleep problems were brought on by treatment for cancer 10 years ago and my circadian sleep cycle has been completely out of sorts ever since. I wake every day between 3:30 AM to 4:30 AM. And I use the bathroom at various times throughout the early AM hours. And usually I lay down in the afternoon about the same time as I wake up. Sometimes I wake up at 5AM, but few.

I'm a naturopath at heart, so I've only tried a few OTC meds for sleep. Sometimes I listen to the sounds of babbling brooks and rain on my TV. I set the timer to shut down the TV after a couple of hours. I haven't tried this method very often so I can't give any positive input on whether it works or not. And my eyes are usually too tired to read before dozing off.
I try to stop drinking instant coffee about 2-ish PM. And for a while, I was trying hot water with honey and ACV before bed but got bored with that. So here's hoping your Mr. Jason Stephenson helps me to sleep better so I won't feel so tired during the day. Thanks again.

Best sleep to all of us in need, Carolyn

You’re welcome. I hope he works for you, too. It’s not perfection, but it has greatly improved my sleeping and seems to be reliable. I wear a Fitbit so I get a sleep score and actual sleep/awake info. I was surprised when THC and Ambien didn’t work, at all. I held these as my last gasp because I, also, prefer the natural path. Then I stumbled upon Jason. Good luck.