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Frequent awakenings, no restful sleep. Need guidance
Sleep Health | Last Active: Jan 13 7:06pm | Replies (19)Comment receiving replies
Have you ever had a full overnight polysomnography? Was sleep apnea ruled out? REM disordered sleep?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rem-sleep-behavior-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352920
Otherwise, I feel it must be psychosomatic. With all the diagnostics run on you, it's either an emotional distress of some kind, or unresolved/put to bed problems that you might need to face before you let yourself sleep properly. It's just a guess, and I have no formal training, no coaching experience in this area, no advanced reading because I suffer from the same problem(s). I sleep quite well, just not long enough. At least about 90 minutes less than the experts say a typical adult needs. In fact, none of the now-adults in my family, not my father, nor my three siblings, sleep more than 5.5-6 hours.
When I need a better sleep to reset a bit before the next four-six days of short sleep, I take 2.5-5mg of melatonin at bedtime, or I'll try up to half a 7.5mg tablet of zopiclone. I haven't done the zopiclone in 18 months because I got over a really bad spell after 10 months of poor sleep due to the diagnostics and follow up ablations (two ablations) to stem persistent atrial fibrillation. Now, melatonin at bedtime, about twice a week (only), works pretty well, say at a B- to A- level of success, again because I do it so seldom that it retained its potency on my system.
How are your relationships? Anything niggling that, if you were (more) honest, should be nipped now or raised between you and at least one other person to put to rest once and for all? Finances okay? Are you trying to avoid saying no?
Do you get out for a brisk walk at least three times a week, and for at least three miles, more better if you have the time and energy? Exercise to the point of at least 130 BPM for anyone under 60 is both restorative and soporific in nature.
Replies to "Have you ever had a full overnight polysomnography? Was sleep apnea ruled out? REM disordered sleep?..."
Could it be undiagnosed allergies? Also electronics give me mild headaches. Watching and using too late in the evening disturbs my sleep. Must turn all off at least two hours before bed. Then I’m able to sleep. Also no food two hours before bed.
Yes...walking an hour a day helps sleep alot!
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Thanks for responding.
Yes, the sleep study I referenced in the OP was an overnight in-lab study. They ruled out apnea and limb movement, and saw nothing that looked abnormal on any of the charts. On the hypnogram it shows me reaching REM sleep, but when I come out of it I got to fully awake instead of maybe stage 3 or 4 sleep. I point this out to doctors that it seems odd but none of them think its abnormal. Sometimes I don't even reach REM before waking.
I've tried melatonin in the past but it has no effect. I've gone as high as 15mg and still nothing. I have not heard of Zopiclone though. That may be one I have not tried.
I've always been an introverted person. I am currently single and mostly keep to myself. I don't really have any obvious stressors that bother me during the day and I'm pretty good at blanking out my mind when I go to bed.
The issue started when I forced myself to be more social by joining a meetup group and just diving in to meeting strangers. The night after the first meetup is when my sleep was off, and it's been that way ever since. I haven't done anything social like that since then, but the problem persists. Maybe it's still social anxiety, or maybe it has evolved to something else. I don't really know sadly.
For exercise I do weightlifting 4 times a week. It's a struggle with the fatigue but I force myself to do it.