Up at nite!

Posted by hmccarth5 @hmccarth5, Dec 11, 2021

Every night between 3-5 am. I cannot remember the last time I slept all night!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Sleep Health Support Group.

I understand your frustration and can only hope that peace will come to you. After my son's suicide last year, this problem has worsened. Lying awake during the night makes for a very long day, especially if you live alone. Just the simple act of going to bed at night knowing you will wake increases anxiety, as you well know. The anticipation of what is ahead makes one want to avoid even trying to sleep. Doctors do not seem to understand the severity of this problem. Sleep deprivation has set me up for even more problems, and I have not been successful at finding a doctor who takes this problem seriously. Please post here if you find a way to alleviate this problem.

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@hmccarth5 and @judithjoy I am so sorry with what both of you are going through, terrible things. HM with your sleep depravation and Judith with your loss of your son. My goodness, I can not imagine.

Please share what is going on in your life so I can connect you with people who have been through similar problems.

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Thank you for your kind words. I am seeing a new doctor on Monday and hopeful that she can help. And she is a geriatric doctor, a scarcity in the small city I live in! I've always had sleep problems, but they are worse since my son died. To paraphrase the lyrics to an old rock song, I don't want to live forever; I just want to live for today. Of course, I'd also like to sleep through the night.

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I myself don’t sleep every night. I wake up every morning at 2or 3 in the morning and can’t go back to sleep. My doctor gave different kind meds but they don’t work just made me drowsy. Don’t know what to do.

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@cila

I myself don’t sleep every night. I wake up every morning at 2or 3 in the morning and can’t go back to sleep. My doctor gave different kind meds but they don’t work just made me drowsy. Don’t know what to do.

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Women seem to have this problem more than men. I do too and so do many women I know. Try a sound machine, read a book, run a small mist machine, take an over the counter herbal tab, like melatonin, it could help!

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@hmccarth5 @cila @judithjoy, I've always lived with interrupted sleep, even as a child. The internet is full of articles offer suggestions, like this one:
- How Interrupted Sleep Affects You and What to Do About it https://www.sleep.org/interrupted-sleep-what-happens-to-your-body/

Fellow members offer some tips in this related discussion:
- How is your Sleep Hygiene? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/sleep-hygine/

My patterns have shifted over time depending on the causes, but interrupted sleep is my norm. The biggest culprit for me is that when I wake up for whatever reason: bladder, snoring husband, bad dream, stress, it is my active mind that prevents me from falling asleep again. Lately, I've been falling back asleep with the help of podcasts. I select a podcast before I go to bed. When I wake I play the podcast and set the timer for 30 minutes. The podcast has to be a talk podcast with no ads or music, simply calm voices. Some of my favorites are Hidden Brain, RadioLab, and Writers and Company. I usually fall back asleep before the 30 minutes.

What helps you get back to sleep?

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Good idea! I wake with the same exact situations, mostly dreams and toilet....

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Does Mayo have a sleep program that helps with insomnia? Does ANYONE?? This seems like more than a do it yourself project and the health consequences of insomnia are staggering. I live near Mayo but was told they don’t take folks on Medicare and Im not broke enough to be on welfare and I don’t have a Brinks truck full of cash.

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@unclefreddy

Does Mayo have a sleep program that helps with insomnia? Does ANYONE?? This seems like more than a do it yourself project and the health consequences of insomnia are staggering. I live near Mayo but was told they don’t take folks on Medicare and Im not broke enough to be on welfare and I don’t have a Brinks truck full of cash.

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Hi @unclefreddy, Mayo Clinic has a Center for Sleep Medicine at all 3 locations in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. You can read more here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/sleep-medicine/sections/overview/ovc-20407454

As well as at all locations in the Mayo Clinic Health System https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/services-and-treatments/neurodiagnostics

Mayo Clinic does accept Medicare patients. However, there may be an issue with availability of appointments. I might suggest contacting them again to inquire http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

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@cila

I myself don’t sleep every night. I wake up every morning at 2or 3 in the morning and can’t go back to sleep. My doctor gave different kind meds but they don’t work just made me drowsy. Don’t know what to do.

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Websearch the Chinese Sleep Clock or Organ clock then research how to improve that organs health and function.
For every hour, there is an organ assigned to it, when that organ is most active. Worth a try?

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