Periodically I wake up 2 or 3 am and cannot get back to sleep.

Posted by BoneHead @stsopoci, Nov 12 4:24am

I have periodic times of trouble sleeping and then suddenly I’m sleeping all week. I’ve tried various drinks and meds to help when this is happening but it seems to happen without any reason. Example of last night. I finished worrying and working on playing taps for our Co-op that I’ve been worried for 2 weeks. I figured that I would have 7-8 hours of good sleep. Nope! 4 hours and I up at 2am trying to get back to sleep. Can’t.

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bigj | @bigj | Nov 12 7:45am

Yeah Welcome to the club
As I got older less sleep up more times

mmwagner46 | @mmwagner46 | Nov 12 7:49am

Are you taking Trazodone?

mbixler | @mbixler | Nov 12 11:33am

I’m a chronic insomniac since age 12, and this happens almost every night. My doctors have me taking a boatload of meds to knock me out at bedtime, and they work, but nothing seems to be able to keep me asleep. I’m now 70 and am seriously sleep deprived, and am forced to nap during the day - fall asleep sitting up. I wish I had some sort of solution for you, but sadly I don’t. I pray that they can find a solution for you. God bless and best wishes.

gloaming | @gloaming | Nov 12 11:39am

It's your personality. You are a worrier, probably don't really enjoy being the center of attention, but you are also conscientious and feel you need to contribute your time and talents, including playing Taps at important occasions. (I'm not a clinical psychologist/psychotherapist, just an Industrial/Organizational psychologist).

You are probably a ruminator. When things go wrong between you and someone, you play it all back over and over. For some of us, that IS the process of letting it go. It just doesn't happen over night. It might take weeks. What follows is largely what I do, and is NOT a prescription or advice to you:
exercise (at least 30 minutes to the point where you get a sheen on your face), no alcohol, as few drugs/the wrong kind of supplementation as possible;
stay off your personal digital device after 2100 hrs,;
no eating after 1900 hrs;
Make yourself get into a difficult book. Read for at least 30 minutes before bed;
Make sure to void before retiring, no liquids after 1900 hrs; and
Take NO MORE THAN 3 mg of melatonin every night within 30 minutes of bedtime. Better to take it every OTHER night to encourage your body to want to sleep on its own and to avoid becoming dependent on the melatonin. Again, never more than 3 mg, 5 if that's all you have for now. The 10 mg concoction is way too much, even if it's on the druggist's shelf.

The daily exercise, very brisk walking, maybe some jogging, stretchy tube 'weight' lifting to keep muscle mass as much as you can (part of the 'avoiding falls' discussion in the 'aging' section on this site), this is very important. Not only to help you keep upright but to keep you from accumulating heavy fat, and muscle is what keeps you warm...the fat just insulates....sort of. Sometimes self-talk helps, but some enjoy keeping a journal and they enter something meaningful in it every day whenever it fits in. This can be part of the rumination process and help you to figure things out, including if you ever need to apologize and it isn't immediately clear that you must.

You'll get other helpful advice and anecdotal information...

BoneHead | @stsopoci | Nov 12 1:27pm

In reply to @mmwagner46 "Are you taking Trazodone?" + (show)

@mmwagner46 nope

Snoopy88 | @mandyh528 | Nov 13 4:17am

I am sorry you’re having a hard time sleeping! I am in the same in boat as you. I have good night nights then really bad nights.

Have you talked to your doctor about your troubled nights? They might be able to help you and prescribe a low dose of sleep medication. You can also try over the counter medication like melatonin or Typhoid. Over the counter has all sorts of options now and some are really affordable.

Hang in there and it does get better!

daisy17 | @daisy17 | Nov 13 12:12pm

Sleep gummies help me with this. I take Hibernate gummies by Minny Grown. They have a small dose of THC and CBN. I take them before bed and since they can take a couple hours to become effective, I find they help me go back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night. The company has a website and periodically they have BOGO offers, which is when I stock up on them. I got an email from the company that their next BOGO event is Friday, Nov. 28.

gloaming | @gloaming | Nov 13 3:48pm

In reply to @daisy17 "Sleep gummies help me with this. I take Hibernate gummies by Minny Grown. They have a..." + (show)

@daisy17 Thanks for the information!

seniormed | @seniormed | Nov 13 4:24pm

Anxiety is very common as a cause of sleep problems.
Have you asked your doctor for medication to help.
If all else fails you could have an overnight sleep study.

BoneHead | @stsopoci | Nov 13 7:34pm

Yup, I’ve been GAD (general anxiety disorder) my whole life inherited from my Mom.
When I learned of this I used my Mom’s advice many times that was “once you get there, you will be ok”. She was an RN in WWll in 3 campaigns and meet my Dad in Italy after the war. If she can survive, I should be able to survive.