Frequent trouble sleeping

[bin tenn]

Is there a subforum for sleep disorders / troubles? I couldn't find one, but please move this post if I missed it.

I wake up around 6:30am during the week to get my oldest up and around to catch the bus for school. However, I can never seem to get to sleep at a decent time. I've tried going to bed earlier, around 8:30pm, and I've tried waiting until 10:30pm or later. Aside from tonight, I've been avoiding all screen time (including TV) and instead I read a book for an hour or two before bed. I've also tried being more physically active during the day as well as in the evening. Still, no luck.

I don't know what classifies as insomnia, but for what it's worth I don't even feel tired. I guess that's not insomnia? It's not that I'm dead tired and can't sleep. I just have way too much energy at night. I wake up feeling a little groggy because I sleep 6.5-7 hours on average. I feel a bit run down during the day. But as soon as 7pm+ rolls around, I'm full of energy and can't sleep. I've also stopped caffeine past 11am-12n, and I drink water for the rest of the day. I also tend to eat much better than I used to.

I'm not complaining about the fact that I seem to have a lot of energy. If I didn't have to wake up at 6:30am I wouldn't really care. But waking up at 6:30 when I can't fall asleep until 11pm or later sucks! Sunday night I couldn't sleep. I stayed awake until my body absolutely could not stay awake anymore. I stayed up, watched some TV and then listened to some music until about 4am. Only then did I feel like I couldn't take anymore. I sat in bed for an hour or so before I finally fell asleep - and I don't even remember closing my eyes. Haha. And the night before I had only slept 5-6 hours.

What gives? Any more suggestions to help me get to sleep at a decent time? I'm not opposed to medication at this point, as I've tried all the natural remedies I can think of. Maybe I should talk to my doc and see what she can do? I think I see her in a few weeks for a followup.

Thanks in advance. Hopefully I'll be asleep soon...

[roseanxiety]

I put on a podcast and start listening. Zzzzzzzz every time.


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[Scissel]

Hey there..

Sorry to hear you're struggling with insomnia, I am as well, have been most of my life actually.

To tell you the truth. 6.5 hours of sleep is a pretty acceptable average. Everybody is different and some need more while others can get by with less. I'm told 6 is a good average of 'quality' sleep. Do you sleep 6.5 hours straight through without interruption, or is that broken sleep. I struggle with both insomnia and sleep quality issues.

I wish I had better advice, I just wanted to let you know you're not alone.

Good luck and I hope your doctor is willing to help you address your sleep issues.

[ankietyjoe]

I would give anything to sleep from 11pm-6.30am lol.

I haven't had more than 3-4 hours sleep without waking up for 10 years or more. My average nightly sleep is anything from 4-7 hours, never in one go. Never.

All that's happening here is you're creating a problem that simply doesn't exist. You are getting enough sleep, and at the right time.

[bin tenn]

I put on a podcast and start listening. Zzzzzzzz every time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I haven't tried Podcasts, but I've tried music and it keeps me awake even longer. Haha.

Hey there..

Sorry to hear you're struggling with insomnia, I am as well, have been most of my life actually.

To tell you the truth. 6.5 hours of sleep is a pretty acceptable average. Everybody is different and some need more while others can get by with less. I'm told 6 is a good average of 'quality' sleep. Do you sleep 6.5 hours straight through without interruption, or is that broken sleep. I struggle with both insomnia and sleep quality issues.

I wish I had better advice, I just wanted to let you know you're not alone.

Good luck and I hope your doctor is willing to help you address your sleep issues.

Thanks. Well, I don't wake up during the night. I've never done that on a regular basis. Every once in a while I'll wake up but that's only to use the restroom. Otherwise I sleep all the way through, no issues there. I do believe I'm too active in my sleep and I sometimes wonder if it's just a problem with my sleep cycles, but I know nothing about that to even begin suspecting it's legit.

I would give anything to sleep from 11pm-6.30am lol.

I haven't had more than 3-4 hours sleep without waking up for 10 years or more. My average nightly sleep is anything from 4-7 hours, never in one go. Never.

All that's happening here is you're creating a problem that simply doesn't exist. You are getting enough sleep, and at the right time.

Haha, I suppose that's true. I know it could certainly be worse. Do you actually have insomnia, or is there some other reason you don't sleep as much as you'd like (you don't have to give details if you don't want to, of course)?

Maybe I just dread the week, because if I sleep 6 hours on a weekend I feel like a new man. If I sleep 8.5hrs during the week (it happens from time to time haha) I feel like crap, because I wake up to an alarm.

Thanks for the feedback. Sorry you can't sleep as much as you'd like. :P

[NervUs]

I'm not sure what time you are falling asleep, Bin?

I also have to get up at 6:30. I shoot for 10:30, but sometimes I don't manage to turn off the lights until 11 (we are in the last season of Bates Motel, and I like to get my daily dose of the creeps right before falling asleep, lol).

If you are falling asleep at 10:30, I think that's fine. 8:30 is way too early for a grownup, lol. If you are turning the lights off at 10:30 but staring at the ceiling for hours, that's another matter. You could try melatonin. But, if you're not tired, I don't see the problem, really.

I on the other hand get 7-8 hours and am still tired. 6:30 is not my friend, and I absolutely hate waking up that early!

[lofwyr]

Are you dealing with a specific issue of anxiety right now? I have some skin biopsies, and the potential for a pretty serious surgery forthcoming which honestly could leave me a lot less pretty than I am now, and I don't have all that much going for me in the looks department to begin with.

Those things pile on, and during the day I am usually able to push them aside, and have a pretty anxiety free, or at least low anxiety day. There is just too much to do and I am able to stay busy.

But at night time, the dragon always comes out to play. I usually fall asleep all right, honestly because I am exhausted, but beginning around 3-5 AM I wake up to use the bathroom etc, and never manage to put the anxiety aside enough to get back to REM sleep. When it is really bad, I just get up, sometimes as early as 4am, though usually I try to push past that, even if I am just staring at a dark ceiling petting my dog.

So in periods of anxiety, I end up living on maybe five hours of good sleep, tops. Usually three hours of good sleep, and another three of crap sleep. I feel your pain.

That said, when my anxiety is on the back burner, I sleep like the dead. Well, the dead is pushing 50 and has to get up one to three times to use the bathroom.

[bin tenn]

I'm not sure what time you are falling asleep, Bin?

I also have to get up at 6:30. I shoot for 10:30, but sometimes I don't manage to turn off the lights until 11 (we are in the last season of Bates Motel, and I like to get my daily dose of the creeps right before falling asleep, lol).

If you are falling asleep at 10:30, I think that's fine. 8:30 is way too early for a grownup, lol. If you are turning the lights off at 10:30 but staring at the ceiling for hours, that's another matter. You could try melatonin. But, if you're not tired, I don't see the problem, really.

I on the other hand get 7-8 hours and am still tired. 6:30 is not my friend, and I absolutely hate waking up that early!

Sometimes I may be asleep by 11:30, other times I may be awake up almost 1am. It really just depends on the day. Last night I actually got to sleep at a good time, well before 11pm, and I feel great today. Haha. Yeah, I turn everything off and can lie there, staring into darkness, for an hour or two sometimes. I don't feel like it's a problem, really, but I'd like to be asleep earlier. I'm the only one awake past about 10pm most nights. I would really love to stay up and enjoy some quiet time (three kids in the house), but I need sleep for work. Haha.

I've thought about giving melatonin a try, but I haven't taken the time to try it yet. I do believe we have some around here somewhere, but even if not I can pick some up at the pharmacy.

Are you dealing with a specific issue of anxiety right now? I have some skin biopsies, and the potential for a pretty serious surgery forthcoming which honestly could leave me a lot less pretty than I am now, and I don't have all that much going for me in the looks department to begin with.

Those things pile on, and during the day I am usually able to push them aside, and have a pretty anxiety free, or at least low anxiety day. There is just too much to do and I am able to stay busy.

But at night time, the dragon always comes out to play. I usually fall asleep all right, honestly because I am exhausted, but beginning around 3-5 AM I wake up to use the bathroom etc, and never manage to put the anxiety aside enough to get back to REM sleep. When it is really bad, I just get up, sometimes as early as 4am, though usually I try to push past that, even if I am just staring at a dark ceiling petting my dog.

So in periods of anxiety, I end up living on maybe five hours of good sleep, tops. Usually three hours of good sleep, and another three of crap sleep. I feel your pain.

That said, when my anxiety is on the back burner, I sleep like the dead. Well, the dead is pushing 50 and has to get up one to three times to use the bathroom.

No, no notable anxiety lately, thankfully! It's (anxiety) always sort of there, but it takes a back seat the vast majority of the time these days. When I'm awake late at night, wishing I could just go to sleep, I feel worry free. I used to experience intrusive thoughts at night, and it would keep me awake. I'd have a sudden influx of terrifying thoughts about death and the like. Not anymore; I simply can't sleep when I lie in bed, in the dark, for some amount of time. I guess it's as pretty much everyone has suggested, that my body simply doesn't need to go to sleep yet. Going forward I may try getting up and reading a book or something else that doesn't involve a screen in the event that I'm having trouble falling asleep. That's one thing I haven't actually tried yet. I've always been afraid to get back up, because I feel like I'd want to stay up all night then. Haha.

Thanks everyone!