I wake up naturally after about 5 hours of sleep...

[Zuerst]

I don't wake up with difficulty breathing/grasping for air or anything... Just naturally.

Thing is, I don't think wake up as rested as I want to, yet I still wake up in about 5 hours or so, even if I don't have to get up for anything.

Any tips on staying asleep? I sleep with earplugs...

Just a bit frustrating being awake 3 am in the morning... not tired enough/thinks too much to fall asleep again, yet don't feel well rested enough either....

Maybe I just need to get on a more regular sleep schedule....

I don't know why just posted this...



I need to get me more sleep...

Or do I...?

hmmmm....

 

[Briank]

Something is waking you up, call to the bathroom, thirst, hunger or ....

What the first thing you do when you wake up, coffee, food, tabacco. Are you cold or warm, do you sleep alone?

 

[steveny]

I usually only sleep 5 to 7 hours a night. It's been a while since I have slept more than 8 hours. I get a lot done with the extra time.

What do you think is waking you up? Do you feel fully refreshed?

 

[myguitar]

I don't wake up with difficulty breathing/grasping for air or anything... Just naturally.

Thing is, I don't think wake up as rested as I want to, yet I still wake up in about 5 hours or so, even if I don't have to get up for anything.

Any tips on staying asleep? I sleep with earplugs...

Just a bit frustrating being awake 3 am in the morning... not tired enough/thinks too much to fall asleep again, yet don't feel well rested enough either....

Maybe I just need to get on a more regular sleep schedule....

I don't know why just posted this...



I need to get me more sleep...

Or do I...?

hmmmm....

X2

I've been dealing with sleep issues for about 5 years now, since my chemotherapy. Well, maybe not the therapy as much as the stress that the ensuing bills caused.

Anywho... I take the Kroger brand sleep aids. They are not addictive and they do a good job putting me back into a normal 6-8 cycle for a little while.

 

[NSXLuvr]

http://mayoclinic.com/health/insomnia/DS00187

Simple link to start with. I know plenty of people who feel great after 5-6 hours of sleep. The key is that they are refreshed and ready to go. If you are not waking up refreshed then you need to look in to it.

I would start with something simple like an OTC sleeping aid. If that doesn't work then see your doctor and trying a gentle sleeping aid. You can go from there all the way to complete work up.

 

[gdae]

Checking with a professional is probably the best advice. Still, here are some pretty harmless things you can try:

Only short naps during the day, if any.

Hit the gym. Hard exercise will make the body want to rest.

Get those sleep cycles down to a routine.

Sex before bedtime. Who doesn’t want to just roll over and zonk out?

Sleep alone(contradictory to the point above, I know). Studies have shown that someone else in the bed will interfere with sleep.

Try a hot shower before bed. Or if that doesn’t work, a cold.

Turn the AC down and make the room really cold, turn on the ceiling fan. Get flannel sheets on the bed, pile heavy covers on top of an electric blanket so you get the weight and the warmth. Get in there all snug like a bug in a rug. You won’t want to get out.

Do you have any allergies? If so, use Actifed as your medication before bedtime. The side-effect of drowsiness will work for you. This and the trick above put me into a very satisfying coma. Twelve hours later you’ll stagger out and wonder what day it is.

Talk to member La-squared. I believe she has dealt with this type of thing for awhile, now.

 

[Hard2find]

take ZMA 30-45min before going to sleep.


i guarantee you the MOST restful sleep youll ever have!



im on it coz it also aids alot of bodybuilder/powerlifter.

 

[SilverStone05]

When I was having trouble sleeping....(fell asleep okay, but would wake during the early am and couldn't get back to sleep) I just let it ride. There was one night when I didn't sleep at all. Frustrating.
It started getting better on its own after a week or so, and a couple nights toward the end I took NyQuil before bed and I slept the whole night through. (though I don't recommend that to anyone) My normal sleep routine came back.

Some tips: Some have been said already, but I'll reiterate.

Make the room really cold and use lots of blankets.
Have a glass of warm milk before bed.
Sleep alone. It's the hard truth, but I sleep better when there's no one else in bed with me.
Do some cardiovascular or weight training during the day.
Don't take naps during the day.

They say alcohol has a negative effect on your sleep patterns, but i've noticed a glass of wine before bed works pretty good for me.

 

[DocL]

Has there been anything new introduced into your lifestyle recently? Are you under any new stress? There is usually something that causes sleep problems, even high blood pressure. I don't know about some of the remedies aforementioned, but I do know that a freezing cold room will help you sleep. I recall there was an article in the New England Journal of Medicine a few years ago that said the optimal temperature for sleeping was around 65 degrees.

 

[Vega$ NSX]

I used to have the worst insominia in the world. The running joke was that I couldn't fall asleep until the sun came up. When I actually did fall asleep it was only for a couple of hours. And I was constantly tired and cranky even though I could function pretty well on 3 hours of sleep a day. Even though I was able to get A LOT of things done, it was just not healthy.

Today I can sleep 8+ hours easily. I can fall asleep before my head hits the pillow and I wake up super refreshed and never need a nap. The one problem is now I'm conditioned to need at least 7 hours and when I get less, I can feel it. But it sure beats my insomnia.

Here are some tips that really helped me. You don't need to do all of them but some of them might help (in no particular order):

1) Make your place of sleep the ONLY thing you do. So keep nothing in your bedroom but your bed and only sleep in it. No TV. No reading. No computers. The reason is because your brain will associate that room with sleep. If you watch TV in there, then your brain will get confused if it should be awake or asleep.
2) Drop caffeine from your diet. I completely dropped caffeine and it improved my sleep tenfold. It also has many other health benefits as well. If you must drink caffeine, drink it in only consistent moderation and only first thing in the morning so that it has time to wear off.
3) Excercise, excercise, excercise. The first sign that I haven't been excercising? I have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep.
4) Do not drink alcohol before going to bed. It will help you fall asleep but it doesn't allow deep REM sleep and thus you are more prone to waking up.
5) Try to eliminate all sources of sound and light. The darker and quieter is better, unless you respond well to white noise (usually to cover up sleep disrupting noises). However, note #10.
6) Change your pillow and mattress. You'll be surprised that people who say they prefer a firm mattress actually sleep better with a soft one and some people who say they prefer a soft one actually sleep better with a firm one. Also, do not use synthetic polyfill pillows. The key to a proper pillow is in the height of it; anything too high or too low will disrupt your sleep.
7) ROUTINE! And sleep cycles. This is another important brain training tool. Go to bed at the same time, get up at the same time regardless of weekday or weekend. You need to train your brain to follow routine.
8) Turn your brain off. Easier said that done, but you need to turn your brain off before going to bed. Wandering thoughts, too much thinking and brain activity will affect your sleep.
9) Sleep on your side. Sleeping on your back can cause breathing problems, dry itchy throat and other issues that could wake you up.
10) Light therapy. This is one I heavily rely on. When it is time to wake up I make sure the room starts to brighten and is fully bright when I awake. If it is still dark, my body still thinks I should be sleeping. In the summer it's fine because the sun naturally brightens my room before my alarm goes off. In the winter, it's harder becuase it stays dark so long. It will affect me mentally so I actually have to put a light with a timer on it to go off before my alarm.

 

[NSXrunner]

I make up for lost sleep by napping in the car during my lunch hour. :smile:

 

[gdae]

One more thing: check your magnesium. Take a look at this:

http://www.jashbotanicals.com/articles/magnesium_sleep.html

disclaimer: I have no affiliation with this site or its products. It just supports the point I was trying to make.

I have read that mega-doses of magnesium will trigger intense, vivid, memorable dreams, although I haven't tried it yet.

 

[mickeylex]

Years ago I had an employee who started work at 4am, worked until 4pm everyday and only slept 4hrs/night (we needed the work done, so I was happy to pay him). One time I told him to work less and get more sleep and he said "I'll get plenty of sleep when I'm dead".

So, different people need different amounts of sleep, but four to five hours for the average person is probably not enough. As others said, something is waking you up. Sometimes it is a noise that occurs at the same time every morning - even a noise in the distance can do it. Adjust your environment, habits before starting pills.

 

[NSXAMG996TT]

Go watch the Discovery channel (or something super boring) with the volume on low....works everytime for me!

 

[Ko-nsx]

i have the same problem. I think maybe it the sodas i drink throughout the day. Exercise does help but i never get a full 8 hours. i can do 2-4hour stints and feel great, but sleeping at work is normally not accepted by others!

On the weekends, iwake up at 9 naturally and can go do everything, nap at 3, wake at 7 and feel GREAT.

 

[AdvansCPAP]

I have been in the field of sleep medicine for quite a few years and worked with plenty of people with sleep disorders. Try what people have suggested first and if all fails, go have a sleep study at your local hospital. If you have health insurance, it should cover it. They'll hook you up with all sorts of equipment to monitor your sleep. Most people are able to find help this way.

 

[NSXFRIEND]

I don't wake up with difficulty breathing/grasping for air or anything... Just naturally.

Thing is, I don't think wake up as rested as I want to, yet I still wake up in about 5 hours or so, even if I don't have to get up for anything.

Any tips on staying asleep? I sleep with earplugs...

Just a bit frustrating being awake 3 am in the morning... not tired enough/thinks too much to fall asleep again, yet don't feel well rested enough either....

Maybe I just need to get on a more regular sleep schedule....

I don't know why just posted this...



I need to get me more sleep...

Or do I...?

hmmmm....

Advanscpap is correct.

You have possible enlarged tonsils causing sleep apnea. See your dentist for more advice.

Run for 30 minutes 5 days a week and work out 3 days a week. Sleep on your side and don't eat 3-4 hours before sleeping avoid soft pillows and relax before you sleep.
Keep us posted
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/tc/sleep-apnea-symptoms
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000811.htm

 

[steveny]

Got up this morning at 6 am still up tonight and have to be up tomorrow at 5:30 to make it to the dentist to get my tooth drilled then make it back to the house by 9:30 for the market open. :biggrin:
I am wide awake right now and most likely won't get to sleep until 1 am at the earliest.

How do you guys get anything done sleeping for a 1/3 of the day??????

 

[sahtt]

I don't wake up with difficulty breathing/grasping for air or anything... Just naturally.

Thing is, I don't think wake up as rested as I want to, yet I still wake up in about 5 hours or so, even if I don't have to get up for anything.

Any tips on staying asleep? I sleep with earplugs...

Just a bit frustrating being awake 3 am in the morning... not tired enough/thinks too much to fall asleep again, yet don't feel well rested enough either....

Maybe I just need to get on a more regular sleep schedule....

I don't know why just posted this...



I need to get me more sleep...

Or do I...?

hmmmm....

If you do what I say and it doesn't work, consult a doctor.

Get up 45 mins earlier then usual. Run until you are pretty tired, it may be for 10 minutes for one mile, it might be 12 minutes for 2 miles. Get a shower and start your work day. Before dinner, go to the gym and lift weights. Hard. Eat a healthy dinner with plenty of nutrients. Don't drink caffeinated beverages after 9am. Drink a small glass of red wine 15 minutes before you want to go to sleep. The amount of alcohol is minimal, it gets you relaxed and in a cycle.

It will work and you will be much better off then you are now.

 

[Zuerst]

Thanks for all the advices, I try them out and see if it helps.

 

[DocL]

Advanscpap is correct.

You have possible enlarged tonsils causing sleep apnea. See your dentist for more advice...

You are one of the few people that is aware about a dentist treating sleep apnea. The only problem is that a dentist cannot make the diagnosis. I usually refer the patient back to their M.D. and have them order the sleep study. After I get a copy of the report and diagnosis I can then make an appliance. I am just in the initial learning mode of treating severe apnea cases and it is becoming very rewarding.