Any hope for curing early awakenings?
Posted , 5 users are following.
I'm 30 and have had insomnia since age 19.
It used to be that it would take me forever to fall asleep, and I still sometimes have that issue but that's easier to deal with with the occasional use of meds (trazodone).
Now that I'm older I seem to have some version of Advanced Sleep Phase syndrome. I've always slept on the earlier side but it seems to be getting worse and worse to the point where I can easily fall asleep at 8 if I have nothing to keep me awake, and then I will wake up around 4 and sometimes even 3:30. I used to work until 10 PM so being able to stay awake if I have to is not as much as an issue (though I find it nearly impossible if I am home alone with nothing to do). However, I have yet to find ANY way to force my body to stay asleep until at least 5. Very occasionally I will sleep until 5:30 but even if I don't go to bed until around 11 I will still most often wake up around 4 or 4:30. Then of course the sleep deprivation will build up and I will be exhausted.
Has anyone found a solution for this? I tend to wake up several times in the night anyway and I avoid looking at the clock because I know that if I know it's close to time to wake up I will get excited about being awake and doing things. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal since in general I am getting between 6-7 hrs of sleep a night but it does affect me psychologically in terms of feeling socially isolated and just generally anxious about not being able to sleep.
0 likes, 9 replies
hope4cure monica31030
Posted
Sleep problems is a huge issue for many. Everyone has individual sleep routines and there are some sleep disorders that can be treated. Have you thought about see a doctor who specializes in sleep studies? They can taylor and customize a sleep routine or meds just or the individuals needs.
Have you asked your dr if you can try magnesium, HTH OR MELATONIN supplements sleep teas?mabe a relaxing bath with Epsom salt before bed? It takes time but they can help. Sometimes the circadian sleep rythum can case issues, this is what causes jet lag in travelers. Day and night can be confused in our systems being back into a sleep rhythm may help. A sleep study can help give you a lot of info. Also OTC sleep meds at drug stores are generally anrihistimines that make u sleepy help some but not necessairily helps everyone.
I am not a expert but over the years I have taken RX sleep meds. They help but you need more and more miligrams of the meds as the body builds up resistance as with most other drugs. More is required and generally RX sleep meds are only for short periods in order to not become dependent on them.
A sleep study finally help teach me routines to obtain a better nights sleep.
Mas your doctor for a evaluation. It well worth the trouble. Being more aware of the habits that keep you awake will help you learn to build better sleep routines. Also anti depressants can help relax and sleep better.always ask your dr.
I listen to music on a timer that gently puts me to sleep therefore squelches the talking in my head that keeps me awake at with nights 5 kids. Worry, worry, worry. Is a big one. Erase it all with gentle music to concentrate/meditate on only and all the yakking in my head and worry leaves me as I fall asleep thru a form of meditation all tucked in a nice cozy enviornment. Even intamite contact helps one sleep well.
Dont drink alcohol as it will put y asleep but will keep u awake after a few hours.
JackDM monica31030
Posted
something I have found is really good for helping with waking early is Promethazine. I occasionally suffer the exact problem you are reporting. I've found promethazine really helps. It doesn't help so much with actually getting me to sleep, but it is wonderful for allowing me to sleep later.
It is a sedating antihistamine. You can buy it over the counter in the UK. It is also marketed as a drug called Sominex. It might help you. I suppose everyone is different, but it does help me.
I hope you find a solution, permanently waking early can become a depressing drag.
lily65668 JackDM
Posted
Neither should be used every night for long periods without taking a break, as you can build up tolerance to them. And I'm sure Monica would realise that neither should be combined with trazodone or any other prescription sleep med.
To Monica, I'd say: if you're getting 6-7 hours' sleep per night, you don't really have a problem. It's a myth that we all have to sleep for 8 hours a night. It is true that some people need longer, but many cope happily for a lifetime on 5 hours, and Margaret Thatcher famously did well for herself on only 3 hours's sleep per night. (Not that I'm putting her forward as a role model, of course!)
I had the same problem as you - waking too early. Well, I also had problems falling asleep too. However, I got through my entire working life on an average of 5 hours per night, with a little help from Phenergan from time to time and catching up on sleep at the weekends, when I found I could go back to sleep after the early awakenings. I expect you know that these are due to secretion of the stress hormone cortisol starting too early. It's supposed to psych you up for your day but in those of us who are inclined to be a bit anxious it kicks in too early.
In my case, things improved slowly with age, presumably because I learned ways of coping with anxiety as I grew older.
JackDM lily65668
Posted
I should have have pointed out that I wasn't suggesting taking Promethazine alongside trazadone, but just like you I felt that Monica would know not to mix drugs.
As I cant contain a link here about Sominex I can't back up what I've said. However if you look for Sominex UK on google you will see that it contains Promethazine.
lily65668 JackDM
Posted
In spite of quite severe sleep problems, I actually found the 25mg dosage a bit too heavy for me, leaving me groggy the next morning. If anyone wants to try it, I'd strongly suggest trying the 10mg dose to start with. If that doesn't work, I've a hunch that the stronger version won't either.
I never developed tolerance to it as I only ever took it for two or three consecutive nights after a particularly bad run of sleepless nights. I still very occasionally take 10mg now - usually on the night before travel or an important meeting, when I know I won't sleep. I just checked the packet in the bathroom cabinet. It's more than a year out of date but still worked just fine when I took one two months ago!
monica31030
Posted
I also thought of - even though this is the exact opposite of what *they say* is good sleep hygeine - if there is no way to make myself sleep later in the morning, taking a "nap" (that's lying down and resting and pretending to sleep, since I have never been able to actually fall asleep during the day except when severely jet lagged) in the late afternoon might at least help me feel more energetic in the evening / stay up later and mitigate the effects of the fatigue. Sometimes it works. ;-)
Thanks again!
lily65668 monica31030
Posted
I think you're making a good point. The basic sleep hygiene rules aren't wrong and are a good starting point for people who haven't tried anything else, but all of them don't necessarily work for everyone. The important thing for those of us with lifelong sleep difficulties is to find what works best for each of us.
One of the reasons why my sleep improved as I grew older is that I moved to a wine-drinking area in my 30s and developed the habit of drinking a glass of wine with my evening meal, even when eating alone. I realise this is another no-no on the sleep hygiene list, but it helped me quite a lot.
I would, however, stress that alcohol of any kind obviously shouldn't be taken in combination with sleep medications, and not at all by people who have a history of problems with alcohol. Also that even if a little alchohol is good in the sleep context, more certainly isn't better. I find there's a fine line as to how much I can drink without having a bad night. If I exceed this, I still fall asleep easily, but my sleep is disturbed and not at all restful.
We all have to find our own way of coping. Sometimes the "official" advice is good, sometimes we need to cherry-pick to find our own solutions.
JackDM monica31030
Posted
jk.will monica31030
Posted
Hope this is some help....
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