I’ve been waking up multiple times a night for 2 weeks, what’s going on?

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I’m a college student, and 2 weeks ago I moved out of my dorm to stay with my parents for the summer. Every day for these 2 weeks I have woken up 2-3 times during the night. I don’t have any trouble initially falling asleep, but when I wake up (usually always 4 hours after I fall asleep) I can’t fall asleep for about another 30-60 minutes. After I wake up I also find that I am tossing and turning constantly (but again, not when I initially go to sleep). I got absolutely perfect sleep at my dorm during the semester. At first I thought it was the sudden change in environment from my old dorm, but I never had problems sleeping in my current bed when I can to visit my parents for certain weekends or holidays, so I find it odd that I’m still struggling to sleep after 2 weeks and have not grown “accustomed” yet. Nevertheless I still made changes to my current sleep setup to see if it would help. I eliminated all lights from my room at night while sleeping so it was almost pitch black (except for my phone which I use in bed for about an hour until I feel drowsy, but still, I did this in my dorm at college and got perfect sleep and I use the lowest brightness with a warm orange color scheme on the iPhone). I closed the blinds and curtains so light would not seep in as much during the morning. I tucked my bed in for extra comfort. I don’t live in a noisy area at all also. All these changes I made and I still struggle staying asleep. The only factors I cannot change are my mattress quality (which I’ve had no problem sleeping on my whole life before going to college), and the temperature in the room. My dad doesn’t like to run the air conditioning so it usually stays around 78-82 F during the night which makes it uncomfortable but not unbearable. As for symptoms, I don’t really have much at all. I DON’T wake up feeling thirsty, breathing heavily, fatigued, with a dry mouth, throat, or with any urge to urinate. I always urinate and drink 1-2 glasses of water before getting in bed. I do usually eat a light-moderately sized meal around an hour before getting in bed, but again, I’ve been doing that for a long while. I am not depressed or have any history with depression, stress I would say is relatively low, and I don’t really feel fatigued or sleepy during the day. I’ve never been told that I snore, and I can’t give a definitive answer on that, however I do like to sleep on my back and side. I have had history with asthma but it has not bothered me in years and I have not used any medication for it for years. I would say the only noticeable symptoms would be the constant tossing and turning upon waking up and I have eczema so I might be scratching my skin a little when I wake. I think that I’ve explained as much as I can think of explaining, hopefully I provided enough information and that it was comprehensive enough (I’m not the most articulate person) and not too long. Thanks for any help!

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2 Replies

  • Posted

    It's not uncommon to wake up in the night, sometimes a few times. I do just that but I feel fine. At least you are getting some sleep. You say you don't wake up fatigued.....well that means you have had enough sleep. If you was chronically fatigued then it would be time to see your doctor. But as of now I don't think your sleeping pattern is worth worrying about too much or warranting further investigation by a physician.

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