Trouble Waking

I really think you should consult a doctor about this - the fighting off sleep during the day when you have already slept for a considerable time doesn't sound right to me. Prior to seeing the doctor, why not keep a journal for a couple of weeks, noting when you get to sleep at night, when you wake in the morning, when you feel sleepy during the day and how severe this feeling is - this will give you something concrete to refer to in your discussion with the doctor. The only other suggestion I can make is to try going to bed/sleep several hours earlier - if you try to get to sleep by 9 o'clock, for example, at what time will you wake in the morning?

And I would add to that, move your alarm clock away from your bed, so that you can't reach it to turn it off, in fact, get 2 alarm clocks and set them for half an hour apart.

There are several reasons for sleep problems and the suggestions given by the first responder are good - i.e good documentaiton by keeping a journal for at least a week.  I had extreme sleep problems when I was younger and had a major depressive illness.  Finally hit on an antedepressant that normalized my sleep, i.e. gave me more REM sleep, lighter sleep and I felt rested when I woke up in the morning.  Then I had a sleep study done for reasons of obesity and it was found that I had mild sleep apnea and needed a CPAP machine.  Your doc should be able to help you with a diagnosis and treatment. 

I agree it could be a form of sleep apnea .I have a similar  problem when utis out of control I also camotose daily on earting ie: pulse drops .I recently sorted with 'reassuring phone calls'A Dr Hilary recorded message .These are  often used for the elderly with pendant alarms .The calls I recently had were automatic & if didn't reply would send an alert to a relative or named person ,unless tell them to adjust to your situation .You could change the times & automatically cancel.Otherwise a bed/ mat /chair / door  sensor might do the trick .

Hi Adam, you really need to get checked over by your doctor you could have a medical condition that needs looking into a few that revolve around sleep. Or you could be depressed best to get checked out.

This is advice from a Mum who watched two girls go through college.  You need to eat properly! Breakfast is the most important meal of your day so you need protein either animal, eggs, yogurt, cold meats or lentils or whatever if you are veggie.  You need fruit but not tinned and you need carbs!  You need to find an alternative to quick sugary drinks. Lunch should be something which doesn't contain too much fat and sugar and dinner could be chicken and veggies, lots of them. In between you can snack on almonds and some dried fruits or fresh fruits. Sodas are a no no.  Turning off your computer and iPad and phone way before bedtime cuts out unnecessary light in your room and stimulation of a brain which should be closing down for sleep. Relax with a warm shower. A walk helps too. Close curtains but leave open a crack for when it gets light.  When your alarm goes off turn on ALL your lights immediately.....it stops the internal workings immediately that keep you snoozing. Get up and move and don't rush to put on all the electronics. If you are healthy you can get into a good place in a short space of time but if you feel you are not then of course you should see a dr. Sometimes being away from family and friends makes us depressed but even if you feel tired mid afternoon you should stretch your legs and inhale deeply to get more oxygen and there really is nothing wrong with a power nap if your life is so busy you need one. Sometimes we become too reliant on others to wake us up and feel worse when we oversleep trying to catch up on missed sleep.  Hope some of this makes sense to you.  Good luck.

If you're under 23 your sleep or circadian rhythms will be different as scientists show that young people are more likely to be awake late but sleepy in the morning.

I have always though (and I'm not so young) been on the sleepy side in the morning so either get up for just one strong coffee or to jog or walk the dog/go to the shop. Then once awake my sleepiness goes. My most productive parts of the day tend to be after 10.30 so until then I'll check emails and sort out my admin/plan the day.

For a start you should know that the best sleep is BEFORE MIDNIGHT. No was should you expect to sit up wide awake until the NIGHT HAS ENDED. What you are doing is waiting for daytime to start before hitting the pillow!  It sounds as if you might be slightly narcoleptic and you should check this with a doctor. I am not at all surprised you are how you are.  You may be one of us that needs to close his book and is TV and get into bed AT 10PM.  I suggest you give it a go. We are not all keyed to sleep the same times. You probably expect to stay up until the middle of the night and then go to bed. This doesn't work for you. So make an effort and just get into bed at ten for once. I think this is the answer.

Hi

You should maybe consider being checked for ME/CFS.

You will need to find a GP who does not regard ME as a psychilogical problem.

Despite lots of good common sense advice, sleep problems are poorly understood.

Iain

Hi, Has your GP done any blood tests

You need to ask your GP to refer you to a sleep clinic. Before you do keep a diary of your sleep pattern for a couple of weeks so you can be very clear how much of a problem it is for you.

Keep going until you get this sorted. 

The people who have responded are spot on.

You have NOT said anything about medication !!. Are you taking any ??  this could have a bearing on your situation.

All the best

Whatever suggestions are made the thing is that we don't know the whole story.You really need to see your GP with a  2 week record of your sleep pattern, diet etc. As a retired nurse I know there are so many causes for poor sleep patterns and until you get it sorted you won,t feel any better. 

Have you ever had your cortisol levels checked? This can have a big effect on keeping you wakeful late at night, but ultra sleepy in the mornings. When I was younger I used a large alarm clock with bells and a hammer that hit each bell, my Mum used to put this on an enamel plate some distance from my bed! It did work! In fact it probably woke the neighbours too! Get some blood testing done by the doctor, and see if there is a medical reason for your sleepiness. Good luck. Marion

Hi, What you are describing is exactly what happened to my daughter, she had issues with sleep all through school, however when she started university it became more of an issue, because of studying  socializing , etc. After trying a hundred different things and have nothing work she went to her doctor and was referred to a sleep clinic.  She spent two or three nights in a lab overnight while they studied her sleep patterns. Turns out she has a form of Narcalepsy and since she has been on medication for it, it has changed her life. Sleep no longer controls her life. I would highly recommend that you go to your doctor and get a refferal to a sleep clinic and find out if this could be your problem.Hope this helps resolve your issue.