How Can I stay Asleep Through the Night

loveandlight

Sorry this is a bit of a long one.
Do any of you have any good tips for helping me to stay asleep through the night instead of waking up between 3 a.m - 4 a.m. every night, which means I only get about four to four and a half hours sleep a night. It has been like this for a few years now. Tests done by the GP for various things have all come back negative.

I have tried most of the usual sleep remedies i.e., herbal, homeopathic, magnesium ( this worked for a short while but I have had to stop due to the laxative effect and after a couple of weeks on it, I started waking up early hours again) and other supplements like 5HTP. I have even tried over the counter sleeping tablets as a last resort and some on prescription from the doctor but they really don't work and I am left feeling like a zombie the next day. I constantly feel under par and lacking in vitality. I look a mess every day as I never feel like making an effort.

I don't feel depressed but I sure look as if I am!! I want to be able to stop dreading the nightime as I know I'll be up most of the night again.

I take melatonin to make me fall asleep otherwise I wouldn't get sleepy. I still wake up early hours and am so wide awake I could run a marathon!

I have also tried self hypnosis.

Any suggestions apart from getting my OH to knock me out every night!!

Ted_Hutchinson

This research shows that the uptake of magnesium is improved with the use of Vitamin B6 pyridoxine So using a lower amount of a magensium form not usually used as a laxative with B6 may be better
It may be worth your while trying to improve your uptake of magnesium in not such laxative forms. Have a look at your magnesium: food-sources and see if steaming your veg or using the veg water in gravy would make sure you don't pour it away. (magnesium is water soluble)
I find a bath in dead sea salts helps me to sleep well. You can buy a 25kg bag of Magnesium Chloride from agricultural/equine suppliers for around £7ish A Jugful in a hot bath costs only pence.

There is some evidence that Methylcobalamin Vit B12 (you may have to import this from USA) if taken first thing in the morning will (like bright therapy) help to improve your circadian rhythm. If you are better able to switch off melatonin production you will be more alert through the day and providing you use subdued light late evening, and have your bedroom as dark as possible.

Broken sleep is often a symptom of depression and therefore everything that can be done to improve feelings of well being are worth pursuing. There are many reasons to ensure your Vitamin D status is optimal improving feelings of well-being is just one.
2 of these 2000iu/d or you may prefer to take 5 x 5000iu on week and 6 the next to average 4000iu/d until April.

There are several suggestions that Valerian may be useful.

suki1964

I feel for you as Im in the same boat and have been for the past 10 years or more. Four hours straight max and I feel like death for waking so early.

I have given up trying to find a "cure" I just accept that 4 hours is my lot and dont stress it. I also find that I feel a lot worse if I wake before 6am so I now work on going to bed at between 1 and 2 am. Its still not enough sleep but I dont feel so hungover.

I do "power nap" when i can. Passenger in a car and Im asleep before we get to the end of the road, same if on a train or bus. I also get a 30 min nap when I can. Often on my "naps" Im not actually asleep, Im aware of noises, more of a semi comatose sate I think

Its something me and hubby have had to learn to work around, there's no going to bed together any more else I keep him awake. He goes at his usual time and join him in the early hours. Our sex life is challenging to be sure )

Funnily enough when we go on holiday I sleep like a log 8 or 10 hours no problem and half the day on a sun lounger so I really do think theres nothing physically wrong and its a physiological one

loveandlight

Ted_Hutchinson - I'm so pleased you replied, I was hoping you would. I've tried Valerian but it doesn't work. Most things don't work. I've even taken melatonin, herbal sleeping supplement and a sleeping tablet all together and still been wide awake!

I'll try taking a closer look at magnesium rich food as you've suggested and a bath of dead sea salts.

I stopped taking melatonin once to see what would happen and by the fourth day I felt seriously ill due to the desire to sleep but not being able to. I really do need melatonin to at least send me off to sleep otherwise I don't even get the feeling of tiredness come over me.

suki1964 - It's good to know I'm not the only one. Like you I have accepted it but maybe I haven't quite reached the right acceptance level yet as I used to have no problems sleeping and could sleeping standing up if I wanted.

I am sure like me you would love to enjoy that feeling again of having had a good nights sleep or at the very least be able to lie in bed half awake and half asleep. I feel hyper alert all the time but at the same time under par if that makes sense.

Funnily enough, when we go away (which is once in a blue moon) I also sleep for 8 hours or so. Strange that.

ceridwen

Just a thought - for what its worth - the not sleeping through the night does seem to be connected with being in your house.

It may be a psychological thing - as in feeling "on guard" whilst in your house - being conscious of protecting your house and possessions.

It could be that there is some particular set of noises your house makes - creaking pipes through central heating/being underneath an aircraft flight path and that is the time a particularly noisy plane comes over/neighbours getting up in middle of night that is disturbing you.

It could be a much more esoteric cause - your house being in a "bad location" in regard to stuff like leylines, etc - in which case I guess its down to contacting a good dowser to get it checked out (think its British Association of Dowsers they belong to?? not sure of name of their organisation). If its something like that - they could probably come up with a remedy to deal with it - without you having to do something as drastic as move house.

Guess it could be worth an experiment in trying out sleeping for a night or two at a time in various different locations in your house on the one hand and various different houses/hotels in this country on the other hand and see how you react to try and track down the cause.

sandy2_2

I read once that
stressing out about not sleeping just makes the problem worse
-try to sleep with your head pointing north (something to do with magnetic forces)
-When you can't get back to sleep, don't worry about it, resting your body is just as beneficial
-would single beds help
-are you warm enough
-try sleeping in other rooms in the house
-relaxing massage before bedtime

I have had this problem as well over the years and my solutions are
-more exercise during the day
-use mp3 in bed with spoken word recordings, I also have self hypno track on there, prior to mp3 I used radio with headphones
-dimmer switch on bedside light so I can read or write without disturbing OH

Finally how about a visit to the Dr to be referred to a sleep clinic

trace_567

Just a few suggestions I can think of. Some of course might not apply.

If you drink alcohol during the evening this can have an effect of sleep. It often helps people get off to sleep, but doesn't keep you asleep. (obviously if this one might not apply to you)

Maybe try reading before going to bed. Not sure to be honest how much help this will be for you in staying asleep. But I find I sleep a lot better, and get to sleep much quicker if I read. I think it just sort of quieten downs the mind so you don't start thinking too much about things.

You mentioned trying various sleeping tablets, both over the counter, herbal and prescription. Might be worth asking your doctor about tricyclic antidepressants (I'm not suggesting you need them for depression). They can be useful for sleep problems due to the sedating effects they give, also unlike sleeping tablets they can be used for longer. My b/f takes them for sleep, partly because of their sedating properties, and also because his mind races at night. They help to stop some of the racing thoughts that keep him awake.

Finally if you are on any medication, it could be possible that one could be resulting in this side effect of not sleeping well. I know there was one prescriotion pain killer I have taken, and I couldn't sleep more than 3/4 hours if I'd taken it any time that day.

trace_567

Also you could try some ear plugs, in case some noise is waking you. I think boots sell a pack of 3 foam ear plugs for around £1 (least they used to). If you should find they help you can get ear plugs much cheaper off ebay. Thats where I buy mine from, I can't sleep without them in now lol.

Keep going to the doctors about it as well. 4 ish hours a night long term for years isn't good for you. Maybe try different doctors at your practice, as all doctors can have different suggestions, and ideas.

loveandlight

You have all been so very kind in taking the time to reply to my problem. Last night I had three and a half hours sleep.

My GP already prescribed anti-depressants for the sedative effect but (a) they don't work and (b) I am left feeling like a zombie the next day. I have to go back and see her again.

I don't drink alcohol at all and I'm not on any other medication.

I will give serious consideration to all your suggestions. I have tried most of them already but some are new, so you never know.

moneylover

The best sleeping tablets I have ever had were Zopiclone but maybe you have tried those. I found antidepressants rubbish.
For me the best is doxylamine succinate 25mgs but you can only take them sporadically. I buy them over the net.
There seems to be lots of evidence that melatonin doesnt reallyhelp - but of course when something does help its hard to know whether its just psychological or not and it doesnt much matter anyway if it does help.
I would agree with a previous poster that a sleep clinic is essential.
Also I would try sleeping in a separate room by yourself for a couple of weeks and see if that changes anything (other than your sex life - it would improve it of course if you slept better!!). There must be a stress element mustnt there if you sleep on holiday.

thetope

I'm sorry to hear about your problem, i suffered for about two years with sleep problems and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia (i had many many aches and pains accompanying this) which was treated with anti depressants. however i had a particularly bad spate of back pain which got so bad i went to a chiropractor. X rays revealed i actually had scoliosis, a 14° kink in my spine and after 4 months of treatment i am like a new person, am off the medication, have a lot less pain and my sleep is better than it's been for years. so now i'm wondering if it ever was fibromyalgia. whatever, i don't care, my life has been turned around.
i was going to suggest melatonin but you say you're already taking it. all i can really suggest is perhaps using an eye mask and ear plugs? i find it really helps me