Suddenly Unable to Deeply Sleep All Night?
Okay this is so weird, but about two weeks ago I stopped being able to have more than like 3 REM cycles in a row. Every night at like 3 or 4 a.m., I wake up. This is pretty normal for me, but I can *always* go back to sleep. But every night for the last few weeks, I can only doze from that point forward. And this isn't a terrible problem, but after many nights in a row of this, I'm starting to get pretty sleep deprived.
I try going to bed earlier, gradually, but it's still happening at about the same point in my sleep cycle. I'm pretty meticulous about sleep hygiene, and none of that has changed, and it's not any more stressful than usual, and I've taken a nap here or there to try to cope, but none of that is unusual either. Also, if I nap, suddenly I can't sleep that night and just doze the entire night and have no REM. So there's just no winning. Right now I'm just trying to build as much consistency as possible and hope I don't go insane from the lack.
I'm definitely gonna try to see my doctor, but those wait lists are long, so I was just curious if this has happened to someone before? It's so strange to me that it happened so suddenly and has been so consistent when this is normally so out of the ordinary for me.
Hiya! From what you have said, there doesn't seem to be any change in your bedtime routine. Is is possible something changed in general? Could be something insignificant or huge. Identifying the change can help you find a targeted solution. Try listening to bedtime stories/ soft sleep music a while before bed. Here is a channel you might like: https://youtube.com/@bedtimestoriesandsleepmusic?si=aZRTpjZmr7CCJ4ZS. Subscribe to revisit. More to come! Hope you get to see your doctor soon, and wish you good sleep!
I'm really glad you reached out. You're not alone in dealing with waking in the early hours of the morning and unable to get back to sleep. Since this hasn't happened to you before, it may help as you prepare for your doctor's appointments to learn more about types of insomnia - short-term insomnia may be caused by stressful events, and then there are longer-term types that include waking too early (like between 2-4am). There is a good overview here: https://insomnia.sleep-disorders.net/causes-types . Do any of these types resonate with you?
This article has a list of questions to consider before talking to a doctor - I hope it's helpful: https://insomnia.sleep-disorders.net/living/newly-diagnosed-insomniacs
I hope you get some answers and strategies to help you soon. Let us know what other questions you have. - Liz (Team Member)Welcome to the club. Go see a corrupt doctor. Get a sleep study. They always will get results that let them sell you a machine if they sell machines, a surgery if they’re in that business, or a dental appliance if they are in that business. I went in for one of those and I only slept an hour and a half but they paid zero attention to that and only said that I supposedly had sleep apnea when I went to sleep. What about the fact that I feel much better when I sleep on my side and I couldn’t sleep on my side with the machines? Well they claim that I was clinically asleep when I turned on my side wishing to go to sleep and then eventually moved back to my back because I couldn’t get comfort that way with all the wires on me. They are 100% corrupt and will just help themselves to your money. The reason why there’s so many sleep medications, weight loss medications, and smoking cessation medications is because these are things that people suffer with but will spend the rest of their life wishing they could recover from. Most of them don’t even want to try to solve the challenge of the cause of your health problem.
I really wish you'd had a better experience,
. There are good and well-intentioned doctors out there, but you might have to work at it to find them. Have you ever considered seeing a neurologist who specializes in sleep disorders? Thinkng of you. - Lori (Team Member)
