Insomnia?

Post Reply New Topic

I don't know why but I keep waking up in the middle of the night. Pretty much every night. I usually wake up sometime between 2am and 3am. It's 3.15am now I today I've already woken up twice. Falling asleep is usually not a problem. Staying asleep is. I'm guessing it has to do with me being constantly anxious but I'm not feeling particularly anxious right now (or am I?). Right now I'm just annoyed. Waking up in the middle of the night means I'm pretty much always tired when it's time to wake up properly in the mornings.

Why can't I stay asleep? What can I do to stay asleep? Does this count as insomnia? Does anyone else have this problem?

I believe it is fairly common and has something to do with low Melatonin levels in Aspies/ASDs (based on what I have been researching these past few days at least). You can take supplements, but those are usually more for falling asleep than staying asleep. Exercising helps, as does cooler room temperatures - from my own personal experience, eating something I am allergic to usually knocks me out all night and most of the next day. Does not help me fall asleep at my desired hour BUT is does keep me from waking up. Since this is happening often, your brain might very well have programmed this to be normal sleeping behavior, so the idea is to get it to recognize that you are supposed to be sleeping at 2/3 am. The only way I can think of for this is to literally shift your entire bedtime as late as you dare, or do some work with the Sleep cycle (90 minutes),

Last edited by KaminariNoKage on 03 Aug 2012, 11:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

I have the same problem. I go through periods when I can sleep normally and periods when I can barely sleep at all. Most of the time I do not sleep through the "night" ( I have an odd schedule) and wind up waking up every few hours. Usually I end up going to the bathroom and then falling back to sleep until it happens again. When I go to the bathroom, I try to keep the lights off and my eyes as close to closed as possible so that my brain won't get the wrong idea. Then there are days when it takes me 12 hours to get 6 or 7 hours of sleep just because my brain is so out of whack. Usually this is tied to extreme anxiety, but not always.

I find I need really strenuous exercise during the day to have a night's sleep where I only wake up once to go to the bathroom (usually early morning). Sometimes my body is just tired enough to over-ride my pesky anxiety. Not tonight though.

I've been taking melatonin and Valerian root before bedtime for decades. I've recently discovered weighted blankets, and find them very useful for quieting the chatterous racing thoughts that used to keep me from dozing off.

without all of the above, I have trouble dozing off, and even with them, I awake several times during the night. The blanket helps ensure I doze off again after a quick bathroom/water break.

I often have issues falling asleep, but no problems once it's on.

Try slow release melatonin (not quick acting melatonin, only slow release will help with staying asleep), weighted blankets are also good.

Off to bed again. My head is filled with thoughts. My mind won't shut up. I doubt I'll be able to sleep better tonight.

I've found my weighted blanket to be the most effective single remedy for racing thoughts. Most nights, as soon as I manage to focus my mind on the weight and how good it feels, I doze off.

I wake up after 4-5 hrs, pretty much on schedule. Nothing helps. I have 2 sets of curtains on my windows, a weighted blanket, an eye mask and ear plugs. I've given up on getting a full night's sleep!

Are you waking up at the same time, or after the same amount of time regardless of bedtime?

If it is the same time each morning, taking regular melatonin with an earlier bedtime might help, or time released melatonin might help you sleep later into the morning.

Fan usage, body pillows, meditation and music help me sometimes. I still don't get much sleep compared to what be best, but I usually sleep 4 to 6 hours a night today. A few months ago, I was just starting with those techniques and was sleeping about 2-3 hours a night, when I slept. I once slept 4 hours in three days. I had to call some doctor to came at my flat since I was not feeling well. My life's a bit better now, so I can sleep most nights.