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Does anyone else wake up a bazillion times a night?
  • emmaoremmyemmaoremmy
    Posts: 1,310Member
    Honest to God, I have no idea what's happening but on the average night, I'll wake up 3 - 4 times.  I usually don't have any problems falling back asleep, but it's still annoying as hell.  I was reading about melatonin on another thread.  Would that help?  I have absolutely no problems falling asleep...I just can't STAY asleep.  It's like being pregnant and getting up every couple hours just to pee.  UGH.
  • [Deleted User]
    Posts: 5,232
    That is me. Even sleeping pills cant keep me down. 
  • emmaoremmyemmaoremmy
    Posts: 1,310Member
    It all started when I got pregnant with my first, and things never went back to normal.  And as shitty as this may sound, it's not like I'm getting up to check on the kids, lol  I've thought about Ambien or Lunesta, but again--no trouble falling asleep, and I don't know if any of the sleep aids have anything to do with staying asleep.
  • InsanityandChaosInsanityandChaos
    Posts: 1,924Member
    I wake up about 3 or 4 times a night. Both kids are sleeping through so I don't know if it's just habit or what. I make sure I cut out caffiene by at least 3 in the afternoon and that does seem to help me settle down better.
  • breezybreezy
    Posts: 3,483Member
    Me too! Except I can't get back to sleep...
  • AnonUser23
    Posts: 2,278Guest
    Same here. Since having the kids I get up about 3 times a night. Mostly to pee but sometimes I just go in and look at the kids, make sure no one stole them, make sure they are breathing, etc They are 4 and 6...I'll probably still be doing it when they are 14 and 16 :)
  • CrashCrash
    Posts: 8,166Member
    I always wake a few times a night. Oddly enough, I love it! I look at the clock and go Wooo!!! Another X number of hours to sleep! Yes. I am that excited. Because honestly.....going to sleep and waking up at the alarm is depressing. "I just went to sleep, goddamn it!"
    See ya in another life, sister!
  • [Deleted User]
    Posts: 5,232
    I do the same shit. I am afraid of prescription sleep meds, so I just try to go to sleep earlier and sleep longer. Its been like that my whole life. DD does the same thing. Dad did too. 
  • Fancypants
    Posts: 26Member
    This may sound crazy but have you tried working out? When I'm going to the gym regularly I sleep great... Fall asleep easy and don't wake up through out the night. But when I'm off my schedule and not working out I just can't stay asleep at night. It's miserable. I've never taken any meds to help me sleep. I'm paranoid (irrationally I think) that I'll be addicted
  • emmaoremmyemmaoremmy
    Posts: 1,310Member
    @Curious  Well that's a positive way of looking at it.  :)  When I wake up shortly after I've fallen asleep, it's like "Cool, it's only 12:30!"  But when I wake up at 5:30 I think "Aw shit--only an hour left."

    Maybe I do need to cut out caffeine.  I drink it all day long and I always assumed it didn't affect me since I fall asleep so easily, but maybe that's the culprit?  I'm going to try maybe switching to decaf after dinner and see if that helps.

    @Fancypants  I haven't worked out in ages, but I used to go in the morning.  Maybe I'll start taking the kids for a brisk walk after dinner and see if that helps.  I know it's not the same as jogging a few miles on the treadmill or using the stairmaster for 30 minutes, but it's worth a shot!
  • Anonymous
    Posts: 29,315
    Oh God, do I ever! I'm in my 30's, but I feel like I should be 80 something. I get up and pee a few times a night, and I drink like a horse!
  • fatchickonabikefatchickonabike
    Posts: 5,489Member

    As some others have pointed out, exercise can help.


    Also (duh) avoid caffeine too close to bedtime (it can take many hours to exit your system).


    Alcohol can interfere with sleep quality as well. A lot of people say a drink helps them fall asleep, and it does, but alcohol disrupts deep sleep, so you end up waking up (or sleeping too lightly) around the time you should normally be slipping into deep REM sleep.


    Melatonin is a good option and relatively safe, although if you're on other meds it might interact (nobody knows for sure yet).


    Chamomile tea is nice and soothing.


    My personal remedy is weird, but it works for me - a colleague suggested it back when I used to work nights. Take two regular-strength Tylenol right before you lie down. And I mean right before, not ten or twenty minutes before. I'm not sure why, but I seem to have a deeper sleep when I do that. And there's no grogginess the next morning because it's not a narcotic or sleeping pill.


    Before prescription meds, you can also try Gravol (a.k.a. Dramamine, a.k.a. dimenhydrinate) or Benadryl (a.k.a. diphenhydramine), although these may cause some grogginess.

    "The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof bullshit detector.” - Ernest Hemingway
  • loveitloveit
    Posts: 1,738Member
    I always wake up! At least three times a night. I thought everyone did??
  • NotSoSilentLurkerNotSoSilentLurker
    Posts: 155Member
    yep-- this is me to a T.  Ever since i had kids, have woken up at least 2x's a night- regardless of where I am, what I have done, or whne I went to bed.  It's worse if I am stressed, but even on a relaxing vacation, I will be up 2 x a night.
  • NewEnglandGal
    Posts: 478Member
    Homeopathic Insomnia by Hyland...it saved me!
  • emmaoremmyemmaoremmy
    Posts: 1,310Member
    I didn't know they made anything like that.  When my older two sons were teething, I used to buy them the Hyland teething tablets.  Those are awesome!  I'm going to look for the insomnia supplement tomorrow.  :)
  • fatchickonabikefatchickonabike
    Posts: 5,489Member

    Last night I fell asleep on the couch. Woke up at midnight and went upstairs to bed, only to find DD had crawled into bed with DH. I didn't want to wake either of them up to move her back to her bed, so I stretched out on the upstairs couch for a while, but that was uncomfortable and too hot. So I ended up in DD's bed until about 3:30 am, when DH woke up and came to find out where I was. We moved DD back into her bed and I slept until my alarm went off at 5:30. YAAAWWWWN. Yep, coffee is a good thing! 

    ~O) I-)
    "The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof bullshit detector.” - Ernest Hemingway
  • runbitchrunrunbitchrun
    Posts: 907Member
    I still wake up about five or six times a night...
    Tried Lunesta, I got the weird side effects. Scared the shit out of my husband when i jumped up on the bed and guided the "green dragon" to land on my bed. Major sleepwalking, talking...never sleep ate or drove though.
    Ambien works well but it can be dangerous, knocks you out. The longer you take it though the less it works... my husband at 200 lbs can only take 10 mg, crashes in twenty minutes and i can take 20mg at 130lbs and function fine for another two hours. No side effects, not groggy in the morning, lunesta made me a zombie in the morning...
  • episcopal
    Posts: 1,402Member
    When I was in my 30s, many of my fellow guy friends told me that once I got into my 40s, I'd probably start getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom more.  And they were right!

    I can't tell you the last time I truly slept straight through the night.  My wife and I both snore sometimes.  My bladder wakes me up.  Or the cat wants to be let out.

    I don't have a major problem with insomnia, but when I need it, Melatonin works well for me.  Same goes for DD.  I try to take it an hour before bedtime.  If I take it right before bed, I'll be groggy in the AM.
  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    I wake up between 2-4 times a night just to go pee!! But I normally fall right back asleep. If you are watching tv, looking at your phone/computer up to the minute you go to bed, your body doesn't know it was supposed to be producing melatonin. Try giving yourself 20-30 minutes of no screen time before bed, cut back on caffeine, exercise during the day or have sex right before you go to bed. I swear my best sleep is post-orgasm!
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