Every night I can fall asleep - no problem. But lately, more often than not, I'm waking up at around 2 am for no apparent reason. Hubbie is soundly sleeping next to me, kids are fine, house is quiet. No bathroom trip needed.
Then I can't fall back asleep. My brain won't turn off. I'm dissecting every conversation I had that day, thinking about parenting my kids, and even less important mundane stuff that can certainly wait until morning. Solving the problems of the world.
I can't settle my brain, and am up, tossing and turning for a couple hours. In the morning I'm dead tired. Today we were almost late for school because I kept hitting the snooze and not even realizing it! Only 20 min to get both kids up and out.
Help! How do you settle your brain in the middle of the night!
Wow, I can totally relate to you. I wake up every night around 3 A.M. and my brain starts!! I call it a thought train because I just can't shut it off!! It usually takes me about 2 hrs to go back to sleep!! I hope we can get some answers here!!
I take a 3mg melatonin before bed. That usually helps me to sleep through the night.
I try not to go to sleep til around midnight. I've just found that falling asleep much earlier than midnight will mean that I wake up in the middle of the night.
Turn your radio on so quiet you can't really hear it. So quiet that you have to concentrate on it to even figure out what song is playing. Then lay there and try to listen to it. Pretty soon you should be distracted enough trying to listen that you'll fall asleep because your brain got side stepped.
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Turn your radio on so quiet you can't really hear it. So quiet that you have to concentrate on it to even figure out what song is playing. Then lay there and try to listen to it. Pretty soon you should be distracted enough trying to listen that you'll fall asleep because your brain got side stepped.
I heard Wayne Dyer talk on Kauai a few years ago. He said that waking up in the middle of the night is God trying to get your attention, so get up and talk to Him/Her. Maybe he meditates; makes he breaks out his Oprah Gratitude Journal.
I just ask God who He wants me to pray for, and whomever comes to mind, that's who I pray for...think of...send positive thoughts to....whatever. But it is effective in getting my mind off ME and MY crazy life or MY busy schedule etc. etc.
Good luck. I'll say a prayer for you @ 4 am. ;-)
There are a number of possibilities. You could try writing those issues down on a piece of paper, as a way of shelving them until morning. You could get up, get a fast cup of hot tea, read for a few minutes, and go back to bed again. You could do an evening workout after the children are in bed, with lots of stretching, so that your body will feel good and will want rest. You could try a little Valerian, which is a natural, non-drug, over-the-counter remedy for relaxing enough to sleep (look for it with the vitamins).
I'm a 2 a.m. waker as well - not every night, but often enough. I spend that time talking to God about the things that come to mind. He's up all night, anyhow, and He doesn't mind my bugging Him at that hour.
Oh, and get that snooze button outta there! Borrow a clock that just makes the obnoxious noise - with no loopholes - and put it on your dresser so you have to get out of bed to shut it off. Then make or spread up your bed immediately (assuming that your husband isn't still in it) so you'll be more inclined to stay up.
You could try some melatonin. And when you do wake up, lay there and relax as much as possible and occupy your brain counting your breaths. I was having trouble sleeping a couple of years ago and someone on this site recommended counting your breaths. It seems to work because I don't think I've ever gotten over 30 before I was asleep.
Good luck! Not sleeping sucks! I didn't sleep much Sunday night; Monday was the day from he!!
I take 1/4 tablet of an antihistamine that causes drowsiness. It's safe and effective
I grab a book, go into the living room, lay on the couch and read. This helps to refocus my brain.
It happens to me right around my period. I have been going through it for years. I have to get up and go in another room because I just cant stay in bed. One thing that does help, is I keep a pad close by and jot down things that come to me so I know I won't forget them in the morning. I also have just started trying a small cup of warm milk, don't know if it psychological but it is helping. I hate taking any PM meds they make me wake up feeling drugged. I feel your pain, I go through this often so I know how you feel. Try the warm milk, if you can get past the taste, it has helped me.
Do you take any meds? This used to happen to me when I took an antihistamine with decongestant (eg, claritin-D, zyrtec-D). I switched to one without decongestant (just plain zyrtec) and I stopped waking at night.
The same thing happens to me if I drink caffeine after 4PM, or take any other med with a stimulant side effect.
I meditate. It works great to fall back asleep.
