[Jared531]

I'm Jared, a 29 y/o software engineer from NYC. Joining Insomnia Land due to a recent (abnormal) bout with the problem.

I've never been a great sleeper to begin with, but this has got me baffled. For the past six weeks I have had insomnia every other week, multiple nights in a row when it strikes. When it happens I wake up at the same time every night, between the hours of 3 and 4 a.m. I go to bed around 12:30 each night and am able to fall asleep without any issues, but then I only sleep for 3+, wake up, and then have trouble going back to sleep and can only get another 3-4 on top of that. The combination of 3 and 3 does not feel good at all, as some of you must know.

At first I tried taking ZQuil and then Advil PM, but neither fixed this. My doctor prescribed Ambien (which I want to avoid), but that didn't help much either. A friend suggested taking this herb called Ashwaghanda so I've been popping one of those on a nightly basis, but it doesn't seem to combat the problem entirely. I'm trying to schedule a sleep study now because I've run out of ideas.

The temperature in my room is fine. I've tried sleeping above and below the blanket, with a different blanket, with just the AC, with AC + fan, etc. I don't use electronics before bed, and I do everything else you're supposed to do (and not do). My fan gives me a perfect amount of white noise. I have no stress or anxiety. No matter what I do though, I wake up at this odd hour like clockwork.

As a side note, I have sleep apnea but I've worn the CPAP machine for a few years now and it's never bothered me. The stats on the machine indicate that it is working well as usual. I doubt the mask is causing me to wake up all of a sudden.

I'll probably have the sleep study done soon but if anyone has any other suggestions I would appreciate it. Thank you.

~ Jared

[Martin Reed]

Hello Jared; welcome to Insomnia Land and thanks for introducing yourself. I don't normally recommend sleep studies for insomnia sufferers; however since you also have sleep apnea, it may be worthwhile just to make sure that's not the cause of your nighttime awakenings.

Did anything happen 6 weeks ago to account for the sudden onset of your recent sleep issues?

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If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Jared531]

Hi Martin,

Thanks for the reply. Nothing different has happened in the past 6 weeks so I'm really at a loss here. I was thinking that the sleep study could maybe shine some light on this.

I've gone to such measures as cleaning mold off my window just in case that was triggering it. I figured it might be environmental but who knows.

[owl2020]

Like you I go to bed about 12:30, on the average sleep about 3 hours with no problem and then wake up and have trouble getting back to sleep. Unlike you I usually get only 1 to 2 hours additional sleep, so your 6 hours total sleep looks good from my point of view, though you would like more. Some nights I can't get back to sleep at all. I also have sleep apnea but I can't tolerate the CPAP machine. I take one capsule every night of a herbal concoction called “Sleep Apnea Relief” put out by Nature's Rite for people who can't stand the CPAP; I don't know if it really does any good. What interests me is that despite using the CPAP you still have an insomnia problem, as some have suggested to me that if I could use the CPAP it would alleviate my insomnia problem. In fact, I have a friend who has sleep apnea, tried the CPAP and couldn't tolerate it, but still sleeps about 7 hours a night. By the way my waking up after about 3 hours is triggered by having to go to the bathroom – don't know if that is something you experience. I'm retired, so stress and anxiety are not factors in my insomnia. I even tried sleeping in a hotel room for a couple of weeks to see if that made a difference and if there was something in my room that was the cause, but I had the same sleep pattern in my hotel room. So I don't know if there is much I can tell you that can help you, except that I find walking a lot helps me somewhat. Also there are a lot of people who suffer from insomnia and some have even worse sleeping patterns that you and me. Finally, like you, I found that sleeping pills are not a long term solution to insomnia.

[Jared531]

I spoke to a nurse at the Cornell Sleep Center and she told me I don't need a sleep study for this. Instead she recommended a 2-week “study” where I take Melatonin 3-4 hours before bed and only sleep a MAXIMUM of 7 hours a night (waking up at the same time each day is possible).

I guess I'll give it a shot. She said I could take the Melatonin and ashwaghanda together but I'm a little iffy on that. Does anybody here do that?

[Martin Reed]

How are you getting on, Jared?

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Jared531]

Hi Martin,

The 2-week melatonin/7hour regimen was ok, but I went back to my normal rotuine last night and I feel pretty tired today. Even throughout the 2 weeks I still woke up at brief points during the night (likely between 3 and 4), so I don't know how to fix that. Pretty frustrating.

~ Jared

[Jared531]

UPDATE:

My sleep doctor recommended taking Trazodone every night (50 mg) so I've been doing that the past 3 weeks. It does seem to help but when I stopped taking it for one night the insomnia came back. Don't really want to take a drug for an extended period of time. I'm considering taking your CBT course Martin.

[Martin Reed]

Hi Jared

That's often the problem with sleeping pills – as soon as you stop taking them, the insomnia comes back. Furthermore, often when you're the pills you're not getting the refreshing/fulfilling sleep that you expect.

My CBT course helps you effectively taper off sleeping pills (with your doctor's permission/approval).

CBT is an effective treatment option for insomnia since it tackles the root cause of most cases of insomnia (incorrect thoughts and behaviors towards sleep).

Do keep in touch.

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

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