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I think it’s called Secondary Insomnia. When you fall asleep reasonably easily, but wake up repeatedly through the night. It’s often every couple of hours.
I don’t check the time anymore, I just stay relaxed and try to fall asleep again.I had a sleep study 6 years ago and was told, “It’s stress.” I exercise, do yoga, meditate. I’m a 49 year old woman at a healthy weight. I practice good sleep hygiene. I’ve done CBTi. I do therapy.
13 years like this.
Nothing helps.
I’m EXHAUSTED.
It’s impossible to function.
I have huge amounts of life stress that I cannot control. It’s impossible.I have chronic migraines that this exacerbates.
I’ve tried melatonin and Trazodone.
Why can’t I stay asleep?
Has anyone else dealt with this?
Thanks for any advice
Hi I’m sorry you’re going through this I am the same way I’m able to fall asleep but wake up repeatedly through the night every 2 hours I used to get frustrated with this but now I accept it and I just listen to a meditation in the middle of the night to stop my racing mind and calm me down I get up the same time every day regardless and I do a meditation in the afternoon and I start my mornings with prayer and Bible reading and ask God for strength for the day I used to count how many hours of sleep I got but that’s not good I stopped doing that and it’s a big help
Hi, thanks so much for replying. I’m sorry you go through the same thing I do.
It’s strange, isn’t it, the every 2 hours thing? One sleep cycle is about one and a half hours, so I think maybe we’re waking up properly instead of just skimming near wakefulness like most people do at that stage.
Meditation and prayer sound like excellent ideas. I’m not religious, but I’m trying to do a daily gratitude practice and be outside to appreciate the beauty of nature in a more structured way that’s similar to prayer.
Anything that calms us and brings us out of anxiety has to be good.My dog gets me up at the same time each day – best thing for routine!
You’re welcome yes start each morning focusing on good things God’s blessings or being grateful just for the simple things it’s a choice I used to dwell on how I felt in a lack of sleep I had but no more what a difference that makes yes as long as we get a few hours in the beginning of the sleep cycje well that’s good. That’s great your dog helps you out. One day at a time and may God help us overcome any fear and anxiety in our life♥️
Hello Dinky (and Romans!) and welcome to the forum!
What you are experiencing isn’t unique or unusual. Waking during the night is a normal part of sleep and sleep cycles aren’t always 90 minutes in duration
As you mentioned, not all stressors can be controlled or eliminated and fortunately we can still control our actions in the presence of stressors — and our actions often determine whether we add more struggle and difficulty on top of this difficult stuff.
When you wake during the night, how do you currently respond in that moment?
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Hi @martinreed.
When I wake in the night I do deep breathing – usually in for 6 and out for 7. And mindful meditation. I’m good at conjuring up relaxing scenarios and drifting away into them. It’s how I fall asleep in the first place.
Being 49 and peri-menopausal is a factor I’m sure. So many women develop sleep problems now. But I’ve had them since I was 33. Maybe my hormones were haywire early…
Hello again, Dinky!
What is your goal when you do that deep breathing and mindful meditation?
As you mentioned, hormones can influence sleep — but they don’t typically create or maintain chronic insomnia (that usually comes from all our understandable attempts to make a certain amount or type of sleep happen).
—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.
Hi Martin.
When I wake up in the night I’m suddenly WIDE AWAKE. It’s very jarring. So my goal with the breathing and mindful meditation is to soothe my brain back to a floaty, dreamy state – and to let any thoughts and worries that try to bother me float away instead of crowding in and keeping me up.
It works most of the time.
It’s the frequency of these wakings that are so awful. Once to pee I can handle – I drink a lot of water.
But 3 or 4 times a night is ruinous to daily functioning.It’s interesting that you say hormones don’t cause chronic insomnia. I need to read more. I’ve done CBTi, strictly, several times, and no luck.
Hi Dinky I’m sorry to hear that I wake up several times too I had a sleep test and I have mild sleep apnea that’s another reason I have multiple awakening. I’m just curious did you ever have a sleep study done? you may have a case of mild sleep apnea and not even know it in my case I didn’t know until I got tested
I’m sorry to hear you have sleep apnea. That’s annoying!
Yes, I had a sleep test done, and they found nothing. Of course, I only slept for an hour and a half the whole night.The neurologist refused to understand what I was telling him about waking up all night. That he was seeing just a single segment of my very disturbed sleep. Useless.
I’m sorry you can’t get any answers I’ll be praying for your healing and that God would Grant you better sleep and peace of mind continue to stay calm and take one day at a time
“So my goal with the breathing and mindful meditation is to soothe my brain back to a floaty, dreamy state – and to let any thoughts and worries that try to bother me float away instead of crowding in and keeping me up.”
Is there a possibility that practicing breathing and mindful meditation in an attempt to control your brain (turn it into a floaty dreamy state) and/or stop thoughts and worries from showing up might be creating some additional struggle? Does your experience tell you this is a workable approach and how much effort, energy, and attention does that approach require in the middle of the night?
—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.
I also do meditation and breath work I do it because I enjoy it as long as you are in a right attitude and in a calm state while doing this and not trying to force any outcomes it can produce good benefits and good results if you’re doing it with the wrong motivation it can cause a problem. So as long as you enjoy this practice it’s a good thing
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