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I have the same problem and it happens every night. Go right to sleep with no problem but constantly waking up in the middle of the night, sometimes several times. Depending on what time it is, I usually have to take something or I'll be up all night and it will completely ruin the next day. I alternate Kava Kava, Benydrl, Rescue Sleep, and if I have to, I'll take a Sonata because it has a short half life. I can't take anything more than a couple of days in a row or I will get used to it. I've tried countless sleep, meditation, white noise cd's and everything you can think of, but again, I get used to it and it no longer works. Sorry, wish I could be more help.
I never use any sleep aid more than 2 nights in a row, because they all lose effectiveness. I alternate herbal, over the counter, homeopathic and presciption sonata, ambien, or bentyl. They all keep me asleep in varying degrees. I have it down to almost a science now. “If I wake up at 2:00,I take this… If I wake up at 4:00, I take that…. ” Or, I try to wait it out. Melatonin actually makes my insomnia worse, but everything I've been reading states all these melatonin supplements are too strong. You don't need so much melatonin. I think they recommend less than 1mg. I've had success with Dried Tart Cherries mentioned on Dr. Oz (or they recommend the juice , but I don't want to drink 8 ounces of anything before bed.) That has worked but not all the time. It's supposed to have natural melatonin.
I have literally two bedside draws full of cd programs for sleep. All of them work temporarily and then stop suddenly and never work again. (That's why I kept buying more). Right now, I can't even entertain the thought of buying yet another one. The only one that continually works is “I can make you sleep” by Paul Mckenna. Unfortunately, even his, doesn't get me through the night. So sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night, I listen to that. It gets me to sleep but wake up again an hour later. I'm beginning to think I wake up hyperactive after dreaming. Theta state, perhaps? I think I am cycling and waking up at a certain period in parts of my sleep cycle. I'm wound up like a clock (no pun intended). My body will not lie still without feeling caged and uncomfortable, yet my mind is tired. Weird, isn't it? I am very active. Exercise every day. During the day I get a second wind and then I get exhausted. Vicious cycle I cannot break. The only thing that works for me is timed released ambien, but I only take it when I absolutely cannot go another night without more than three hours straight sleep. My body gets used to things very easily no matter what it is. Too bad it can't get used to sleeping.
It does sound to me like sleep hygiene. I fall asleep fine so I believe I'm doing what I am supposed to. I wake up about an hour and a half later and I'm up until I take something., and then again up at about 3:00 AM. Both times I am hyperactive. I cannot sit and read or do a crossword. I feel energized as though I had a great nap and I am ready to start the day. Unfortunately, if I remain awake, the rest of my day is ruined because I am so tired from broken or lack of sleep. I have been alternating sleep remedies (to keep from getting used to anything) that I have on hand, anything from prescription, to homeopathic, to benedryl. I often try relaxation, white noise, meditation, and binaral beat cd's. But those don't work more than a few times before they lose effectiveness. Not living alone, I hate to get up and have to be quiet and cold and in the dark. I would love to be able to get things accomplished while I'm up but it's just not feasible without waking up the house and I'm too wound up to sit quietly. I wish I could function with less sleep but I feel misterable the next day, and I feel myself nodding off all over the place.
I don't know if it's different, but mine is “I can make you sleep.” I found the book that comes with it extremely interesting, particularly the mind exercises in the book which I've never seen before. Every other sleep cd I've listened to includes progressive relaxation technique which I hate. For me there's nothing worse than tensing up and then relaxing. And when I'm really wound up, someone instructing me to relax just seems like more pressure. This one is different than anything I've tried. I'll never say it's a cure-all because although it puts me to sleep, I still keep waking up. Glad what you found works for you, but I still recommend this for anyone else, just for the book alone.
If listening to audio cds helps you sleep you might want to pick up (I got mine in the library) Paul Mckenna's “I Can Make You Sleep” book and cd. It has a 20 minute sleep listening session (which I've never gotten through without falling off) and and easy to read book which one explanation is that you've gotten off track and messed up your sleeping schedule. The problem for me with it is even though it puts me out, I don't stay asleep long. This might not be the case for you.
Night sweats for a man can be a sign of a health issue (unless you have way too many covers on). See your doctor.
I suffer from exactly the same thing although I don't know how it started. I think it is a common problem. I go to bed around 10:30–11:00PM and wake up like clockwork around 1:30 AM, then I'm up for an hour or two like I had a good nap, get back to sleep finally either by pill or naturally, and wake up again at 3:30-4:00 AM. Up until 5:00 AM and then have to get up at 6:00 AM. There are a couple of pills out there that have short half life's like Sonata and Intermezzo. I often take Sonata which has a 2-3 hour half life. So when I wake way too early with a few hours to spare, this will knock me out for only a couple of hours, or I might break up an Ambien into half's or quarters. This is usually when I am desperate to get some sleep because my body get accustomed to medication and no longer works, so I have to really space it out to only once in a while. Broken sleep is just no fun and I find myself falling apart in the afternoon or falling asleep in front of the TV way too early to go to bed. Someone like you since it has only been going on for year might benefit from sleep deprivation by going to bed really late and then pushing the hour back little by litte (if you can stay up, that is).
Yes, it's a well known fact that hormonal changes can really affect sleep. Most women complain of the night sweats or flashes keeping them up, but there are many out there like me who just plain have sleep issues. There might be other factors too. I am really starting to believe that my body has just gotten into a habit now of waking and I can't shake it. I'm exhausted enough to get to sleep right away but I waken during the night like I just had a good nap and don't need more sleep, that is, until I have to face the day like a zombie. I'm told just try to get sleep whenever you can, but you really need to get yourself into a regular cycle. Unfortunately, my regular cycle is waking up at 1:30 AM. I'm up for a couple of hours and then up at 4:30 AM. This broken sleep is just not good.
