Waking Up at the Same Time Every Night!?!

[MikeL1972]

Hi Everyone,

I have had tinnitus for 13 months, but it has fortunately never been an issue for me in regards to sleep.

However, over the past month, I have have been experiencing insomnia. Specifically, I am waking up an hour and a half after I go to bed every night! Yes, every night. Unless I take some low-dosage Ambien, I am unable to fall asleep. Have any of you had similar issues? If so, what did you do? And how did you conquer them?

I have not made an appointment yet, thinking it would go away on its own. However, I am tired of fighting this and it looks like I will need some medical intervention. I am trying to determine whether this is a physical or mental issue. Hormonal problem? Biochemical issue? Electrolyte issue? Sleep apnea (note: I am thin, yet have a deviated septum)? My blood sugar level is normal.

Thanks in advance for reading and or responding.

Mike

 

[Casper]

However, over the past month, I have have been experiencing insomnia. Specifically, I am waking up an hour and a half after I go to bed every night! Yes, every night. Unless I take some low-dosage Ambien, I am unable to fall asleep. Have any of you had similar issues? If so, what did you do? And how did you conquer them?

Hi @MikeL1972, while browsing old success stories I came across a thread describing something similar to your situation. I've copied the relevant paragraph below and pasted a link to the original discussion if you want to contact the OP.

"An odd thing happened about two months ago – my T was waking me up 90 minutes after I feel asleep. Like clockwork; I kid you not. I would wake up and hear the tinnitus in my left ear screaming in the silence. I would then fall back asleep in about 10 – 20 minutes. I started focusing on this, looking at the clock as I grew tired, and looking at it when I woke up. After a week of this I realized I was focusing on this way to much, and I was making the condition worse. So I literally decided to stop caring about it. After about three or four days I started sleeping through the night again. That's been my only temporary setback with my tinnitus."

Here is a link to the original thread: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/one-year-tinnitus-anniversary-—-life-is-normal.3975/#post-37735

 

[MikeL1972]

Hi Casper,

Thanks for your reply as well as taking the initiative to find that thread.

In my case, what I left out is that I went to the doctor yesterday and was diagnosed with mild depression and anxiety. Two signatures of this include sleep issues and more sighing than usual (check and check). I was prescribed Lexapro. Tinnitus has never been a show stopper for sleep before for me.

Folks, for whoever is reading this, just a reminder that your health is your wealth!!

 

[Jake007]

I wake up at 3 in the morning like clock work, no matter what time I fall asleep. I drink beer to fall asleep cause I don't wanna get addicted to pills and go through the withdrawal.

 

[RockyDoctah]

It's something they call "Body clock" as you sleep your body will set a moment it needs to wake up.

I don't really know, it's just something I've heard of.

 

[Bill Bauer]

To reset your body clock, don't sleep for one night. Then you can go to bed at the ideal time. You will be tired, so chances are you will sleep for 8 hours. It works for me.

 

[CaRd]

I have been struggling with this for a year and a half before i got T. In the beginning it was very annoying because i could not fall asleep again. And that was for some 7 months ... Devastating. Nowdays i wake up just as you say - an hour after i fall asleep. Sometimes even less. My T is very loud then but i don't think it is what wkes me up anymore. I realizied that if i go to sleep after 3 am., i sleep with no waking up for straight 9-10 hours. It has something to do with our biological clock. Or brain chemistry ...

 

[frohike]

Specifically, I am waking up an hour and a half after I go to bed every night! Yes, every night.

90 mins sounds like a REM cycle. It's not uncommon to wake up for a few seconds, then go back to sleep and not even remember it happened.

 

[Tim1234]

Hey Mike, sorry to hear you are going through this - were you able to correct it? I have the same exact issue. The only thing different is this...

That 90 minutes feels like 9 hours. I go to sleep, awake up almost wxactally 90 minutes later and think it should be morning, look at my phone and realize it literally an hour later. Then i usually can go back to sleep quite fine but wake up super tired. There are indeed instances where i can't go to sleep either.

I have been experiencing this for the last 2 months and have felt so darn tired. I have been telling my wife this and decided to google it and sure enough this is the same thing I have been experiencing.

 

[frohike]

I started focusing on this, looking at the clock as I grew tired, and looking at it when I woke up. After a week of this I realized I was focusing on this way to much, and I was making the condition worse. So I literally decided to stop caring about it. After about three or four days I started sleeping through the night again.

I have the same experience. I wake up after 90 min. I used to worry silly about it, or start thinking about stuff for hours. Now I don't engage in worrying thoughts and go back to sleep. Yes, I have T, it is a nuisance, but I still intend to sleep as much as I can.

Meditating (with Headspace) may be helping me to let my mind ago. Like a state of mind I'm developing. Or maybe I'm imagining things but that's my feeling.