Falling asleep early every day

[dysert]

I need a wide audience to help me figure out what's going on. I've had "maintenance insomnia" for the last several years. This means that I can't stay asleep. The last week or so, though, I've been unable to stay awake in the evenings past 6:30 pm. I'll even fall asleep while eating supper. I've been to several doctors about this: family doc, psychiatrist, endocrinologist, sleep specialist. Nobody can tell me what's going on or how to fix it. I'll fall asleep around 6:30 and sleep soundly until maybe 9:00 or even 11:00. Then I'll get up, go to bed, and sleep some more until 2:00 am, at which time I'm up the rest of the day.

This is really having a detrimental effect on me and on my marriage. Can anyone think of ideas of what might be causing me to fall asleep so early every night? Thanks.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hi Dysert, I’m sorry to hear about your struggles with sleep. Praying for you!

—David

 

[mmksparbud]

I need a wide audience to help me figure out what's going on. I've had "maintenance insomnia" for the last several years. This means that I can't stay asleep. The last week or so, though, I've been unable to stay awake in the evenings past 6:30 pm. I'll even fall asleep while eating supper. I've been to several doctors about this: family doc, psychiatrist, endocrinologist, sleep specialist. Nobody can tell me what's going on or how to fix it. I'll fall asleep around 6:30 and sleep soundly until maybe 9:00 or even 11:00. Then I'll get up, go to bed, and sleep some more until 2:00 am, at which time I'm up the rest of the day.

This is really having a detrimental effect on me and on my marriage. Can anyone think of ideas of what might be causing me to fall asleep so early every night? Thanks.

Wish I could help. But I have somewhat the same trouble. I have fibromyalgia which causes sleep disturbances. I can not fall asleep at a certain time, I can not get on any schedule. I can only sleep when my brain says it's time to sleep and it just plain doesn't matter what time it is. Lately it also has been around 6 but it also occurs at just about any other time and only for 1-4 hours. I like the 4 hour ones! but it is usually 2. I am disabled and on Social Security and have nothing to be on a schedule about and my husband died 3 months ago--but he had learned to follow whatever schedule my brain dictated as he was disabled and on SS also. so I've learned to just go with it. I try to schedule any appointments for late in the afternoon, around 3 seems good so far. If you find any answers--let me know! I would prefer to have a normal day/night schedule like the rest of the world!

Have you been checked for fibro? There is a blood test for it now, came out about 3-4 years, but not every lab has it nor does every insurance cover it. Don't believe any doctor that says there is no blood test for it--there is. For us, our brains to not go on time out during sleep, even when sleeping our brains are awake, not like normal people whos brains show activity, but are in sleep mode. So we end up not getting the proper restorative sleep and wake up tired no matter how much sleep we get. There is also the problem of heightened brain activity when we lay down. There are often times when our brains will just kick in and not shut up long enough to let us go into sleep. Very annoying. But sleep disturbances are not the only symptoms. Pain is the worst, and most common, any time, any where. Often with it is Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and the ever maddening brain fog---putting the milk in the cupboard and the cereal in the frig type thing.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hi again @dysert, if you are getting up at 2:00a, then 6-6:30p would seem a natural time for you to fall asleep again as part of a normal 16 hr awake/8 hr asleep cycle, so maybe that has something to do with it? Is it possible to begin to slowly inch your schedule forward a bit to bring it back into a more normal alignment with night/day, even if it takes several months to do so?

Yours and His,
David

 

[dysert]

Wish I could help. But I have somewhat the same trouble. I have fibromyalgia which causes sleep disturbances. I can not fall asleep at a certain time, I can not get on any schedule. I can only sleep when my brain says it's time to sleep and it just plain doesn't matter what time it is. Lately it also has been around 6 but it also occurs at just about any other time and only for 1-4 hours. I like the 4 hour ones! but it is usually 2. I am disabled and on Social Security and have nothing to be on a schedule about and my husband died 3 months ago--but he had learned to follow whatever schedule my brain dictated as he was disabled and on SS also. so I've learned to just go with it. I try to schedule any appointments for late in the afternoon, around 3 seems good so far. If you find any answers--let me know! I would prefer to have a normal day/night schedule like the rest of the world!

Have you been checked for fibro? There is a blood test for it now, came out about 3-4 years, but not every lab has it nor does every insurance cover it. Don't believe any doctor that says there is no blood test for it--there is. For us, our brains to not go on time out during sleep, even when sleeping our brains are awake, not like normal people whos brains show activity, but are in sleep mode. So we end up not getting the proper restorative sleep and wake up tired no matter how much sleep we get. There is also the problem of heightened brain activity when we lay down. There are often times when our brains will just kick in and not shut up long enough to let us go into sleep. Very annoying. But sleep disturbances are not the only symptoms. Pain is the worst, and most common, any time, any where. Often with it is Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and the ever maddening brain fog---putting the milk in the cupboard and the cereal in the frig type thing.

I don't think I have fibromyalgia. I believe there's pain associated with that, and I have no pain. Nor do I have the brain fog you describe. I don't get restorative sleep, though. Even if I sleep 5 hours I'm very tired all the time. Any other ideas?

 

[dysert]

Hi again @dysert, if you are getting up at 2:00a, then 6-6:30p would seem a natural time for you to fall asleep again as part of a normal 16 hr awake/8 hr asleep cycle, so maybe that has something to do with it? Is it possible to begin to slowly inch your schedule forward a bit to bring it back into a more normal alignment with night/day, even if it takes several months to do so?

Yours and His,
David

The sleep doc tried to inch my schedule forward and even tried ProVigil (or is it NewVigil?) to help. It didn't work. I'll still fall asleep very early no matter what. I can't control it.

 

[SkyWriting]

I need a wide audience to help me figure out what's going on. I've had "maintenance insomnia" for the last several years. This means that I can't stay asleep. The last week or so, though, I've been unable to stay awake in the evenings past 6:30 pm. I'll even fall asleep while eating supper. I've been to several doctors about this: family doc, psychiatrist, endocrinologist, sleep specialist. Nobody can tell me what's going on or how to fix it. I'll fall asleep around 6:30 and sleep soundly until maybe 9:00 or even 11:00. Then I'll get up, go to bed, and sleep some more until 2:00 am, at which time I'm up the rest of the day.

This is really having a detrimental effect on me and on my marriage. Can anyone think of ideas of what might be causing me to fall asleep so early every night? Thanks.

Assuming you'd prefer to sleep at night, experiment with only natural light for a week.
Have no light sources after dark. No computer, LEDs, TV or any light sources after dark.
You can add to this melatonin at your prefered sleep time. The correct dose is 1 to 5 micro grams....not milligrams. So if you have chewable melatonin then 1/10 of a 1 milligram tablet is correct. Usually they are 5 milligrams and I have good results with 1/4 of a chewable pill pushed in my cheek like chewing tobacco. If you keep it dry, it dissolves slowly over the next hour and gets me to sleep.

I use this to change from working 12 hour nights for work, then sleeping 8 hour nights every weekend for thee days. Night shift is a killer.

I also need leg exercise just before sleep. Even kicking my legs in the air settles them down and it's as if I took a walk. It kicks in a bit of "tiredness" which works.

 

[mmksparbud]

I don't think I have fibromyalgia. I believe there's pain associated with that, and I have no pain. Nor do I have the brain fog you describe. I don't get restorative sleep, though. Even if I sleep 5 hours I'm very tired all the time. Any other ideas?

Sorry!!! but if later you develop more symptoms---check it out! Onset can be gradual. You could try Melatonin---didn't help me but it helps many others.

 

[Chinchilla]

I need a wide audience to help me figure out what's going on. I've had "maintenance insomnia" for the last several years. This means that I can't stay asleep. The last week or so, though, I've been unable to stay awake in the evenings past 6:30 pm. I'll even fall asleep while eating supper. I've been to several doctors about this: family doc, psychiatrist, endocrinologist, sleep specialist. Nobody can tell me what's going on or how to fix it. I'll fall asleep around 6:30 and sleep soundly until maybe 9:00 or even 11:00. Then I'll get up, go to bed, and sleep some more until 2:00 am, at which time I'm up the rest of the day.

This is really having a detrimental effect on me and on my marriage. Can anyone think of ideas of what might be causing me to fall asleep so early every night? Thanks.

20 min walk outside before supper , reduction of sugar , carbs and salt , no tv/pc/news/phone 1hour before sleep , if you can't control yourself with the phone lock it somewhere .

So that was the easy part now the harder part .
Disable wifi before sleepin every time you go to bed , do not sleep next to smart meter .

 

[dysert]

20 min walk outside before supper , reduction of sugar , carbs and salt , no tv/pc/news/phone 1hour before sleep , if you can't control yourself with the phone lock it somewhere .

So that was the easy part now the harder part .
Disable wifi before sleepin every time you go to bed , do not sleep next to smart meter .

To me, you've got the easy part and the hard part reversed ;-). Thanks for the ideas, though. I'm really hoping that someone will come up with an idea of the root cause (e.g., something wrong with my adrenal glands) instead of just a way to alleviate the symptoms (although I certainly would like the symptoms to go away too!).

 

[Chinchilla]

To me, you've got the easy part and the hard part reversed ;-). Thanks for the ideas, though. I'm really hoping that someone will come up with an idea of the root cause (e.g., something wrong with my adrenal glands) instead of just a way to alleviate the symptoms (although I certainly would like the symptoms to go away too!).

Maybe cuz im lazy , moving all furniture to not sleep near smart meter or having habit of turning off wifi every day seem harder than 20 min walk .

 

[dysert]

Maybe cuz im lazy , moving all furniture to not sleep near smart meter or having habit of turning off wifi every day seem harder than 20 min walk .

Tbh, I don't even know what a smart meter is - or even if we have one. And after a day's work (and the lack of good sleep), I'm too exhausted to take a walk, though I do walk the dog a little after I get home.

 

[Thebigboo]

What tests did the doctors run on you? Was everything normal?

 

[dysert]

I've had more blood tests than I could ever count. Things look good. I've had two sleep studies (where you spend the night there and they watch you all night long). They indicated that I have obstructive sleep apnea (which is being treated by my using a CPAP machine - when I'm actually in bed). I've had my thyroid tested. There is a cyst on my one adrenal gland, but supposedly it's not doing anything.

Personally, I think I am on the edge of having narcolepsy, but I don't want to push for that diagnosis for fear of them taking my driver's license away.

 

[Thebigboo]

I've had more blood tests than I could ever count. Things look good. I've had two sleep studies (where you spend the night there and they watch you all night long). They indicated that I have obstructive sleep apnea (which is being treated by my using a CPAP machine - when I'm actually in bed). I've had my thyroid tested. There is a cyst on my one adrenal gland, but supposedly it's not doing anything.

Personally, I think I am on the edge of having narcolepsy, but I don't want to push for that diagnosis for fear of them taking my driver's license away.

Hi dysert -is it possible that your CPAP is not working as it should?

 

[dysert]

Yes, that's possible, and I'm in the process of getting a new one (I pick it up Wednesday). However, I doubt that's going to help since I'm only on CPAP when I'm asleep in bed, which only occurs (roughly) from 11:00 pm to 2:00 am. (I know the obvious suggestion would be to stay in bed after 2:00, but when I wake up at that time I'm always very nervous for some reason, and I have to get up and involved in something else to calm down.)

For those of you following this thread, you're probably getting the idea that I've got more wrong with me than just the sleep stuff. You'd be right, but the sleep stuff is the one that affects my quality of life (and my marriage) the most, which is why I'm desperate to get it fixed.