Broken sleep

I have a similar problem. I fall straight to sleep when I get into bed sleep for 2 hours, then fall asleep again and wake up again between 3am and 4am. I get up, go to the bathroom. Sometimes I can go back to sleep, but most times not. I am up most mornings by 6am and very often before 5am. I cannot find a reason for this, but more importantly, cannot find a solution. Any help appreciated.

I have this problem too, I have found something that works for me though, it gives me a good nights sleep and I wake up feeling good - Night Nurse, which is obviously meant to be used for colds. I restrict myself to only using it when I’m really tired from nights of not sleeping well, I probably have it about once every 2-3 weeks. I don’t know why, but’s it’s a miracle worker, even though it’s probably not good to take it regularly.

I was given advice from a consultant last week on improving my sleep pattern. It is called sleep hygiene.

She gave me a few suggestions as follows.
Turn off all electronic devices at least half an hour before bed.
Have a warm bath
Try a lavender roller ball on wrists
Spray pillow with lavender mist
Have a regular time to go to bed
Herbal tea especially for sleep

These are now my suggestions
I have signed up for an app which has meditations, sleep stories, music of nature. It cost me £34.99 for a one year subscription. It’s called CALM, there is another called Headspace. I have downloaded it on both my IPad and mobile. Each night I put on ear phones and plug into my mobile and fall to sleep with one of the stories. As you both wake in the night I suggest you listen to your story then. I usually fall to sleep and rarely hear the end of the story. The story switches itself off automatically.
In addition I have a scarf which I rest over my eyes to make the room completely dark.
Although my sleep isn’t perfect it is a lot better.

Finally for night time awakeness try the following
Count back slowly from. 100
or go through the alphabet with girls names then boys
Alphabetical towns or countries are good too.

You need to experiment with some of the above.

Best of luck.

I'm like you Fluty1 and am often awake, usually after my first 4 hours. I watch TV, make tea & toast & eventually feel drowsy enough to try to sleep again. I don't worry about it because fortunately, if I'm very tired, I can if I choose, have a snooze in the afternoon. I accept it as "old age creeping on" and roll with it.
I think the more we worry about broken nights, the worse it is.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I've tried the sleep hygiene programme. I may try the night nurse suggestion when desperate. I am realising it is such a common "old age" problem and certainly agree that learning to accept and live with it rather than getting frustrated with it helps. Sweet dreams??️?

This is my normal sleep pattern although I do usually go back to sleep after an hour or two but it doesn’t bother me in the least I just accept that it’s my ‘old age’ sleeping pattern
I think worrying about it and trying all different things is the biggest means of never improving once you accept it s the new way it ll improve
I don’t even think about it now just bunny hop my way through a lovely night

I have World Service on all night. It usually sends me off to sleep again quite easily. Which can be annoying when the subject is interesting :-)

Ever since a back injury in 2017, I've had disrupted nights. I've tried all the usual things - and more.

Now, I've just accepted that I won't sleep for more than four hours. Sometimes I have a nap after lunch.

Whatever I do, I always seem to be awake at 3 am, so I'll make some tea and toast, do some puzzles or read a book - and take the little dog for a stroll around the garden. Sometimes, I feel tired again and go back for a second sleep. The main thing is that I just don't worry about it!

The myth of the eight-hour sleep www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783
I’ve posted this before because it was news to me. Apparently waking in the middle of the night was the common pattern. People might even have got together with others in many ways?. I know this doesn’t help one sleep but perhaps we are just reverting to the ways of our ancestors?
PS when DD was cabin crew Night Nurse was often used by crew so they could sleep at unlikely times to get up for early flights.

Oooo My sleep has been a bit hit and miss lately. I forgot about the Night Nurse at the back of the cupboard!! Thanks who suggested it. ??

I am the same and even working full time in a fairly manual job doesn't help and this is after having a day surgery op for haitus hernia which I really recommend .

I use the alphabet system too. 4 o'clock this morning it was cakes! I also do makes of cars, flowers and anything different that I have to think about.

It usually works!

Thank you all for your kind and interesting suggestions/ideas. Actually am just pleased that I am not the only one. This pattern of sleep has been continuous for several years, so I doubt things will improve much. But - I am going to try the Lavender on the pillow etc. Once again, thank you all so much for sharing.

Sleep patterns are a matter of habit. You need temporary help to break the pattern.
I normally sleep like a log but if upset it can disrupt this.
I use Phenergan. Half a 25mg tablet gives me a great undisturbed night. Two or three nights is usually enough to get me back to a solid 8 hours a night.
Phenergan is an anti histamine. I order mine online. One packet lasts me about four years.

Nytol 'one a night' has an antihistamine in it! the blue pack! is a sleep aid!

At times horrendous sleep patterns. The word accept helps more than anything with me in that I accept this is the way I sleep during the night and just go with it. If you become anxious about this it makes it ten times worse. So at 72yrs. I just ACCEPT and when I have a great nights sleep appreciate this. Have gone thro, all the advice but nothing works.

I never had this problem when I was working, probably too exhausted, now I do wake after visiting the loo about 4 o’clock and can’t go back to sleep. So I get up, make myself a cup of tea, browse or read till I feel sleepy, then go back to bed for hour or two. If you are not working or don’t have commitments for the next day, then it doesn’t matter. Naps in the afternoon/evening are very refreshing too!

I find Asda's, Sleep Aid tablets are very good for me. In desperation, I will take a half tablet & usually find that it's enough to get me off to sleep. The full dosage is for two tablets.....I've never, ever taken the full dose. I keep them in my bedside drawer & I know that they're there, a my back up plan.....??

Back in I think the 17/18th century. People used to have what was called a first sleep and a second sleep. They would naturally wake up and get up and do whatever before returning back to bed for a second sleep. I sometimes wonder if this imbedded in us as sometimes I wake in the night for no reason. It’s an interesting subject

I think sleep patterns are something so many people have difficulty with. No matter what time I go to bed, I wake up at 3am and then can’t get back to sleep. I now just make myself comfortable and tell myself that my body is resting (sometimes I then nod off).

I have a hiatus hernia and take medication every day however my sleep pattern has nothing to do with that I just am a very bad sleeper and have tried all sorts to no avail . Just use to it now although by mid week im very tired and iratable..??

Travel sick tablets called Phenogran. They're available over the counter. I keep them in the house for when I get desperate because I know that if I take one, I will sleep through the night.

I've read about this too minxie. Apparently they went to bed when it got dark so there was no way that they'd sleep until dawn in the winter, it makes a lot of sense. I also read that they had a meal! Doesn't eating some carbohydrates aid sleep?
I also wake around 3, regardless of when I go to bed. I've found that putting on the radio (turning off automatically after an hour) often helps me to drop off again. I tend to worry about ridiculous things in the early hours and this distracts me.
Also my DH wakes and gets up at 5 and I find that I can sleep much better after that.
I like to sleep in a completely dark room, even the light from the alarm clock display irritates me.

Melatonin and probable every other night a sleeping pill .
Sometimes if I am really struggling i a sleeping pill each night for a coupe of weeks.
If I am coping with the lack of sleep I don't fuss. I read my ereader (on night mode to not wake husband , he sometimes has issues as well ) .