Anyone else wake at 3am and start overthinking?

My son recommended a magnesium supplement to my husband and myself. It contains 3 types of magnesium. We buy it online and the name ends in 'geeks'. In his delicate way of putting things, he said "It will help you sleep at night, give you more energy during the day and sort your guts out" Well, it actually does all of those things. I can hardly believe it. The price for 90 capsules is around 8.99. I have recouped that by not having to buy a regular product to sort my guts out.

All the past worries are ever present at 3am for me. Sometimes it’s 2.30. I will have some water, read a bit on the Kindle after taking a couple of paracetamol. After I had an early hysterectomy one of my nurses discovered I always went to sleep after two of them. So if I had a headache at work I always declined those as a cure because I’d be fast asleep in no time. Very odd.

All the time at the moment. Most nights I have a sleep of two halves at the moment. Asleep somewhere between 10 and 11 pm. Wake up about 2 am. Do Sudoku for about 2 hours. Back to sleep for another few hours.

still18inside

It's reassuring to know this happens to other people. Wondering whether anyone has tried magnesium supplements? I'm having mixed results with them - not sure if it's worth persevering.

Look at what magnesium you are taking as there is a few. Then look at the ingredients, go onto British Supplements website and see what there ingredients are. Look at there ‘stacks’ page which will help you choose the best one. I use mega magnesium which I feel really helps me. Lots of supplements are not high spec.

Try audiobooks. Particularly something you’re very familiar with. I tend to listen to Jane Austen quietly it distracts me, relaxes me and I am soon snoozing

Surely it's better to try and empty the brain (not too difficult in my case!), rather than counting. I find a tip I learnt in yoga helps: try to relax each part of the body separately, starting with the feet and working upwards. It usually works, but if it doesn't just start again.

I make words from the letters in whatever day of the week it is......... e.g. today is Monday - so man, may, moan, don, dam... etc

I've tried magnesium supplements a couple of times for a period of 30 days each. Doesn't seem to make any difference at all.

yes I do this a lot. I start thinking about things...even have conversations with myself. usually lasts for couple of hours.

Going through my in box I was about to delete the following post
BBC Science focus Lunchtime Genius (daily email on lots of different science subjects. Short articles)
Tuesday 2nd Dec subject.- 11 surprisingly simple fixes for dramatically better sleep

The Calm app is great. I have very rarely reached the end of a story. Some voices are better than others but the stories especially the non fiction are interesting and informative. Well worth the annual charge.

I either can't get to sleep in the first place and end up reading for an hour or so or else I wake around 4.30/5am in which case I know I won't get back to sleep so I get up, make a milky decaf drink and go back to bed to read, end up getting up around 6am and being worn out for the rest of the day. Have tried lying there, deep breathing and all the usual things but just get more and more frustrated so better for me to just get a drink and read.

I've taken to listening to podcasts on my phone to help me sleep, I keep them running through the night so when I wake up, instead of thinking about things I concentrate on listening to the podcast until I drift off to sleep again

I am often awake at ungodly hours, as back can wake me up etc. When I am worried about something serious I find even reading, my mind still chuntering on. So I count back in threes, from a thousand. If I forget where I am up to, I go back to the beginning. The odd numbers mean you have to concentrate, and you can do it in the dark. So that does help to blank out other thoughts.

Every single night!!

BBC 4Extra is great for some gentle dramas and comedies to quiet the early hours mind.

I read my Kindle! A good enough book soon takes your mind off uncomfortable things.

I have a number of Audible books and podcasts. They often send me back to sleep. The best I find are comedic, eg Alan Partridge and John Cooper Clark.

16:18Tingtong23

I take magnesium glycinate an hour before bed; drink hot milk, honey, turmeric and ginger before bed. It helps me to sleep.

CanadianGran

I listen to a podcast. The History Extra one usually sends me to sleep quite quickly! You can set a timer.

I used to listen to books, but would never make it more than 15 minutes, so podcasts are shorter and I don't mind if I miss some of the info by falling asleep.

I have had exactly the same problem and podcasts are the answer for me too. Works for my brother as well. If you are not sleeping alone there are good pillow earphones incorporated into headbands, but I can sleep with an earbud in, or even wired earphones, but I prefer the wireless option.

(I often have to drive along the motorway to see my mum and really don't want to drive if I have not had enough sleep - not safe for me or other roadusers.)

Daffonanna

This happens occasionally and my brain whirrs round uselessly . I find it helps if I get up , make a hot drink , take it back to bed and read until I feel sleepy . If I go back to sleep , coffee effects wake me up at normal time . If not I just accept I’m making an early start on the day .

I do this! I also have a biscuit with the hot drink as I think I’m waking due to a dip in my sugar levels. I may be wrong but it seems to work.

Try Ian Payne on LBC if you’re awake at 4am. He’s on between 4am and 7am Monday to Friday. He’s different and quite refreshing - his own fan club seems to have formed!

I wish I did and feel for u . Everything is so overwhelming in middle of the night . Breathing exercises are ok but hard to do if u have reached the panic stage . I read that running your wrists under very cold water can help and it kind of resets your brain . I have tried a few nights and worked a bit .

If you hear of any tips please let me know for a few years now I’ve had problems sleeping, even over the counter sleeping pills don’t work.
I’m tossing and turning and crying because I can’t sleep I often come downstairs and make a mug of hot milk to no avail, I’ve often still been awake listening to the birds morning chorus
The trouble is when I’m awake at night I tend to reminisce about old times when my children were little and I was still with their father (even though I’ve been married to a wonderful man for over 25 years)
I then have morbid thoughts about death and that also makes me cry cos I don’t want to leave the grandchildren, I’m 66 but feel I’m at the end of my life maybe it’s because I’m in permanent pain, and I think probably grieving for the fit independent woman I used to be

I'm often still awake at 3 am from over active brain on going to bed.
I usually get up, make a cuppa and read a while..living alone I'm not disturbing anyone. When my husband was alive I would sit in the dark drink8ng my cuppa..