<p>Just about every other night or so, I wake up pretty completely about 3-5 hours after falling asleep. My heart is racing and I feel WIDE awake, but I also remember sleeping soundly before and dreaming – and the dream was not a nightmare.</p>
<p>It happened tonight (hi, dawn!), so I know it’s not a matter of exercise (I walked 7+ miles earlier in the day) or food (I ate extremely healthy – 3 meals, fruits and veggies, no soda) or sleep apnea (allergies were weak yesterday and I can breathe just fine now) and the only medicine I am taking is the lowest theraputic dose of Lamictal (and the problem it’s treating is not nearly enough to warrant it; diagnosed mild mood disorder NOS). </p>
<p>This is fairly recent as it’s only been happening the past couple months, and there hasn’t been anything consistently new in that period of time that I could think would cause a change in sleeping habits.</p>
<p>Has anyone experienced anything similar? More to the point – anyone know what I can do to FIX it?</p>
<p>Have you ever done yoga? I find that if I manage to get to a class, I sleep especially soundly that night. To get back to sleep, you might try listening to a book on tape. I often do this when I go to bed, and I drop off very quickly.</p>
<p>If you’re eating healthy, excercising regularly, avoiding caffeine, avoiding drugs and alcohol, on no new drugs, emotionally healthy, not unusually stressed out, and otherwise getting a healthy amount of sleep, you should ask your doctor.</p>
<p>I read that if you are having sleep problems for over two weeks, you should see your doctor. It takes only that long for sleep problems to become a pattern.</p>
<p>What about outside noises that you may not be “aware” off, a neighbor leaving, the newspaper delivery, a garbage truck, a neighbor who works nights, critters skulking around, dogs barking, not sure how close you are to others, or how isolated you are- physically- but this is something to consider</p>
<p>if this is happening at about the same time, it could be something waking you that you aren’t aware of at the time, but disturbing you enough to create some issues</p>
<p>also, I know that Berekely sunrise is 552, which means it starts getting lighter a while before that</p>
<p>I second booklady, and in fact was going to say the exact thing. And remember, PERImenapause starts a good 10 (or more) years before the onset of menapause.</p>
<p>yes, see a doctor, but also look at external forces, you would be surpised, our buses start running again about 5am, its a sudden change in the quiet that someitmes wakes me up</p>
<p>PERImenapause starts a good 10 (or more) years before the onset of menapause.</p>
<p>oh hush
but what does* that *mean?</p>
<p>I haven’t had any symptoms as far as I can tell and I am almost 50
I wake up the same time everyday though( 6am)- no matter what time I go to bed- which really can be a PITA
especially when my H can sleep through about anything & does.</p>
<p>I do have to have it quiet though- and I have to read ( or watch something on the laptop), before bed.</p>
<p>Early waking can be a sign of depression- it is something to at least check out.
BUt I would also recommend Benadryl. I take it occasionally for allergies and our vet recommended it to our dog as well ( for allergies), but it also knocks me out, it might be worth trying so as not to get into a pattern of early waking.</p>
<p>At about age 45 I started having to get up to go to the bathroom after only 4-5 hours sleep; usually would get back to sleep but not always. My ob-gyn nodded and said it’s normal for my age: premenopausal. Most annoying!</p>
<p>My immediate reaction: have you been taking pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine for a cold? Because both of those drugs will cause the racing pulse you describe.</p>
<p>I’m 21 and female, so I’m pretty sure unless something is really off that I’m not experiencing perimenopause or menopause. No cold medicines – nothing whatsoever except the Lamictal and my steady-hormone dose of BC. </p>
<p>I have considered outside noises and I’m kind of a light sleeper – particularly since I seem to wake during the tail-end of a REM cycle, not during stage 3 or 4. However, they’re the same noises I’ve been dealing with for 6 months and something is waking me consistently now without any noticeably consistent change in other people’s patterns.</p>
<p>emeraldkity4, depression is worth considering since that’s part of why I’m taking Lamictal, but if I’m experiencing sleep episodes like that while on the drug it also means I need to shift to a new medicine. If I see a doctor, though, I know they’re going to focus on that.</p>
<p>No soda, no tea, no coffee – when I do drink soda, it’s usually with lunch at 1 or 2, and I have a tendency to go to bed at midnight or so.</p>
<p>I’m going to go ahead and guess that I’m just weird and deal with it appropriately – Benadryl sounds like a fantastic temporary solution.</p>
<p>Perimenopause, or pre-menopause is a transitional stage of two to ten years before complete cessation of the menstrual period. Its average duration is six years, and can appear in women from 35 to 50 years of age. This has not been a stage of women’s lives much talked about, and a woman can find herself experiencing puzzling changes, and not know why. What is actually going on is a gradual decrease of estrogen. The manifestations of perimenopause can vary. Here are some of the most commonly reported ones:</p>
<p>changes in your menstrual cycle (longer or shorter periods, heavier or lighter periods, or missed periods)
hot flashes (sudden rush of heat from your chest to your head)
night sweats (hot flashes that happen while you sleep)
vaginal dryness
sleep problems
mood changes (mood swings, depression, irritability)
pain during sex
more urinary infections
urinary incontinence
less interest in sex
increase in body fat around your waist
problems with concentration and memory </p>
<p>Women normally go through perimenopause between ages 45 and 55, but some women start perimenopause earlier, even in their 30s. When perimenopause starts, and how long it lasts varies from woman to women.</p>
<p>This may get a “duh” reaction, but have you considered the effect of light?</p>
<p>At this time of year, it gets light at around 5 am. Our bodies are hardwired to get up when it’s light and go to sleep when it’s dark. Most of the year, it’s dark at 5 am. But not in late spring/early summer.</p>
<p>Before speaking with a doctor, you might want to try opaque window shades. Or just hang some heavy blankets over your windows for a few nights and see whether that helps.</p>
<p>Also once something like that becomes noticeable to us it seems to become habit. I have the weirdest thing that I wake up on sat and sunday at a certain time wide awake. On weekdays I have to get up 15 minutes later but have the hardest time even with the alarm.</p>
<p>It’s the waking up with your heart racing that makes me, though totally ignorant of medicine, think it must be emotional, stress, or chemical-related. I don’t see why you would wake up from the sun with your heart racing, though a loud noise could do it.</p>
