Waking up at 5am

Parent Cafe
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<p>My room already has heavy blue velvet curtains, and I make a habit of closing the curtains in the rest of the apartment as well. Very little light gets in, and I haven’t previously had a problem sleeping until 9am.</p>

<p>The habit thing got me, too, but I haven’t had to get up at 5am regularly for 3+ years now. If it’s a habit, it’s a newly formed one.</p>

<p>Corranged: in looking to see whether this was a problem other people experienced, I read that REM sleep often includes an increased heart rate. Perhaps because I tend to wake up at the end of a REM cycle, my heart rate is still elevated? I don’t know, though; it feels very uncomfortable, so that I feel like I have been running a race – and even moreso that I SHOULD be running, and laying in bed is just not an option.</p>

<p>Stress might simply be it. School ended recently, and though finals didn’t phase me one bit, perhaps the concern over supporting myself this summer and paying for school next year has overwhelmed me stealthily. It’s not something I consciously worry about while waking, but maybe it’s being processed while I sleep.</p>

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<p>Have you had your thyroid checked? Some of those symptoms fall under hyperthyroidism.</p>

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<p>Huh. Reading the symptoms and signs of hyperthyroidism, I realize I match with an alarming number of them. Since I still have school insurance during the summer, I think I will float the possibility and get a consult with a physician and maybe the blood test.</p>

<p>Thanks for the tip, lizschup!</p>

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<p>When do you take the Lamictal? Do you have any other signs of stess &/or anxiety? Very unpleasant to wake with heart racing</p>

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<p>The Lamictal is a very controlled dosage. Right now I’m taking the minimal theraputic dose, which is 100mg a day – 2 25mg pills in the morning, 2 25mg pills in the evening. Its only reported side effect is a particular rash which signifies a serious, life-threatening condition (which is also extremely rare and very often the result of taking it without gradually easing into the appropriate dosage) and nausea. </p>

<p>I am sure I am always stressed. :slight_smile: It’s how I function! Usually it goes to my shoulders and they get really tense; there is a lot in my life that is stressful, but this is nothing new so I’ve learned how to let the steam out of its impact before making myself sick over it.</p>

<p>I am 90% sure that it is the result of stress and anxiety that I am not dealing with. Sometimes my coping method is to say “It’s no big deal,” which of course isn’t true just because I say it is. However, for that 10%, I am going to see a physician and mention everything I can and possibly request a test for hyperthyroidism.</p>