I am in the midst of a really troubling sleep disorder. I’d call it really screwed up sleep patterns actually. Background is…I have an 18-month old and he used to wake up really early. Having to get up with him got me in the habit of falling asleep pretty early in the evening, like no later than 8:30. When it started, I did okay, meaning that if I didn’t have to get up as the result of crying I could sleep till around 5 am. Fast forward…now I’m falling asleep at 8 or 8:30 and waking up at 3:00 in the morning with no outside stimulus. I guess I’m getting about 7 hours sleep, and feel good when I wake up but I hate being up when I feel I should still be sleeping along with the rest of the West Coast.
A contributing factor, I’m sure, is that I drink a fair amount of coffee. I’ll have about 5 cups in the morning by 6:00 am and then have another cup around 2:30 pm to keep me up until 8. I’m falling asleep on the couch @ 7 otherwise. I thought perhaps the afternoon coffee would keep me up later, and last nite I stayed awake until 9 but was still wide awake at 3 am. This sucks!
I wouldn’t consider myself depressed…perhaps a tad OCD but am overall very happy with life. It’s said that depression manifests itself in sleep problems.
Has anyone had a problem like this? I’m hesitant to go to the doctor at this point and would like to try personal recommendations first. thx!
Frequently I follow a very similar sleeping pattern. My “prime time” is in the wee hours of the morning. I begin to fade early evening. I have difficulty staying awake… depending on the activity I am “engaging” in. For instance… TV or reading and I am out like a light. If I am out and about, I feel fine.
Do you exercise regularly? How about nutrition? If I eat something like a Snickers, I will get an energy boost followed by a dive. Having a youngster is bound to place great demands on you. Maybe you need to monitor the kind of fuel you are putting in your tank. Have you considered a multi-vitamin?
Have you had a check-up recently? It may be a good idea to get in for at least a routine physical. At that point you could talk with your doctor about your sleep patterns.
Good luck.
MizGrand, you may want to check out Talk About Sleep for more information on sleep / sleep disorders.
If you’re getting a full 7 or 8 hours of sleep and feeling rested when you wake up, it doesn’t so much sound like a sleep disorder as much as it seems like you may have just re-set your body clock a little. One thing that may help is to expose yourself to bright lights late in the evening. Light is essential to our bodies’ internal clock, and may help to keep you up later in the evening.
I’m sure a big part of what you’re experiencing is due to being a new mom, but from what you’ve posted it doesn’t sound like you’ve anything medically to worry about.
Check out Ideopathic Hypersomnia at the link I provided above. It may help you get a better idea of what’s happening.