Insomnia?

[EllasMama]

I finally was sleeping decently till a couple of weeks ago, but now it's awful. It often takes 2 hours to get to sleep, then I can only sleep for ~4 hours (getting up to pee after 2, of course, LOL). After 4 hours, BING I'm wide awake. Can't get back to sleep for 2-4 hours. Hence my posting this at 3am!

I generally try to at least lie down and rest the whole night, except that I'm so hungry I have to get a snack almost every night at some point. I keep telling myself this is good preparation for the routine the baby's likely to have, but I'd sure like to have a full night's sleep. Have had only 1 in the past 2.5 weeks! I'm relying on long daytime naps but it feels kind of annoying to sleep the day away.

I've tried Forte Calms and even a valerian/passionflower etc. combo, but they don't really help. I think I remember insomnia at the end of my first pregnancy, so this is probably "normal" for me - but it sucks!! Anybody else experiencing this?

Carol

[krizty]

I hear you on the insomnia!!! Try drinking a glass of milk before bed... There is something in the milk that makes you sleep?? I'm not sure what it is. I also noticed if I turn the heat up a little bit the little one settles down and I can sleep better. I'm not sleeping all the way through the night, but I'm not wide eyed at 3 AM. If that doesn't work, get up and get another glass of milk and try again.

My mom also says a cup of hot decaf tea does the same thing, who knows?

[MelissaEvans]

Yep, I was doing this. My midwife says it's a calcium defficiency. So I made sure to take my vitamins 'cause I was flaking, and it went away. Good luck! We need to stash as many Z's in the sleep bank as possible. =)

[danav]

Oh man, this hit me last night...I went to bed, woke up a time or two to turn over, then woke up BAM wide awake around 2am. Laid there with my mind racing and totally unable to fall asleep...two hours later I got up, had a bowl of cereal and milk, watched ER on my TIVO, and decided to go back to bed and try again. It wasn't until after 5:30 that I finally fell back to sleep!! I don't think DH had any idea when his alarm went off and he was getting up to get ready for work that I was still awake and had been for over 3 hours...I hadn't been asleep long when he woke me to tell me goodbye. Thankfully I got back to sleep again for a couple hours (even though that couple hours was interrupted by the kids a few times as they got up...)

Today I am EXHAUSTED!!! I just had an hour or so nap and only got up because my DS came in and asked to watch a DVD for the second time, so I got up to put it in for him.

Calcium deficiency, huh? I HAVE been forgetting to take my calcium supp for a couple of days...gonna be sure to take it tonight!!

Hope you other mamas get some sleep soon - I know if I was up like this repeatedly it would kill me!

[EllasMama]

Hmm, I've been taking my calcium supplement and have been craving/consuming way more dairy than usual, but I guess I'll try for even more. I decided to move when I take my medication hoping that will help. Last night I slept for 6 whole hours, whoohoo! It felt good. And I am almost done with everything on my to-do list, so perhaps once that's complete my brain will slow down, too...except for lying there thinking about baby names, LOL!

Carol

[Lynnseedoil]

Boy, I hear ya. Insomnia hit me especially hard over the holidays because we were at the IL's house for 2 weeks in a full size bed rather than queen size. I have to flip over every hour or 2 to keep comfortable and that's a whole juggling of pillows under the covers. Add that to unquenchable nighttime thirst (IL's de-humidify their already dry house... what's up with that?) and the subsequent need to pee every couple of hours and I'm up all the time. It makes it very difficult to get back to sleep and I was waking up at 3 or 4 wide awake. It's better at home now because I can stay in bed later but I still have rough nights.

My best weapons: I take a warm bath before bed on nights that I'm really wound up or achy. It really calms me down. Also, (sorry it may be TMI) orgasms are wonderful for insomnia!

[katja]

I've been taking lots of calcium and I have it bad. As for insomnia being preparation for baby, that's what I thought my 1st pregnancy, but when dd was born, she was such an easy baby that suddenly I was better rested than I'd been in years. It was a real surprise. Now, w/#2, I have to keep reminding myself that some babies stay up all night, and I think they sometimes cry a lot too! It might be several years before I get a full night's sleep. Good luck, mama. I don't have any tricks for you, but I truly know how you feel.

[EllasMama]

Just found this on the internet while looking up sleeping problems:

"If you are unable to sleep, relax and do not worry. Sleeping patterns change in late pregnancy due to hormones. This can cause you to sleep for only 2-3 hours at a time, which is very normal. Your wakefulness may be your body's way of preparing you for the new changes in your life." http://babies.sutterhealth.org/durin...omforts.html#7

On one hand I'm glad to know this is a somewhat "normal" thing. But, relax and do not worry? Thanks, that helps so very much. I think a man who's never had insomnia must have written it. I'll be sure to think how un-worried I am tonight at 3, 4, 5, and 6 am when I'm unable to sleep. :

Carol

[winnie]

Yep, this is exactly where I'm at! The longest stretch of sleep I can get is 4 hours - and that's only happened a couple times in the last few weeks. Otherwise it's: lay in bed until about 2 or 3. Finally give up and go eat some cereal, maybe watch some bad tv. (Last night A Brady Sequel was on - ick, lol!) Then go back to bed and possibly drift off only to be woken up by DP's alarm at 6. Luckily I'm finished working now, so I can go back to sleep for a bit after he's gone to work. Even daytime napping has been tough though!

I feel for all of you, but must say I'm glad I'm not the only one dealing with this!

winn

[Boobiemama]

Originally Posted by Lynnseedoil

Also, (sorry it may be TMI) orgasms are wonderful for insomnia!

Not for me! It keeps me awake even LONGER!!
Its taking me a couple hours to fall asleep each night, even when i feel tired.Then jack wakes me up a time or 2, plus I pee every hour. So ya, it sucks right now...

[3 Little Monkeys]

Sleep? What's that? I haven't slept through the night in..... hmm, how old is dd now? 4, almost 5 yrs! If it isn't one of the kids keeping me up (and that includes the Sprout) then it's because I have to pee, or dh is snoring like crazy, or I've got heartburn, or I can't breath because Sprout is stretching out, or I'm just wide awake staring into the darkness of the room or wandering the house. Funny, I could sleep all day long if I were allowed, but at night, it just isn't possible

[Noah's mommy]

I'm with you guys. Up several times throughout the night to pee, think, roll over, adjust pillows, etc...oh well!

[EllasMama]

Beer!

I got so upset with not sleeping that I was on the brink of getting a prescription for sleeping pills, when I thought of trying beer. It seemed like a less acute treatment so I had half a beer one night...and slept 5.5 hours (peed once but got back to sleep). The next night I had half a beer and slept 6 hours (minus peeing). The next night I skipped the beer and still slept 6.5 hours. I talked with my midwife and she was totally in favor of half a beer it if it helps me sleep. I can still take a nap during the day and sleep at night, too...though I unfortunately only have the opportunity to nap every couple of days.

I feel SO much better than when I could only sleep 3 hours before being up for hours on end. I am crossing my fingers that this continues, and trying half a beer every other night, will see if that works for me. Oh, and I'm drinking very hoppy beer (hops is relaxing).

Yikes, speaking of sleep, it's midnight so I'd better get to bed! But I just wanted to report that I found something that helps for now.

Carol

[charmcitymama]

greetings from 3:58 am

[orangecanoe]

Oh good...someone else in the up since 4am club! I usually try to stay in bed and wait it out, but was getting more and more : watching the clock tick away. At least it's the weekend and I'll get some time to nap later today I hope.