For my job, some days I must wake up at 6am. When this happens, I go to bed at 10 or 11pm to pull 7-8 hours of sleep.
However, thinking about the early rise, my mind will not shut off. I lay there for hours and hours “terrorized” about waking up early. Oftentimes I can’t calm myself down enough to fall asleep until 3 AM or 4 AM, which yields 2-3 hours of sleep, an extremely inadequate amount.
Thoughts race through my head of:
“What’s the point of even sleeping if I have to wake up so early?”
“If I can’t fall asleep faster, I won’t get enough sleep and it may be a detriment to my health.”
“I can’t believe I have to be at work in X hours.”
Laying in bed for several hours fearing an early morning is a common ritual for me. However, when I have to be at work later and can sleep until 9am, I can go to bed at 11p or 12a and fall asleep almost instantaneously, worry-free.
This happens to me a lot too and I think it’s because of the pressure of needing to fall asleep fast or lose sleep, so I try to go to bed really early if I have to be up early.
Sleep hygiene is everything. Relaxing ambiance the few hours before sleep, not eating or drinking what can be triggering to you and keep you up, and giving yourself enough time to relax into sleep is helpful.
Commenting as I have the same problem and would love to see if anyone has tips to help! So far I’m thinking I’m just going to stop looking at the clock when I wake back up so hopefully it takes the pressure off of knowing how much sleep I got or knowing I have to get up at 6am (I suffer from insomnia, can’t fall asleep until midnight, wake back up at 2am and then know I have only 4 hours left to try to get that 6 hours). Hoping not looking at the time helps and someone has better suggestions! Lol.
@Lyric
I left a longer comment above, but in case you don’t see it, the summary is that I had the same issue OP is describing. Turns out I have OCD, and now that I’m taking the right med for it, I sleep so well! Not saying that’s your problem, but it’s worth talking to a doctor about because sometimes we have problems we aren’t aware of
I would go to bed earlier… so you have more time to fall asleep at a leisurely pace, rather than anticipating the hours coming up much sooner. Try to go to bed at 8.
Anxiety is the enemy of sleep. I get the same way, and it sucks. I hate to say this, but I take sedatives to knock me out if I can’t get to sleep because I simply cannot afford to lose sleep.
Owen said:
Anxiety is the enemy of sleep. I get the same way, and it sucks. I hate to say this, but I take sedatives to knock me out if I can’t get to sleep because I simply cannot afford to lose sleep.
Stressing about not sleeping or how much you just need to go to sleep bc of when you need to be up pumps cortisol through your body which keeps you awake. Occupying your mind in an emotionally neutral way is helpful. Reading is something people recommend but if you’re reading a non-fiction book about something that gets you fired up, like politics, it’s not gonna work. I like to watch videos on YouTube about geological evolution or history. Neutral. The more you pay attention to your mental state while you’re in bed and trying to sleep, the more you will notice a pattern.
So obviously this is my personal experience and not necessarily what’s happening with you, but I used to have the exact same issue so I’ll share. Turns out I have OCD, and all of those thoughts I was having were OCD related. I now take risperidone, and I sleep like a baby with absolutely no problems anymore. Risperidone makes you sleepy anyway, but I also don’t have those racing, ruminating thoughts anymore. I also don’t get those spikes of anxiety that kept me up for hours. My sleep quality has also improved dramatically!
Creating a routine is going to be your best friend. Start early, make sure there are phases to give your brain cues. Start with a cup of tea, then transition to a book/puzzle (screen-free activity), do some self-care/bedtime prep, once in bed, read again, no phone/screen and give yourself time to relax and get sleepy without setting a firm deadline for when you “have” to be asleep. It’s crummy, but insomnia is such a mind game sometimes. Best of luck and sweet dreams!
