Difficulty waking up/ Unable to wake up to alarms

[RachelMary]

So I have been progressively having more and more difficulty waking up, even with alarms. It seems to be more than just briefly waking up, turning the alarm off and putting my head back down. Most of the time I don't even know my alarm is going off. I have even stopped turning it off in my sleep: all awareness is out the window. I have struggled with this for most of my life but lately it has been getting worse and has become annoying to my roommates. I got the flex 2 and the silent alarm is somewhat helpful, but still not good enough for when I have to get up by a certian time. My sleep schedule is more or less regular, and granted I don't sleep quite as much as I probably should, but I still average 6-7 hours per night and to me that shouldn't justify the difficulties waking up that I have been having.

Has anyone had the same problem or suggestions on how to solve it?

[RunningAmy]

I have similar problems and was hoping the fitbit might help me monitor and understand this better. So far set to normal I have sleep efficiency of 97% on average, so I intend to reset it to Sensitive and see if that changes.

I talked to my doctor several years ago who recommended some blood tests. Test for thyroid issues or cortisol levels. But mine all came back normal.

I notice I'm very congested mornings, and I'm on several allergy meds like Flonase and an antihistamine nasal spray, and often wake up with sinus pressure and low headaches (I just feel groggy, not painful so much as I just can't wake up, but recently realized they are basically sinus/tension headaches).

I do some yoga mornings, take short walks, and drink coffee, before I leave for work--which doesn't solve the problem but helps me cope. I have considered getting a Phillips wake up light alarm to see if I can get up more easily. But my cat wakes me up reliably and I still want to go back to bed, so like you it's not necessarily the body's sleep schedule that's the problem.

Good luck and hope you find relief.

[better-ur-best]

I found that if I have had a large meal and/or lots of carbs JUST before bed, even if I could put myself asleep, I usually overslept the next morning, dismissing my alarm in my sleep without myself noticing and would feel super tired all day long. People said it possibly due to body busying in digesting during my sleep and those blood sugar issue affecting zzz quality, making my body not fully resting through the night.

Should this sounds familiar to your daily habit, you might wanna try finishing your meals earlier before bedtime (not sure about how long should it be, perhaps 3-4hrs?). And not ending your day with a full stomach.

[DMcB]

I've always had difficulty waking up, especially in the winter when it's dark in the mornings.  I decided to invest in a wake-up light alarm clock.  It simulates a sunrise by starting with a soft red glow and slowly turns into a bright light over the next 30 minutes and then my alarm goes off.  Before getting this alarm clock, I'd often be in a really deep sleep when my alarm went off.  I would feel really dopey or drowsy and often fall back asleep within a minute or two.  Now, the light seems to pull me out of the deeper sleep cycles just before my alarm clock goes off and it's much easier to get up.  In fact, I often wake up a few minutes before the alarm is scheduled to go off, even on the weekends when it's not set!  Here's a link to the one I bought:

http://www.philips.ca/c-p/HF3520_60/wake-up-light

[RachelMary]

Thanks for this, I do know I have thyroid problems that affect my body temperature regulation, and I have been tested for other issues in the past but not recently. I didn't even think about it possibly affecting my sleep, I'll ask at my next appointment.

[RachelMary]

I do try to not eat as much just before bed but maybe I do need to set my last meal earlier in the evening to give myself some more time. Thanks!

[RachelMary]

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@DMcB wrote:

I've always had difficulty waking up, especially in the winter when it's dark in the mornings.  I decided to invest in a wake-up light alarm clock.  It simulates a sunrise by starting with a soft red glow and slowly turns into a bright light over the next 30 minutes and then my alarm goes off.  Before getting this alarm clock, I'd often be in a really deep sleep when my alarm went off.  I would feel really dopey or drowsy and often fall back asleep within a minute or two.  Now, the light seems to pull me out of the deeper sleep cycles just before my alarm clock goes off and it's much easier to get up.  In fact, I often wake up a few minutes before the alarm is scheduled to go off, even on the weekends when it's not set!  Here's a link to the one I bought:

http://www.philips.ca/c-p/HF3520_60/wake-up-light

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I really like this idea! I think I'm going to try some other things first, since I have same problem waking up even in the summers when there is more light early in the mornings, but  I will for sure keep this in mind for the future. 

[Coutin-Eliyahu]

@RachelMary:

There are supplements you could try. The most well known (perhaps most "popular") is melatonin. I use it and one tablet (500mcg - 500 micrograms) usually knocks me out. Also calcium supplements are known to enhance sleep. I'm taking "Tums" as a calcium supplement (it's really just a calcium tablet, since calcium carbonate is also an ant-acid).

One thing that really made me want to reply to this post is the fact that I also started taking higher doses of vitamin D supplements. I think this is really helping me to re-establish a circadian rythm (that's just fancytalk for "regular sleeping pattern"). I am wondering if a lot of us urbanized folks are suffering from vitamin D deficiancy and that's what's causing a lot of these sleep disorders. Anyhow, the vitamin D really seems to be making my sleep more fulfilling. I still sleep only a few hours, but I wake up more easily, am more rested all day through, and my sleep seems less fitful. At least my Fitbit seems to think so. Less restlessness.

Try vitamin D supplements. Increase the dose gradually every day, and monitor your Fitbit's sleep analysis. See if your restlessness goes down and see if you start feeling better. When you reach the level of sleep regularity that you're comfortable with, start tapering off the vitamin D. See how much you can reduce the dose before your sleep begins to become restless again.

Hope this helped. Good luck with it. B"H.

PS: here's a link to the Google results on vitamin D and sleep:

Google: sleep+vitamin+d

[RachelMary]

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@Coutin-Eliyahu wrote:

@RachelMary:

There are supplements you could try. The most well known (perhaps most "popular") is melatonin. I use it and one tablet (500mcg - 500 micrograms) usually knocks me out. Also calcium supplements are known to enhance sleep. I'm taking "Tums" as a calcium supplement (it's really just a calcium tablet, since calcium carbonate is also an ant-acid).

One thing that really made me want to reply to this post is the fact that I also started taking higher doses of vitamin D supplements. I think this is really helping me to re-establish a circadian rythm (that's just fancytalk for "regular sleeping pattern"). I am wondering if a lot of us urbanized folks are suffering from vitamin D deficiancy and that's what's causing a lot of these sleep disorders. Anyhow, the vitamin D really seems to be making my sleep more fulfilling. I still sleep only a few hours, but I wake up more easily, am more rested all day through, and my sleep seems less fitful. At least my Fitbit seems to think so. Less restlessness.

Try vitamin D supplements. Increase the dose gradually every day, and monitor your Fitbit's sleep analysis. See if your restlessness goes down and see if you start feeling better. When you reach the level of sleep regularity that you're comfortable with, start tapering off the vitamin D. See how much you can reduce the dose before your sleep begins to become restless again.

Hope this helped. Good luck with it. B"H.

PS: here's a link to the Google results on vitamin D and sleep:

Google: sleep+vitamin+d

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Thanks for the tips! I have already been taking a combined calcium + vitamin D supplement for the past couple of years, maybe I have to increase my intake of that. I know I am probably vitamin D deficient anyway because where I live, during the winter it is only light for about 6 or 7 hours per day during the winter, and being a student I'm inside most of the day and I have a history of major depression that does get worse during the winter. Maybe I need to give the melatonin a try, I haven't considered that much before. Thanks for the reccomendations!

[Coutin-Eliyahu]

@RachelMary:

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... have already been taking a combined calcium + vitamin D supplement for the past couple of years, ... Maybe I need to give the melatonin a try, I haven't considered that ... Thanks ...

Great. Also we forgot the most important sleep enhancer - exercise. If we get our heart rates up to the target range for a sustained period of time, it establishes the resting heart rate at a lower rhythm. So it makes sleep more worthwhile!

Good luck with it! B"H.

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