I can now get to sleep, but I wake up 3am, then my sleep is very patchy - any advice ?

[Bansaw]

I had trouble last year not dropping off to sleep until 2am, but now since I got blue-light blocking glasses, I can fall asleep OK.

But now, I am waking up 3am, and sometimes can't get back to sleep until 5am, or my sleep is very patchy.
Any advice?

(Extra info: Melotonin doesn't really work for me, sometimes it does if I take a super-high dose, Lavander oil seems to work a little. Anti-histamines work sometimes but often not. I am on Keto diet so my blood sugar is not high. I am wondering if Keto is affecting my serotonin)

 

[Wolfcub]

I wonder....could it be simple hunger that wakes you up? If you have gone carb free, you may be in the switchover from burning sugar for fuel....to something else?
Oddly, I once heard that eating a banana an hour before bed can help sleep. I sleep okay generally (some blips) so haven't tried that yet. But if you're doing Keto, you may not want to.

Magnesium also is friendly to sleep. Beware the GI side effects, but Magnesium glycinate side-tracks those.

 

[PatJ]

Here is some info I've noted from various sites about waking at 3AM:

from ahmo on PR: "I've been taking Dr. Theoharides Neuroprotek for mast cell release of histamines in the hipocampus. I felt the results within a few hours, was able to drop several of my supps straight away. I've discovered that when my mind's turned on at 3AM and I can't stop the chattering, one Neuroprotek shuts down the monkey mind within 15 minutes."

*Liver, certain times*
From: https://drjockers.com/functional-testing-gallbladder-health/
The gallbladder is most active between 11pm – 1am and the liver is between 1am – 3am. Consistently waking during these periods are signs of poor gallbladder and/or liver function.

*Why Stress Causes You to Wake Up at 3am, and what to do about it*
From: http://www.rejuvinstitute.com/why-do-i-always-wake-up-at-3am
[Some commenters said they had terrible sleep the first night they tried this, but it improved after that.]
* [Why] 3am is when your liver regenerates. To do so, it needs glycogen. The problem is that adrenaline causes your cells to use up glycogen. So if you are often stressed, your body may not have enough glycogen for the liver to regenerate at 3am. If your liver cannot get the glycogen it needs, your adrenal glands will compensate by releasing adrenalin, which is why you are wide awake and ready for action, not exactly a state you want to be in at 3am.
* [Remedy] 95% of our clients who suffer from this issue have reported that they found relief by using the simple recipe below.
_Adrenal Cocktail Recipe_
½ cup orange juice
¼ teaspoon cream of tarter
¼ teaspoon Himalayan or Celtic salt

Just mix all the ingredients and drink before bed.
You may also do this in the morning to deal with stress throughout the day, but always be sure to drink it before bed as well.
* [Why it works] The Adrenal Cocktail is made up of ingredients that replenish vital organs and stabilize glucose levels to keep you from waking up at 3am.
- Fresh squeezed orange juice gives the liver glucose it needs to regenerate.
- Cream of tartar is high in potassium, an element that is essential for the sodium/potassium balance in cells, vital organs (liver), muscles, nerves, and the digestive system.
- Himalayan salt, contains 84 essential minerals and elements found in the human body, helping feed the adrenals and refresh body’s the sodium/potassium pump.

 

[Plum]

2 things have helped me.

Listening to something that distracts my brain without engaging me much. So it stops me thinking about stuff I don't need to be thinking about which makes me more awake and distracts my brain so I can switch off and go back to sleep.

Food. Particularly carb. This obviously can backfire as it did with me and I gained weight! So I don't do this anymore. I think there is research on eating carbs and sleep in the military...

 

[Wishful]

I had the problem that quickly digested carbs in the afternoon would consistently cause insomnia around 2 AM. So did physical activity after 2 PM. The latter problem seems to have passed (not sure why). I haven't tested the carb sensitivity lately. Neither of these may be a problem for you, but it's an example of unexpected triggers for insomnia. Keeping a food/activity/symptoms journal might help identify a correlation between your insomnia and something in your lifestyle.

 

[Melissa89]

When I had glandular fever for the first time 7 months ago I would constantly wake at 3am like clockwork.. not surprising considering EBV is closely linked to the liver and my enzymes were quite high during this time. As I started healing I’d wake at 5am rather than 3 and then Introduced glutathione as a supplement and my liver enzymes are very stable now - also dramatically helped my sleep too! Perhaps glutathione might have the same effect - as I’ve mentioned before on here, it puts me to sleep within an hour of taking it.

 

[Bansaw]

* [Remedy] 95% of our clients who suffer from this issue have reported that they found relief by using the simple recipe below.
_Adrenal Cocktail Recipe_
½ cup orange juice
¼ teaspoon cream of tarter
¼ teaspoon Himalayan or Celtic salt

This is interesting. I might try this. I thought orange juice would just go into the blood stream at 10pm and not be available so much at 2am? I thought something slow-release might be more appropriate. Are there any alternatives for OJ?
Also, I have Potassium capsules, that might seem to do the same job as the tartar sauce.(?)

 

[PatJ]

This is interesting. I might try this. I thought orange juice would just go into the blood stream at 10pm and not be available so much at 2am? I thought something slow-release might be more appropriate. Are there any alternatives for OJ?
Also, I have Potassium capsules, that might seem to do the same job as the tartar sauce.(?)

I've never tried the remedy. It's tempting to try substitutes but if the claimed 95% success rate is true then there must be something successful in the combination of ingredients, and maybe interactions that weren't explained in the article. I would give it a try as-is before trying substitutions.

I also thought OJ would be too quickly absorbed. But, some people rely on a tablespoon of honey before bed to keep their blood sugar up overnight. Honey is absorbed extremely quickly, and a tablespoon of honey contains a lot of sugar.

 

[Bansaw]

Honey is absorbed extremely quickly, and a tablespoon of honey contains a lot of sugar.

I wonder what glucose is released more slowly. And maybe it doesn't need to be released slowly anyway, - when the liver sees glucose in the bloodstream it might just grab it and keep it for its use a couple of hours later(?)
(Its a tspn of honey by the way, not a tablespoon)

 

[PatJ]

the liver sees glucose in the bloodstream it might just grab it and keep it for its use a couple of hours later(?)

I think that's the way it supposed to work in healthy, or mostly healthy people.

(Its a tspn of honey by the way, not a tablespoon)

I've seen both amounts recommended. Maybe some people need more than others to get through the night. I also wonder if raw (with enzymes) vs. pasteurized honey makes a difference in how the body responds.

 

[Bansaw]

I think that's the way it supposed to work in healthy, or mostly healthy people.
I've seen both amounts recommended. Maybe some people need more than others to get through the night. I also wonder if raw (with enzymes) vs. pasteurized honey makes a difference in how the body responds.

@PatJ When you took the orange juice, tartar sauce, salt cocktail, how long before that positively affected your nightly sleep? After a few days, or straight away?
I took honey, magnesium, potassium and salt last night and it had no real affect, except I didn't fall asleep for an hour or two, and I still woke at 2am, 3:30am and was patchy as usual. Just wondering how long before I might see a positive change.

 

[PatJ]

When you took the orange juice, tartar sauce, salt cocktail, how long before that positively affected your nightly sleep? After a few days, or straight away?

I haven't actually tried it. I don't have problems with blood sugar during the night, just during the day. I suggested it because you mentioned the 3am wake up time which is also mentioned in the article.

 

[sometexan84]

My 2nd RE-post of this awesome tip!

So yea, I've gone through the exact same thing. Waking middle of night, can't fall back asleep. And I am really really proud of this idea, because it really works.

When trying to go back to sleep, I've been too wired. So I shut my eyes, get comfortable, and picture in my mind graphics like below. I picture a guy sleeping in bed, with little ZZZzzzz's floating above. And as long as I stay focused on that type of cartoony sleeping guy imagery, I start feeling tired, like legit tired, as if I'd taken another melatonin. Serious it worx! As if that image in my brain makes it shift back to parasympathetic instead of sympathetic activity. It's crazy!

Seriously, try it, and tell me how it goes.

 

[consuegra]

Putting magnesium cream on the back and sides of the neck is helpful. It can be applied several times a night and helps put one back to sleep. I make my own magnesium chloride cream. It is good for a lot of things. As Derrick Lonsdale said, "Magnesium, magnesium, magnesium.

Chris