neveragain's picture
neveragain
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Supplements to stop waking in the middle of the night?

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For the past few years I've been regularly waking in the middle of the night after 4-5 hours sleep. It takes around an hour to fall back to sleep then I sleep well for a total of around 7.5-8 hours sleep.

I have no problem falling asleep initially. And my life is relatively stress free. I've also got my sleep hygiene sorted (block-out curtains, ear plugs when appropriate, etc.)

I've also done a sleep study and other than waking early, there are no issues. A medico friend suggested cortisol testing.

I've tried melatonin and time-release melatonin. At best they just extend the initial sleep period by an hour. Too high a dose and I feel groggy all morning

Any suggestions on supplements that may help? Thanks.

press1's picture

Does your training include some hard hitting CNS exercises such as Deadlifts, barbell rows, squats, heavy bench, overhead press? Start including some of these regularly and you will sleep like a baby. Some days I can do 16 hours when I am especially taxed.

Other than that the only reason I always wake up after 3 to 4 hours is hunger but the more I've crammed in the day before or before bed time the more likely I can sometimes sleep through it till I hit 8 hours solid sleep. Casein shakes, cheese, milkshake all help I find.

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maddogg's picture

I would pick up some Phosphatidyl serine. It is supposed to help you sleep and I take it to reduce cortisol levels while pcting. It isn't that cheep as far as supplements go, but as someone who struggles with it sleep is priceless.

I would keep taking the sustained release melatonin and add ZMA as it has benefits beyond sleep but helps with it as well. You could add tryptophan and sustained release 5-htp 200mg that could help bridge the sleeping gap. I also take GABA, it helps but I don't know if it will keep you asleep through that period and it could wake you with weird intense dreams. HGH helps a lot too. I'm am finally sleeping better of late. I do wake up all the time, probably 10 times a night as I switch from one shoulder to the other, but I fall back asleep most of the time pretty quickly anymore. Of course, no caffeine after 5 pm if you can help it. Don't workout too late at night either.

neveragain's picture

This is great! Thanks Smile

I've just spent a couple of hours going down the rabbit hole of phosphatidylserine. It looks very promising for my situation.

A couple of other similar possibilities that came up, specifically for people who wake in the middle of the night, are are PharmaGABA and low-dose Phenibut. Phenibut has been banned in a fair few countries, so I'll leave that as low priority for now. This article briefly discusses them:

https://progressyourhealth.com/how-to-improve-sleep-wtih-adrenal-fatigue/

And thanks for all the other suggestions. Some of them I've already tried without much effect, but there's a few good ideas I'll add to the list to try. Much appreciated.

SegaKid87's picture

Tried a new bed? Before the list of drugs come out.

press1's picture

A 'Comfort Queen' eh - Is this like one of those things we have pics of in the group Jackson? Something you aren't telling us.

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neveragain's picture

Yep. I've got all that mighty fine comfort sorted. Thanks.

One thing that gets mentioned a fair bit for insomnia when it comes to bedding is weighted blankets. It's not something I've had the "hell yeah, sign me up!" motivation for, but I guess when I've exhausted a lot of other things I'd be willing to try it.

Halsey's picture

Running 3 miles a day makes my ass sleep like a dead man. No joke, like my grandfather used to say, " if you cant sleep you havent worked hard enough". I know it's kinda a dickhead answer, but there is some truth to it.

Halsey's picture

Not every day, but eod when the weather is nice. Going here in about 20 mins.

0newheelup's picture

I was thinking the same also! Lol..

neveragain's picture

Cool. Yeah, I hit the gym weights 3-4 times a week, but that's different from a solid run. And as much as I'm not a fan of running, I really should give it a try... or maybe something like HIIT which I don't mind. Thanks for the inspiration