I wake up every night between 3:30-4:30 and then struggle non-stop to fall back asleep. I ruminate and worry for hours til I finally have to officially wake up about 7/7:30am. I am exhausted!
It doesn’t matter when I go to sleep, I always wake at this time.
My friend said it’s because of a cortisol surge.
I already don’t drink caffeine after about 2pm, and even before then it’s very sparingly!
HELP!!!
Kelkel00 your friend is right...I use to wonder myself why my internal clock
woke me at 3am each night. Gee, right in the middle of the night. And then,
I read about the Cortisol surge. Going back to the cavemen who didn't have the
luxury of sleeping in. Their day started early and they needed the energy and
strength to hunt, fight animals in order to survive and to feed their families.
In order to have that strength and energy at 3am, their "fight or flight" response
would kick in. Of course now we don't need that startle in waking up to fear.
The anxious brain is still wired to react to the surge however.
What can help is learning to use meditation before bed. Meditation that focus on
the subconscious mind. Allowing both the mind and body to go into a deep REM
sleep, wiping out all negativity and allowing you to fully rest. This isn't an overnight
answer but one that takes reprogramming the mind. It works, I can attest to that 
xx
agree with Agora1 on meditation and mindfulness. my psychitrist also told me to take ashwaganda and fish oils. i didn't do the fish oils though because they make me vomit historically as i am not a fish eater, but the ashwaganda helped with other stuff for me, not so much my sleep issues. but my sleep troubles are pretty severe and long term, so maybe just will take longer to help with that? i don't know. he also gave me trazadone for sleep and i still fight to stay awake all night on that too. i typically sleep 20-45 minutes a few times each night and then give up. i don't know why because i have absolutely nothing to do while i am awake. but i am stuck in that cycle right now for a couple of months now.
i hope you find some good answers for your troubles here.
I have done that all my life. And even decades of this, it has not stopped. I have to have white noise to go back to sleep. So I turn the TV on quietly, not loud enough to hear the words, just loud enough to drown out the ruminating thoughts and stop them. My brain focuses on the sounds of the TV and if I lay down, close my eyes, and just listen to the white noise I go to sleep eventually. If I was very upset about something though, I may not be able to sleep anyway.
Do you know what you might be thinking about or any particular dreams you remember when you wake? I agree with fauxartist and working on anxiety during day will help to balance cortisol at night.
I can relate, I've had trouble getting a good night's rest all my life, though I think a lot of that has been trauma and anxiety from trauma. I keep a loose schedule and I have a routine where I take meds for sleep but give myself time to chill out, usually listening to an audiobook to help my mind unwind until I feel like I can pass out.
I'm afraid I can't speak on the subject of cortisol surges (outside of panic)
Kelke100, I have had the same issues going on for a few months. I am hoping it's the change in my meds. I am sluggish all day and try to stay awake. It's just another of the issues I am dealing with in my recovery. My Dr. added Seroquel at night and knock on wood it has helped me sleep... not a restful sleep, but I will take what I can get. I long for the days when I have slept through the night and feel rested. I don't do the TV or phone thing as I have read that the stimulation to the brain keeps you awake. I do meditate, use relaxation therapy and listen to audio books... most of time it' a self help book of some kind. Just know you are not alone we are all real fighting for recovery. The support and validation that I feel from this group is just what I needed. Stay strong!!! 🙏❤️💪
thank you all for your kind replies!
Hi. I’ve been having these sleep issues as well. Waking up around the same time each day. Sometimes I have the ruminating thoughts that keep me up, I’ve found that if I journal and get whatever it is I’m thinking out of my mind it tends to help me with the thoughts and helps me to get back to sleep. I’ve been doing that with my dreams as well and haven’t been falling back to sleep into them or having the reoccurring dreams as much.
Hope you find something that helps you fall back to sleep earlier. Not fun when you have to get up and you’re still exhausted.
I wake up around this time as well. According to my Fitbit I sleep like a dolphin 🐬 😂 which means I'm a light sleeper prone to having a disruptive sleep causing me to wake up. Which means it not as restorative. Most likely to sleep light and not get really any deep or rem sleep. It might be because I don't have a proper sleep schedule
I can go to bed at 10pm but I wake up 2-3hrs later. Then I'm back awake. I'll watch a documentary or true crime shows and fall asleep again. But don't sleep a full 8. Its in breaks or naps. I've been on Ambien and it never worked for me. And the other one that starts with an L. Lunesta I think. Just made my mouth taste like metal.
It doesn't matter like you said staying up until I'm dog tired...I will wake up a couple of hours later. Even when my fiance had one job. I didn't sleep a full 8.
I just figure this is my life from now on 😂
can’t sleep 
Sleep Anxiety
sleep deprived 
Sleep problems.
