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RESTLESS SLEEPING, HOORAY!
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Now that I've figured out how to fall asleep better, my next task is figuring out how to stay asleep throughout the night. I can't remember the last time I slept the entire night. I usually wake up about 4 times, and then fall right back asleep. Sometimes I wake up to find my sheets all twisted, because I assume I toss and turn in my sleep. I can usually remember my dreams, so I take it that means I keep waking up in my REM stage (perhaps this is why no matter how much sleep I get, I'm always drowsy).
WHY
FIX ME
Edit: I should mention that I exercise daily (some days are harder than others, obviously), I eat well, and I don't drink caffeine.
WHY
FIX ME
Edit: I should mention that I exercise daily (some days are harder than others, obviously), I eat well, and I don't drink caffeine.
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Sleep issues are tough cookies...lots of possible reasons for them. First three that come to mind, in no particular order: Sleep apnea (correlates with snoring and being overweight, regardless of exercise), gastrointestinal reflux (correlates with sour taste in mouth when you wake up or throat/chest pain), stress (correlates with, you know, stress).
There are a lot of other more esoteric things, hormonal issues and whatnot, as well as age-related things that matter if you're 40 or older (that's not many people here, correct me if I'm wrong). Don't underestimate the power of a bad mattress or bad pillows to interrupt your sleep; also, while alcohol can help you get to sleep, it generally decreases the quality of your sleep after the fact.
Medical care is available for this (sleep studies - neat things), but there's a whole lot of stuff to try first before you bother with that. Over the counter sleep aids, books with behavioral techniques to do (the one that comes to mind is to never do anything in your bed except sleep, which conditions you to be sleepy there), and - if you're thinking sleep apnea - those little nose clips. Exercising is good, it helps to be tired when you go to bed. Don't eat or exercise immediately before bed, though. Try sleeping in different positions as well.
I don't know if anyone sleeps with you or within earshot of you, but maybe you could ask them if they hear you snoring in the night with frequent fits of especially loud snores. Those would be when you wake up to breathe. Maybe try a tape recorder if you don't have anyone else to verify.
You should also go see a doctor, they'll offer more than the opinion of an intro psych student. We just studied this yesterday though so it is fresh in my mind...if that helps.
Weight and age are contributing factors, the majority of my pts. are 40+ and overweight, but it also has a strong hereditary component. I've have guys in their mid 20's in awesome shape show obstructive apneas just because their father had it.
I would recommend asking your parents if they or their parents/siblings have a history of sleep disorders. Having a friend watch you sleep for an hour or two to check for periods of gasping for air is also sound advice, the vast majority of our referrals come from spouses concerned for their partner when they see them struggle for air at night.
The best thing you can do though is see a doctor who you can talk to about this, he might feel its another issue all together or might refer you to a sleep specialist and recommend a sleep study.
Good luck in solving your problem, sleep disruptions really suck, but its the nice part of my job when I can "fix" people of their apnea and see them sleep well again.
I sleep fairly well. I'm quite a healthy man, 21 years of age, attend the gym 5 days a week, light running while playing some disc golf to keep the heart healthy. The problem with my sleep is, sometimes I'll wake up with a terrible chest pain. Its almost paralyzing. It doesn't "feel" like acid reflux or heartburn. Its almost like my left pectoral muscle is cramped severely. It almost feels like a heart attack, but i don't know what that really feels like. The weird thing is, sometimes i'll wake up in the middle of the night with the pain, sometimes it'll be there in the morning. Which then i'll have to lay there for a minute or two until the pain stops. If i try to sit up, forget it, i about pass out from the pain. One of my friends explained to me that it was the fish oil supplement im taking... Which makes no sense, i thought it was good for your heart and cardiovascular system. I take no other supplements other than a multivitamin, and a fish/flax/borage oil pill.
I haven't experienced this in a month or so, but I haven't changed my sleeping patterns or supplementation at all.
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Funny thing - I was just about to mention that.
One of my best friends has sleep apnea, and she said she used to suffer from similar problems. A few years ago, though, her dad bought her some of those "imitation Tempurpedic" mats. They come in varying thicknesses, but I think she has an inch-thick one that she doubles over. I've slept on her bed before, and let me tell you they feel wonderful and I ended up falling asleep much faster than I typically do. Although getting a REAL Tempurpedic full mattress would be nice, it probably costs more than what most people are willing to spend. The imitation stuff is really just as good, and the mats are excellent for a full-mattress alternative that's cheaper, too.
Yeah, this was kind of a hijack, but important enough to address in its own thread (I'll give advice here though). Again: This is not medical advice, I can't diagnose you here, etc.
Your age and healthy rate of exercise make this a bit complicated. I'm thinking of a couple little things (deep muscle pull, pinched trunk nerve) and a couple more troublesome things, including heart attack, although that's extremely unlikely. The troublesome thing sparked in my mind at this time is a vasospastic angina, due primarily to the intensity of the pain you describe and the fact that it happens at rest (whereas, with traditional heart failure or heart attack, the pain would onset with your exercise). An abscess of some kind is in there, too, but also a bit unlikely.
Basically, regardless of what it is, the fact that it hasn't been giving you trouble in a month (at your age) makes it very likely that you shouldn't worry about it too much right now. I recommend mentioning it at your next primary care visit (your regular checkup) if it doesn't come back - they can check your blood for obvious stuff. If it does come back, then make a primary care appointment that morning.
So if you booze maybe that could have something to do with it. For the record I am/was a bit on the heavy drinker side so it wont apply to a lot of people.
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I don't think I have sleep apnea, as no one has ever told me that I snore, and when I wake up I'm not gasping for breath or anything. It's possible that I just wake up due to noise (I live in a dorm), but I remember this happening all the time in high school too (although back then I'd wake up and hour before my alarm went off, and then 20 minute intervals after that until it went off - I fixed that here by turning my clock around so I couldn't wake up and see how much sleep I had left). I'm guessing (but not hoping) that it's psychological - my parents were always on my nuts about how much sleep I got, so it conditioned me to be a little too concerned. I think I worry about it so much that it's causing me to actually lose sleep over it. Any ideas?
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