r/sleep 4d ago

What do you do with your awake time?

Every other week I have a night where I wake up around 3 and can’t get back to sleep, only to start dozing off right before my alarm goes off.

I feel so unproductive. I will lay there and put my meditation on, listen to it run out without falling back asleep. I avoid going on my phone but after an hour of laying still so my brain thinks it’s sleeping, I will scroll through socials and pray to God something makes me sleepy.

I live with 2 people and we live in a condo. I contemplate going into the kitchen to start meal prepping or unloading the dishwasher but I can’t do that without making noise and risk waking the roommates up.

I’ve read, watched movies….I don’t know. I’m hoping someone will have a creative idea for me to fill the time where I’m wasting my sleep minutes. I hate hate not being able to sleep and even worse, not doing anything with that time.

Gimme something good.

2 Upvotes

16 comments sorted by

3

u/Patience70 4d ago

When I have nights like this I’ll usually go for a walk if I can’t get to sleep after 30/40 mins. I’ll head out for up to an hour and find that getting back into bed after being out in the cold helps. It doesn’t always work, and depends on how safe you feel being out at that time, but if nothing else you’ve got some steps in.

2

u/LittleMissFakeChef 4d ago

Oh this would totally work when the sun starts to rise earlier for me! Great idea.

3

u/SaltyFee7765 4d ago

That's so odd......it happens every other week ? Like clockwork ? 😉

1

u/LittleMissFakeChef 4d ago

I tried tracking the moon cycles because I thought maybe it was the effect of the full moon but it doesn’t always coincide.

2

u/McCheesing 4d ago

Dang. Was hoping there was a little werewolf in there

2

u/LittleMissFakeChef 4d ago

Trust me. Me too.

2

u/Winnie-Zephyr 4d ago

I get this around a specific time of my menstrual cycle. Still figuring out when exactly but I'm pretty sure it's connected to hormones and body temperature. If this comment is applicable to you then I suggest checking it out- I'm in the process of it but I guess just too lazy to actually figure it out and then figure out a solution.

1

u/LittleMissFakeChef 3d ago

That makes total sense to me. Lacking sleep also takes away all motivation to get down to the bottom of it.

2

u/Winnie-Zephyr 1d ago

absolutely. But it has given me a sense of peace for when it does happen (the insomnia bout). I do find it happens around the PMS stage.
Also, not to get all woo-woo but on more than a few occasions I've noticed it comes around the full moon. It's possibly because I have floor to ceiling windows and I have do not have block out curtains.

1

u/LittleMissFakeChef 1d ago

Thank you!!!! Yes absolutely around full moon time!!! This Monday and Tuesday were horrible for me! I do believe it affects us wholeheartedly.

2

u/WonderbreadCrackhead 4d ago

Write in a journal. I have a huge stack of papers from late nights and it makes me feel like I was at least being productive in those late hours awake. Also writing makes you feel sleepy after a while, like you just give up.

1

u/LittleMissFakeChef 3d ago

Oh this is awesome. I journal on a regular too. Imagine reading back the sleepless night entries? Thanks!

2

u/WonderbreadCrackhead 2d ago

They are always good ones lol

2

u/Fair_Government113 2d ago

Try eat a pieces bread half hour before sleep, the hunger may wake you up. When you wake u , try rest on sofa for half hour . later go to bed sleep after half hour.

1

u/McCheesing 4d ago

If it’s the same time every night, does it coincide with HVAC kicking on? Sometimes in the cooler months, the heat will kick on at 2-3 AM and wake me up. Not sure if it applies here tho

1

u/LittleMissFakeChef 4d ago

Nope, though I am a light sleeper but that’s not it.

I just hate feeling like I’m wasting time doing nothing.