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" Question Up until the last few months I have always slept well.  However, recently I have been sleeping for two hours (from midnight until 2am) then waking and being unable to get back to sleep again until 7am and I have to get up for work at around 8am.  Despite being tired, I keep on waking up.  What can I do to stop this?   Answer It can be so frustrating when your natural sleep pattern seems to be all over the place.  The most common reason for this to happen is stress, either the background sort that is so frequent in today&amp;#039;s busy lifestyle, or the type that accompanies a stressful event such as a bereavement or lifestyle change.  You do not tell me if there is are underlying causes for your current problems but I suspect there may well be one of the above factors contributing to your sleep disorder.  It would be worth chatting to your GP about your current problems, as early morning waking can be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition such as depression.  He or she might feel it necessary to prescribe medication such as amitriptyline (an antidepressant that can be used short term in a low dosage to correct sleep problems) although there are several other medicines that could help you.  He or she might also wish to carry out blood tests to rule out an overactive thyroid as a cause for your symptoms.  If you wish to try some self-help measures, don&amp;#039;t underestimate the relaxing bath before bed-time with a drop or two of essential oil of lavender or geranium in it.  A milky drink such as hot chocolate is an old favourite and tea or coffee are certainly to be avoided if you want a restful night (caffeine is a stimulant).  Setting aside some time to read a good book and not the latest work project is another useful hint.  If there is someone who can give you a gentle back massage (oils can be bought from most chemists or natural therapy shops), this can be very soothing and should set you up for a good night&amp;#039;s sleep.  If you do wake up, don&amp;#039;t lie there worrying but read a book, listen to the radio or make a warm drink.  There are several herbal or low-dose decongestant sleep-inducing medicines on the market, again available from health food shops or chemists but do read the label first to make sure that there are no reasons why you should not take them.  Yours sincerely The NetDoctor Medical Team   Other Qs &amp;amp; As How can my partner&amp;#039;s insomnia be cured? I have been waking at night I have chronic insomnia I&amp;#039;m suffering from insomnia &amp;amp;#8211; is it the Pill? Insomnia Insomnia ruining my study My new job is affecting my sleep My sleep pattern is disturbed My son has Asperger&amp;#039;s syndrome and I never get to sleep Risk for insomniacs Sleepless nights Unable to get a good night&amp;#039;s sleep   Last updated 04.01.2012 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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