[hamster-bamster]

I know that early awakenings can be a symptom of depression, incl. bipolar depression, but to me they sometimes seem to be a symptom of anxiety. Has anybody experienced early awakening due to anxiety (say at 4-5 AM whereas I planned to sleep until 8AM)?

Those early awakenings start a vicious cycle, because underslept, I do not accomplish much during the day, which fuels further anxiety.

Hi hamster-bamster: Well, I don't have this problem, although my wife does. Allot of hers is stress-related as a result of her job. I sometimes stay up late at night but then get up at the usual time in the morning. Recently, I've also gotten into the habit of getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom & then staying up for an hour or so, which also means I'm tired the next day. But, on the other hand, it seems I'm always tired anyway. So it doesn't seem to make much difference in the whole scheme of things...

[mountain human]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

I know that early awakenings can be a symptom of depression, incl. bipolar depression, but to me they sometimes seem to be a symptom of anxiety. Has anybody experienced early awakening due to anxiety (say at 4-5 AM whereas I planned to sleep until 8AM)?

Those early awakenings start a vicious cycle, because underslept, I do not accomplish much during the day, which fuels further anxiety.

Happens to me almost every night, I take Ambien and Trazadone...anything to get back to sleep or I'm living on coffee the next day at work, which creates further insomnia...would love to sleep again w/o meds. I've started trying to meditate after I wake up instead of just letting my mind ruminate...

This post resonates with me. It's not so much the early awakenings, but the constant inability to fall into a deep sleep due to anxiety. I can feel it in me and don't know how to relax enough.
I hope it's temporary. And I, too, mourn those days of med, free sleep