Terminal insomnia

What can I do about terminal insomnia? I'm 18, male, and about to start college in a couple days. Lately I've been waking up at 5 A.M. and not being able to go back to sleep. It happened for three days in a row and then for the next three days it was gone and I slept normally (normally I go to bed around 11 or 12 and then wake up around 9 or 10). But now it's back again and I don't know what to do. What can I do about this kind of insomnia? I have no problem falling asleep at first, it's just this waking up at 5 and not being able to go back to sleep. It's always 5, too.

I always have to use the bathroom when I wake up, but it's never been a problem before.

I've never suffered from insomnia before; this is the first time.

It sounds stress related - maybe the thuoght of going to college is subconsciously waking you early if it is on your mind or maybe it is something else bothering you? Either way, i wouldnt worry too much (worring is the biggest factor contributing to long term insomnia problems). Remember that everyone needs a different amount of sleep. 8 hours for everyone is a myth and many people function perfectly fine on much less. The key thing is that you are getting a full sleep cycle under your belt which takes about 4 hours. A full cycle includes deep sleep or Slow-wave sleep (SWS) which is made up of the deepest stage of NREM. It is during this stage that your body restores itself from the wear and tear of waking activity and is therefore the most essential stage of the sleep process. If you are going to bed at 11-12 then you will be getting the benefits of this. The advantage of waking later of course is that some people can get through two stages of SWS. Many people wake much earlier than 5am for work etc so i think you'll be okay. just try not to worry. If it really is a problem try to eat foods rich in L-Trytophan - this may help you to sleep for longer. See http://www.insomniastore.co.uk/insomnia-artic... for some examples of foods that containg L-Trytophan etc.

Hope this helps.

Yeah, my mom thought it was stress-related too. I actually slept better last night. I woke up around 5, yes, but I fell asleep around 6 and didn't wake up again until 9:30.

The reason why I thought I did need 8 hours or so is because that's what I've been getting all my life and it seemed weird that it would suddenly change.

But even though I don't feel nervous for college, I might be subconsciously thinking about it. There isn't anything else going on in my life right now that I think could cause something like thus.

Anyway, thanks; I found your answer very helpful.