Waking up with nausea in the middle of the night?

Waking up in middle of the night wide awake......what is this?

• I am a 19 year old male....I am home from college for summer break. Lately, I've been waking up in the middle of the night after about three hours of sleep (I've been up since 2:30 AM for the past hour). Basically, I have these "thoughts" about life in general, whether it be work or social life, usually based on what I did that day. However, they are usually more dramatic and I have trouble getting my mind off them. I looked it up and this is called "middle of the night insomnia." It's caused a lot by depression and anxiety. However, I don't THINK I am anxious or depressed.....I'm really not to be totally honest. I have restless leg syndrome and I take meds for that and they make me tired, but I have no idea why I am waking up in the middle of the night. Maybe I'm stressed and I don't know it? Either way, I don't want to see a doctor for this because I already go to a bunch of doctor appointments and I am scared to tell my parents because my dad doesn't believe in this sort of thing. Any thoughts on what this could be and what to do?

• Answer:

  I'm assuming you've checked the Wikipedia page on this and it suggests illness in general as a cause - and also mentions many other possible causes besides anxiety. You say you already have a lot of doctors appointments and that suggests that you've got a number of health problems - any or all of them may well be causing the insomnia. The thinking you mention sounds like racing thoughts and it also could be that your restless legs wake you and then the thoughts keep you awake. And I'd add to that, the fact that you seem more concerned by what this is caused by than on what to do about it suggests quite a high level of anxiety. If it was me - and actually it often is me since I have Bipolar and other illnesses and both can cause middle of the night insomnia - then I'd treat it like any other insomnia. Use sleep hygiene methods to establish a going back to sleep routine. I'd also practice meditation which helps deal with the racing thoughts. Also I see to any health concerns that may have arisen during sleep - sometimes I get dehydrated, sometimes my painkillers have stopped working, sometimes I'm running low on salt and magnesium. (By the way the last two can also help with restless legs). I do have sleep meds but I never take them in the middle of the night.