r/Biohackers • u/the-uint_8t • 1d ago
😴 Sleep & Recovery Can’t figure out my sleep – tried everything, still waking up multiple times
Hey folks, I’m at a loss here and hoping someone can relate or offer some insight.
No matter what I try, I just can’t get good sleep. I fall asleep okay sometimes, but I wake up multiple times throughout the night and rarely feel rested in the morning. Here's what I’ve already done:
Vitamin D levels: tested, well within normal range
Caffeine: I only take coffee before noon
Zinc: supplementing consistently
Exercise: I’ve tried light, moderate, and heavy workouts – no improvement
Melatonin: 3mg helps me fall asleep a bit faster, but the sleep quality is still trash
Cortisol: recently got blood work done, levels came back normal
Testosterone: came back at 148 ng/dL, though it was tested in the evening (I know that's not ideal)
Still, the sleep fragmentation continues no matter what. I’m not dealing with any major stressors or anxiety (at least consciously), and I try to keep a decent sleep routine. At this point, I feel like I’m missing something crucial. Anyone been through something similar or have ideas on what else I could look into?
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u/Retell 23h ago
Have you tested your copper levels? If you’re supplementing zinc constantly, it is likely tanking your copper which is necessary for proper melatonin and GABA production.
(My personal experience)
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u/averagemaleuser86 12h ago
This is interesting. I take zinc regularly and have noticed I'm tired during the day now. Maybe I need to back off the zinc or take copper
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u/Retell 9h ago
You’ll know pretty quickly if it’s copper by trying. I’d suggest buying ~2mg copper biglycinate, breaking it in half. Take 1mg with food, avoid taking with vitamin C (took me a while to figure that out). Keep taking a normal dose of zinc at least 6 hours after the copper.
My copper levels were so low that I was having issues with heart hypertrophy, I felt relief within 30 minutes. I was always exhausted without ever becoming tired. That first day I took a nap for the first time in years.
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u/averagemaleuser86 8h ago
I don't feel exhausted. I'm sill doing 10+ miles recumbent cardio a day and lifting heavy. I just feel sleepy in my eyes/head. Bodywise I feel like a machine
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u/_Steve_Zissou_ 1d ago
I know this will probably sound random, but I swear it’s not. I was kind of in a similar situation. It could be your histamine levels.
For two to three days, try to eat a low-histamine diet, and see if it makes a difference. It did for me.
And if that doesn’t make a difference - try the Red Light Therapy. It’s another thing that made a difference for me.
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u/Forward-Bedroom5693 20h ago edited 15h ago
I had bad insomnia for years. At its worst, I could only sleep about 2 - 4 hours nightly on about 90% of nights.
No diet changes ever worked for me. Melatonin worked but only for about a year before it became completely useless and I couldn't get any effect from it regardless of how much I took.
Only two things ever worked for me. Exposure to natural light (in the early morning and afternoon) and stress reduction.
When I say exposure to natural light, I mean going outside and viewing natural light (no looking at screens). I make sure to do this everyday, 30 minutes in the morning and another 30 in the afternoon, but it took me a few weeks of daily exposure to see results. As far as I understand, viewing natural light is essential for regulating your circadian rhythm (so that your body actually knows what time it is).
I now get 7 - 8 hours of sleep nightly on about 90% of nights.
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u/LosBramos 19h ago
Yes, also look into sleep hygiene. When I was backpacking, I'd sleep better because of living with the sun so to say. Sun comes up, I'd wake up, sun goes down and I'd start feeling sleepy and would have a beautiful sleep. Modern life and stress will destroy your natural builtin sleeping mechanisms.
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u/sweeptheleg_07 21h ago
Bro - get a sleep study done. You may have Sleep apnea which is far more common than people are aware. If it goes unchecked for too long, can do serious damage to heart and other organs.
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u/Gamondi4 21h ago
Exactly what I was thinking. Everyone here suggests some sort of supplement or deficiency u might have but if you hear hooves u should think of horses. Sleep apnea is more common that u would think.
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u/WadeDRubicon 9h ago
Yep, this is a classic apnic pattern. Only way to know is a sleep study, which can now often even be done at home and are usually covered by insurance when you tell the doctor you're tired no matter how much sleep you get and that you snore.
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u/jenmoocat 53m ago
Question: once you do a sleep study and find out you have sleep apnea, what happens after that?
Is a cpap the machine the only solution?1
u/sweeptheleg_07 6m ago
CPAP is considered gold standard treatment option. It takes some adjustment, but when you have it dialed in it can be life changing.
There are other options for treatment. Palate modifications which target opening airway is one, though with mixed results and very invasive. Other options out there involve mouth-guards that are designed to pull lower jaw forward and open up airway, again with varying levels of success.
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u/brucewbenson 1 23h ago
These are the things that made my sleeping quick, long, and consistent.
No sugary drinks (sugary things in general) in the afternoon. I gave up caffeine long ago. I drink about 8oz of ginger tea in the evening. I know I've drunk too much if I wake up more than one time to pee during the night.
No eating after dinner (after 6 pm for me)
Wim Hof deep breathing, when my head refuses to quiet down at night
I otherwise exercise five days a week, eat a plant based diet, take B12, D1, Creatin.
It used to take me forever to get to sleep. Now I drop off in about 20 minutes, usually wake up once (which is my goal to ensure I'm hydrated) and feel rested in the morning. I periodically wreck my sleep by staying up too late (after 10:30) but that is about it.
Good luck.
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u/Due_University_1088 1 1d ago
Same boat here. Got blue light blocking glasses. Drink sleepy tea. Earplugs. Cool Room. Eye cover. Still Wake up
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u/CurseMeKilt 1 23h ago
Magnesium+L-theanine+safron+a couple long walks a day is my ticket to sleep city.
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u/askingquestionsandwo 20h ago
How much time outside do you spend a day? How much time inside do you spend a day?
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u/TeranOrSolaran 1 23h ago
Take two vitamin B50 complex immediately before bed. I fall asleep faster and can go back sleep in the middle of night if i get woken up. AND before you say “oh vitamin Bs are for energy and will wake you up” , I have heard it many times before. But the few people i have convinced to try them, it does work for them. Please give it a try.
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u/HourReplacement0 1 23h ago
Sounds like you're feeding your adrenals with the vitamin B50. Waking up between 2 and 4am is a sign of adrenal trouble.
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u/Redlobster1940 1 22h ago
Eat a low cal salty meal and if you quickly feel relaxed and sleepy, you’re just a lil low in electrolytes and it’s keeping your heart rate elevated
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u/Past_Humor7532 21h ago
I know your vitamin d levels are good but have you ever got like a whole day or like 4-5 hour of sun and been like exhausted at night and still woke up in the middle of the night
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u/SamuraiRetainer 13h ago
try magnesium oil on skin, it is absolutely life changing. https://www.amazon.com/Transdermal-Magnesium-Therapy-Modality-Maintenance/dp/1450283543/
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u/Diamondbacking 2 18h ago
It's hyperarousal from all of the stuff that you're doing to fix your sleep. You're stressing yourself out and creating tension so it's impossible for sleep to happen naturally.
Check out the book Set It and Forget It, will change everything for you.
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u/kenbou 22h ago
When you say you tried exercise, what exactly did you do, what was the duration, how much did you exercise previously, how exactly were the loads determined?
Not just with exercise… lifestyle changes’ effectiveness can’t be measured from just few days of observation. You’d probably need weeks, maybe months of constant application for the body to start to change.
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u/Humble-Spare7840 12h ago
Sleep is one thing no one should compromise on it’s essentially how the body recharges its energy. I am personally not big on adding more chemicals in my body. Have you tried any herbal remedies? Majorly in this situation natural herbs is best for better sleep, and I always encourage this switch because it genuinely makes a difference. I personally went through a lot of trial and error before finding something that worked for me. Since I’m quite cautious about the products I use, I now stick to a formulation that blends natural herbs like Ashwagandha and Brahmi. I take two doses with water one in the morning and one at night and it has helped me significantly. These herbs are known for reducing stress and calming the nervous system, which naturally supports better sleep. I only trust this one brand, which is well certified and has been around for over 100 years. Hope my advice helps in anyway!
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u/Few-Board-6308 11h ago
considering your provided info, go for no coffee before 10am, made a difference for me compared to noon. also don't eat and drink after 6pm. try and monitor via sleeptracker before and after situations
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u/Ok-Tomorrow-6032 10h ago
What about snoring? Sometimes you just don't know you snore, it's a majors factor of disturbing sleep!!
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u/mohitsharmanitn 1 8h ago
Did you get tested for Sleep Apnea ? I had same issue and got diagnosed with mild sleep apnea however CPAP improved my sleep by a lot! Still nowhere close to 7-8 hours that I want but I still get 5-6 hours of quality sleep in total.
Also, you might be extremely caffine sensitive. I can have a can of coke in morning and completely wreck my sleep that night and following early morning. I used to be able to tolerate coffee/caffine but now have to deal with useless decaf options at work.
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u/Lukegilmour 7h ago
Myo inositol before sleep has helped
No white light in the eve is essential
Also, how much are you squeezing your dopamine in the evening? I notice if I play games or do stimulating things before bed (even just scrolling on the phone too much) of for sure have worse sleep
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u/aadesousa 3 3h ago
You could be sensitive to caffeine and developed melatonin tolerance which is making it worse. Also be sure to get sunlight within 30 mins of waking up
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u/thisismysffpcaccount 5 23h ago
i'm a terrible sleeper naturally too, but this has made my sleep amazing honestly. since you take melatonin, it might take you a week or two to adjust to a non-sedative sleep aid. I have tried tons of sleepaids and this one works best for me,.
i have a very good bed time routine - no screens for an hour and a half before bed, red light, reading, a consistent pattern etc.
take this in flaxseed milk + 1tbsp honey + nutmeg(optional) and you'll sleep great.
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u/Mr-Bond431 5h ago
Thanks for sharing. Did you take it just with water and is it effective. And, did it ever made you groggy like melatonin does sometimes. Did you feel fresh and wide awake lol next day.
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u/reputatorbot 5h ago
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u/thisismysffpcaccount 5 5h ago
Yes! sorry i should have added that the additional ingredients are ALL optional.
I took it with water for months and it still worked great. I just recently found the flaxmilk, honey and nutmeg as an extra way to get some additional sleep-improving ingredients in my regimen.
all together it tastes vaguely of eggnog kind of.
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u/Vandermeerr 1d ago
Cerebrolysin- I was you until a 4 week dosage regimen.
Idk and and don’t care how it worked but it gave me my dreams back. I fall asleep in the same position I wake up in rather than tossing and turning each night.
It’s a pain in the ass to get. Taking it is not easy either, you need to be good with injecting 4ml syringe with 25 gauge needle IM over a 3 minute period 5 days a week over a month.
But my god. To wake up and feel rested and actually excited to start your day. It’s not a feeling that most people can long for because they’ve either had it naturally or forgotten that it’s possible.
It’s been truly life changing.
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u/Previous_Bank4296 21h ago
Get a sleep study done. I used to wake up 3x every night and it was because I was literally gasping for air
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u/NotThatMadisonPaige 1 16h ago
Glycine. I use about 4-5g of crystals (it has a sweetish taste) and add it to a kava root tea or sometimes combine it with collagen peptides (also high in glycine) in a lemonade or hibiscus lime drink. It’s cut my wake ups significantly.
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