Insomnia

For the past two or three months I have suffered from insomnia which hasn't been fun at all. This insomnia began as soon as I went onto a new medication so I thought it may have been a side effect and when I researched the medication, it was in fact a posssible side effect. The problem for me is not actually getting to sleep as I can fall asleep quite easily, the problem is staying asleep. For weeks I was waking at 2:30 am every morning and was unable to get back to sleep. eventually I got sick of laying in bed and staring at a dark ceiling so I would get up and watch a series. As soon as I get up I don't feel tired at all but wide awake, it is the following afternoon I start to feel the effects of tiredness which is obviously not optimal when I am at work.

Since starting my recovery (over 12 months ago) I have been a very early riser and have always woken up early. I think this began when I started eating 6 meals a day as I felt I needed to eat breakfast early so I could space out all my meals throughout the day so my stomach had time to settle between meals. I am always up and eating my breakfast by 5:30 am and enjoy having lots of time in the mornings to get organised before work but obviously 2:30 am is simply to early. I know that getting four hours sleep a night is definetely not enough if I want to be healthy and happy. I considered going off the new medication but I am finding it so helpful in many other ways that I was reluctant to do this. The last few nights I have found that although I am still waking at 2:30 I am able to get back to sleep and sleep for a few more hours which is great. I hope that my sleep patterns continue to improve and that I am able to stay on my new medication without it effecting me.

I think that my insomnia has gotten a bit better for quite a few reasons. Firstly, I think that my body has become used to my new medication so I am no longer getting the side effects. Also I started a new job at the time my insomnia started so perhaps it was anxiety from this which was also causing my inability to sleep. Now I am becoming more confident and comfortable with my new job perhaps my anxiety levels are lower? Thirdly, this may just be coinsidence but my insomnia seems to have improved since I have increased my calories and started having a hot chocolate just before I go to bed of a night. When I was waking at 2:30 I was getting a strange hungry feeling and now I am wondering if it was my body telling me I needed more food. I mean, throughout the day I eat every three hours but then overnight I go 10 hours without food which is quite a long time. 

Has anyone else experienced insomnia or strange sleep patterns throughout their anorexia journey/recovery? Did you have any tips for how to overcome it? 

I hope everyone has a fantastic day! :)