I'm not really familiar with the empirical evidence on this issue. But some research has been done that suggests it may be a factor. It is not clear if this gets to the root cause or merely treats some of the symptoms. "Preliminary studies suggest that the synthetic cannabinoid nabilone might be an effective therapy in patients with fibromyalgia." from Are cannabinoids a new treatment option for pain in patients with fibromyalgia? "Fibromyalgia is now conceived as a central sensitization state with secondary hyperalgesia. Cannabinoids have similarly demonstrated the ability to block spinal, peripheral and gastrointestinal mechanisms that promote pain in headache, fibromyalgia, IBS and related disorders." in Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD): can this concept explain therapeutic benefits of cannabis in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other treatment-resistant conditions? "A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to determine the benefit of nabilone in pain management and quality of life improvement in 40 patients with fibromyalgia...this is the first randomized, controlled trial to assess the benefit of nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, on pain reduction and quality of life improvement in patients with fibromyalgia. As nabilone improved symptoms and was well-tolerated, it may be a useful adjunct for pain management in fibromyalgia." from Nabilone for the treatment of pain in fibromyalgia. "This pilot study demonstrated that a generalized statement that delta-9-THC is an analgetic drug cannot be made. However, a sub-population of FM patients reported significant benefit from the delta-9-THC monotherapy." from Delta-9-THC based monotherapy in fibromyalgia patients on experimentally induced pain, axon reflex flare, and pain relief.

I also have this problem. As I get more stressed the same pattern recurs: I start waking up progressively earlier, the monkey mind starts chattering and my night's sleep is ovah. So I will find myself up for the day at 6 am...5:30 am...5 am...4:30 am. Terribly difficult to get through a busy and hectic day when exhausted! I have found something that has worked miraculously well for me. It's a simple meditation practice of concentrating on one's breathing to relax. I force myself to think only about breathing calmly and normally-no special counting or visualization, just in/out, in/out, in/out. The trick is not to allow my mind to 'engage' because once the thoughts start to rev up, I'm doomed. Again, the key is DO NOT LET YOUR MIND START THINKING ABOUT ANYTHING. Nothing, only breathing in and out. If I find thoughts crowding my mind I come back to the breathing. It works too; like flipping a switch for me. I'll be diligently concentrating on my breathing, wide awake and the next thing I know, it's my normal wake up time and I have made it through the night and early am dangerous period. Good luck, I really sympathize and empathize with this one! And a question for anyone who suffered with this problem connected with a stressful work situation, and then retired: does that cure it? Or is this just something that is hardwired into one's personality? I keep thinking like you Joanie, that once I'm retired and don't have the aggravation of a job my sleep will be blissful. But...will it?!?! Ann

With what you said about the crying, no. DS learned to calm himself down over time when we left him to cry. All it did was teach him that he could do it himself and he didn't need Mom or Dad to help him calm down. It depends on the sound of the cries, though, of course. I read this stuff in a Parenting magazine. I have learned more by taking care of DS that running to them when they cry, teaches them that you will always do that so when you can't, they scream louder and cry because they think you're not coming. Everyone seems to have some type of sleeping problem with they're baby and you're just going to have to figure out what works with her. Maybe her schedule isn't working? I did read your other post and it seems that your two sleep problems do go more hand in hand than you think. It may not be the crib that's making this happen since you've always had problems but it's probably adding to it now. It's a change and change can drive some people crazy as you may have learned. I guess all you can do is work on your night time routine more and like I said in that post (I haven't re-read again, yet, though) maybe you're trying to start relax time too soon for her so she's not wearing off energy and getting tired. Have you tried doing bathtime at another time? DS has always gotten his in the morning and was fine about sleeping at night. What works for others, may not work for you so it just takes some guessing. ~Leslie~

Keep a baby observation journal. Divide up her days into time blocks and write out what you do and what you notice about her responses. Just take notes for a few days. Try to cover a time period where she has a couple of later nights and a couple of earlier nights. Go back and check to see when or if she took naps or had different activities those days. Look for patterns you can work with. Ideas for helping a baby re-settle themselves are to go to them if they are used to that, and give them some verbal attention and touch. But, keep everything quiet and supportive (no gymnastics; to help them keep clear about 'bedtime' and 'nighttime' versus 'gymnastics time'). A basic problem with always letting a baby's own inclinations lead is that in human relationships there are multiple sets of human needs which have to be balanced. The adults have _needs_ which may rightly include 2 hours of quiet time for you before your sleep time. That is important for you to experience in order to feel rested and on top of your game, and to be the best mother you can be for your baby. Your baby needs you to be on top of your game. Maybe work on a transition routine with her for those last 2 hours. Help her wind up her play time. Maybe have a quiet hour of infant massage and soft baby bedtime music. Even for adults, the need for and ability to just fall asleep isn't always the same every day. Usually adults can figure out personal strategies that help them fall asleep. Or, they will have learned how to have their own quiet time in bed (reading, or thinking, or writing, or something else). Babies can slowly learn this kind of thing by having adult support and contact where needed, but not too much added stimulation. If you're going by feel, and in a pinch when she does wake up if she does seem to be very energetic and in need of some exercise it might buy some time to have her do exercises or something stimulating. Be careful because this can be confusing and can become a problematic pattern. But, if your sanity is on the line and you're at the end of your adult coping resources, it's better to risk the negative pattern (which can still be undone later) than to risk your having a breakdown. After the exercise, infant massage can help her (and you) relax and unwind. you can experiment with cutting out a nap, or reducing nap time (interfere with sleep time by about 15 minutes at a time because that won't be too big a change usually and you will notice pretty quickly if it's a 15 minutes she 'needed' or if it's 15 minutes you can rearrange in her sleep schedules)