Tried waking 3 times at night. Success Remembered 3 dreams! but 2 hr to go back to sleep

I was reading Laberge's book and there's one technique where you set your alarm clock 4.5 hours, 6 hours, and 7.5 hours or so later after you go to sleep at night.

Wel i did. interestingly:) my mind beat the alarms everytime, so i didn't need the programmed alarms.

But anyways, my first dream was vivid about me having some heart problem.
Second dream was about work and my future in the company. And the third was about my father. That was awesome how that technique helped me remember my dreams.

however, after i wake up...i found it realllly hard to go back to sleep.
I woke up at 12:46. took 2 hours!!! to go back to sleep. I closed my eyes but my mind didn't enter sleep mode.

Same thing the next time i woke up, i couldn't go back to sleep.. took like 1+ hours.

and the same time the next time i woke up.

I wonder if not being able to go back to sleep means I'm losing say 5 hours of sleep .
However, i had my eyes closed as i tried to sleep.. does that count as sleep?


And also, It's not even necesarily about me purposedly trying this technique of waking up 3 times. Cause there's other times at night when i didn't plan this technique but i wake up and can't go back to sleep.

What does it take to be able to feel sleepy again after you wake up at night? It's like i was forcing myself to sleep yet i know i needed to sleep so i don't think it was trying to force it.

I struggle with this too, not being able to go back to sleep after waking. What exactly is keeping you from sleeping? Are your thoughts distracting? Do you feel too alert?

A few general things that help me:

- Don't force it. Don't worry. Don't look at the clock. I know that's easier said than done. Try to think positive. Remind yourself that sleep is a natural body function and you can do it easily. Remind yourself that you will get to sleep eventually and you will feel rested in the morning.

- Don't lay awake in bed for too long. It will only create the bad habit of laying awake. Instead, after 20 minutes, get up and do something that will make you sleepy like reading or meditation. Keep the lights low and the environment quiet. Then get back in bed.

- Try relaxation techniques. There are many but the basic idea is to focus you attention on parts of your body and allow them to relax.

- Try counting techniques. Again, there are many but the basic idea is to occupy your mind with counting so you aren't distracted by thoughts.

I have this problem sometime, and have struggled with it basically almost my whole life. Of course it's a very subjective matter, and you are the only one that can understand the reason why this is happening.
Together with the other pieces of advice that have been given, what worked for me has been 2 things.
First, the situation improved dramatically when I started working on my dream recall; usually when I go to bed I repeat my personal "mantra": I will remember my dreams perfectly. Seems this repeating of the mantra has created a sort of anchor, making it easier for me to fall asleep.
Second, when I wake up in the middle of the night (usually after 4 hours of sleep), I get up, take a 3mg tablet of melatonin and stay up, maybe sitting in the front room, with no lights on, for 20 minutes, more or less. Then I go back to bed, and usually fall asleep in a reasonable time (though it may take a longer time, depending on the nights).

It is a good sign that you woke before your alarms each time. This means you are carrying your intentions with you while you sleep.

This happens to me sometimes and what helps me is to daydream about something I'd like to do. I try to play out the entire daydream in my head. I often catch my thoughts wandering and I'm almost always asleep for the daydream is finished.

If all else fails, sometimes, I take a 0.5mg dose of melatonin to help me feel drowsy again. I would suggest only doing this once, though. The reason for keeping the dose small, is that melatonin is a REM-suppressant, and we need REM for dreaming.

I also meditate when I can't sleep. Leave the bed. Go on my computer and look up dreamviews and other lucid dreaming articles. Listen to sleepy music.