Question on BBT

LakeR2014

So I bought my first BBT yesterday (Whahoo!!!) and promptly used it for the first time this morning.   Question for you lovely ladies (that I should've asked prior to buying the BBT):   I wake up in the middle of the night - a LOT.   My typical sleep patterns are sleep for two hours, wake, toss and turn, sleep and repeat.  This means I don't have a long sleeping period.   For example, I was awake probably twice in the two hours before my alarm went off and I took my temperature.  As this is a normal occurrence will this be ok, or will my sleeping habits prevent any information I gain from the BBT being relevant?  IE Even though I'm a horrible sleeper will grabbing my temperature everyday, at the exact same time, before I get out of bed, make for accurate temps and information in regards to ovulation?

beachbunnyxo123

I would try to find a time in which tossing and turning would be the least likely. You should get atleast 3 hours of solid sleep before you temp but that can definitely be challenging. I am a restless sleeper also and I toss and turn and wake up a lot. I just don't talk or get out of bed until after I temp and that's the best I can do--hasn't effected my temps too much. I think just do the best that you can for now, it's not going to always be the way it should but if you are noticing major disruptions with sleep or fluctuations in temps then you may want to reevaluate then. This questions has been asked a lot so if you use the search function you'll find other input as to what others have done as well! Good luck!

Umbr+ella

I'm a super restless sleeper and I have a senior dog who frequently wakes me up at night. I temp every day at 7am regardless. I know the rule is 3 hrs of sleep but that just doesn't happen for me. This has been my first month temping and I had a clear temp shift after ovulation so it seems to be working for me. Everyone is different though so you may just have to try it and see. Good luck.

Also, what pp said about trying to find the time you get the most rest. I bought a Fitbit to track my sleep which helped me determine the best time to temp.

Xstatic3333

I toss and turn, too. What works for me is staying in bed and temping at the same time every day, regardless of whether I woke up briefly at 4:00. Everyone is different, but I still get a very clear temp shift and crosshairs, though they are often dashed crosshairs.

LakeR2014

Great!  Thanks ladies - unfortunately the tossing and turning has been a life long thing that I haven't been able to change, glad to know I'm not the only one though and that the temps can still be valid even with the tossing.  I'll make sure to temp at the same time and always before getting out of bed.   Thanks again!

monkeygirl32

I toss and turn also.  I'm a very light sleeper especially on the night's my boyfriend is not here.  Plus my child sleepwalks and I always have to be aware.  I take my temp at either 5am or 6am every morning.  I get clear shifts in temp. 

0SeaMonkey0

Just do your best. Your chart may not be as pretty as some but fertility friend is surprisingly smart and should be able to make sense of things even if your temps are a bit erratic. I would highly suggest tracking at least one other fertility sign, either cervical mucus or opk because FF can have a hard time identifying o based on temps alone if they don't follow a clear pattern.

Just my experience but when I was up a lot in the night with DS, I found it best to temp any time I woke up after a minimum 3 hour sleep. If I do the slightest bit of activity before temping, my temps jump significantly so for me, temping at the same time every day if I knew that I was going to be up a lot in the hours before didn't work for me. You'll have to experiment a bit to find out what works best for you. Just use the notes area daily to record details of when you temped so if you have to go back later, you have an idea of which temps might just not be valid.

megstervt

**lurking from July

I used to temp at 3:30am as it was when I was most likely to have had solid sleep. My temps at 6am were not useful, but I was able to get a consistent pattern at 3:30. Temp at the same time for a few weeks now and if it's not working try a different time.

skilouise

From what I've read, it varies from person to person. For some people, temping at the exact same time is what is important to get reliable temps, even if they are restless sleepers. For others, temping after 3+ hours of solid sleep is more important, regardless of the actual time they temp.

For me, time is somewhat more important. I temp at 6,and if I wake up briefly before 430ish, it doesn't affect my temp. If I wake up or am half awake after 5 though, my temps will be higher than they should be.

FiancB

I rarely get enough sleep before taking my temperature and have found it doesn't make a lot of difference. I take my temp at 6 but very often I'm getting up at 4 or 5 to pee or let the dog out, and sometimes H gets up before me and turns on the light and stuff. If I truly feel I got less sleep than usual, in the specifics I mark sleep deprivation and that will give that day's temp a circle instead of a dot so that I know to maybe not take that temp as seriously. Some people's bbt fluctuates more than others. 

MamaPerkins

I also had a BBT question but didn't want to start a new thread for just one answer, so...
I just started temping and I've been able to temp within the same 10 min time frame every morning, between 5:40-5:50. How EXACT does the time have to be? Is that close enough?

[Deleted User]

MamaPerkins said:

I also had a BBT question but didn't want to start a new thread for just one answer, so... I just started temping and I've been able to temp within the same 10 min time frame every morning, between 5:40-5:50. How EXACT does the time have to be? Is that close enough?

I want to say it has to be within 45 min...

iceandsnowflakes29

MamaPerkins said:

I also had a BBT question but didn't want to start a new thread for just one answer, so...
I just started temping and I've been able to temp within the same 10 min time frame every morning, between 5:40-5:50. How EXACT does the time have to be? Is that close enough?

I'm no expert but, I do the same and FF just gave me CH. It will give you open circles but, I think as long as you try to be consistent, it is fine. If you temp say one day at 6 am and another day at 10 am - that could throw it off but a few minutes? No.

MamaPerkins

Great! Thanks so much @antoto and @iceandsnowflakes29

kcolly32

MamaPerkins said:

I also had a BBT question but didn't want to start a new thread for just one answer, so...
I just started temping and I've been able to temp within the same 10 min time frame every morning, between 5:40-5:50. How EXACT does the time have to be? Is that close enough?

@MamaPerkins I think the time frame is 30mins, if I temp outside of that I get an open circle on FF.

MamaPerkins

Thanks! @kcolly32