You may have experienced waking up in the middle of the night. This is not an uncommon experience, as one-third of people often do. Some may need to use the bathroom, others may need to readjust their pillow or sleeping position, while some struggle to fall back asleep after waking up. In light of this, experts have analyzed the possible reasons for people waking up in the middle of the night and have shared methods to help individuals continue their sleep.
American psychologist and writer Katherine Cullen wrote in Psychology Today that waking up at 3 a.m. is often the root cause of many insomniacs. If you frequently encounter this situation, here are some possible reasons and methods to achieve better sleep:
As people age, the frequency of waking up in the middle of the night tends to increase, and the periods of staying awake become longer. There is no need to panic, but rather to be mindful of it.
Engaging in relaxation strategies such as progressive muscle relaxation, gentle stretching, and meditation, as well as participating in low-stimulus activities like reading physical books instead of using e-readers or phones, can help fill this time and prevent the body from being overly stimulated, making it difficult to fall back asleep.
Alcohol disrupts sleep, making it intermittent and depriving the essential Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep crucial for emotional processing and memory consolidation.
Stopping alcohol consumption at least 4 hours before bedtime can mitigate this negative impact. If you experience frequent insomnia, you should consider giving up evening drinks.
Research indicates that even if you can fall asleep after drinking coffee post-dinner, the caffeine in coffee can increase the number of awakenings during the night and disrupt REM sleep. Try to limit caffeine intake in the evening (or earlier) to avoid this scenario.
Having high or low blood sugar levels during the night can decrease sleep quality. If you have a family history of diabetes or have been diagnosed with diabetes, consulting a doctor or professional nutritionist to understand which snacks to eat before bed to help maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the night can be beneficial.
Evidence suggests that consuming a small amount of peanuts, other nuts, or nut butter before bedtime may help keep blood sugar levels stable throughout the night.
If you wake up in the middle of the night and see the clock showing 3 a.m., and your reaction is one of panic, you may struggle to fall back asleep. Anxiety and panic release cortisol, adrenaline, and other excitatory chemicals in the body, which shut down the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for relaxation and sleep) and trigger a fight-or-flight response or enter a panic mode.
Karen suggests several methods to help you relax and return to the realm of dreams:
– Practice box breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, then pause for 4 seconds. Repeat this cycle 3 to 5 times.
– Bilateral stimulation: This technique involves rapid and vigorous tapping of the left and right shoulders or upper arms for 20 to 30 seconds with arms crossed over the chest. Pause, inhale, and then exhale. Repeat this process several times.
– Observing your thoughts: Part of the reason we struggle to fall back asleep after waking up in the middle of the night is that we finally have time to process our thoughts without the distractions of the day. However, focusing on these thoughts may overly stimulate our brains, keeping us awake.
You can try watching your thoughts come and go like movie credits. You can also imagine them as banners held up during a parade.
– Progressive muscle relaxation: Start from the muscles on your face, tighten and hold each muscle group in the body for about 5 seconds, then relax. Move from the face to the shoulders, arms, chest, upper back, abdomen, lower back, groin area, thighs and calves, ankles, feet, and toes.
In conclusion, if you have been consistently struggling with sleep, consider consulting a mental health therapist specializing in insomnia or a sleep medicine professional.