This archive report was first published on 13 July 2021.
Waking Up in the Middle of the Night? Ways to Fall Back Asleep ¶
Published on July 13, 2021
Waking up in the middle of the night can be a normal occurrence, especially as we age. However, if it happens frequently, it could be a sign of an underlying problem. Dr. Kannan Ramar, a sleep medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, explains that stress and anxiety are two primary drivers of insomnia.
When we wake up and look at the clock, it can trigger a cycle of worry and anxiety. This can activate our sympathetic nervous system, leading to a state of heightened arousal, making it difficult to fall back asleep. Dr. Ramar advises that if we find ourselves awake for 25 minutes or longer, we should get out of bed and do a quiet activity that calms our mind.
Experts recommend gentle stretches or breathing exercises, meditation, or reading a book or magazine in dim light. However, it's essential to avoid reading on our smartphones, as the blue light emitted can suppress melatonin production, the hormone that helps us fall asleep. Instead, we can use soothing apps like Calm or Headspace, designed to help with sleep and meditation.
When we start to feel tired, we should get back into bed and try to doze off. To increase our odds of sleeping soundly through the night, we should implement the following sleep hygiene habits:
- Limit our evening alcohol intake, as it can lead to poor quality sleep.
- Avoid consuming caffeine after 2 p.m., as it can linger in our system well into the evening.
- Avoid napping late in the day, as it can reduce our homeostatic sleep drive, making it harder to fall and stay asleep at night.
- Keep a strict sleep schedule, waking up and going to bed at irregular times can throw off our body's circadian rhythm.
- Limit how much water or other fluids we drink in the evening two to four hours before bedtime.
If these measures don't help, a sleep specialist can assess whether we might have a more significant underlying problem, such as sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome, that needs medical treatment. A sleep clinic could also connect us to a cognitive behavioral therapist who could help us identify and address any specific behaviors that might be causing our chronic insomnia.
