2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
You fall asleep without problems, but in the middle of the night you wake up and toss and turn from side to side in an attempt to fall asleep again. What do nighttime awakenings depend on and how to deal with them?
The usual story - you have not got enough sleep for three days and this time you decided to go to bed early. You go to bed at ten in the evening, hoping to get a good night's sleep, but suddenly you wake up at two in the morning. Sleep in neither eye, you lie and stare at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep again. It takes two hours before you fall asleep again, and then the alarm goes off almost immediately, and you don't get enough sleep again and you feel disgusting.
Causes of night awakenings
There are many reasons, both external and internal, why a person may suffer from sudden nocturnal awakenings.
Common external causes include street noise, your partner's snoring, too much light in the bedroom, the wrong temperature (too warm or too cold), pets that settle in your bed, an uncomfortable mattress, or a child who wakes up and comes into your room.
The internal causes of sleep are also varied and depend on many parameters.
Gender and age
The older a person gets, the more often he suffers from interrupted night sleep. Elderly people often doze during the day and wake up in the middle of the night.
Young women have nighttime awakenings associated with the menstrual cycle: just before the onset of menstruation.
Pregnant women wake up at night for a variety of reasons: swollen legs, back pain, frequent urination, heartburn, and fetal movement.
Nighttime awakenings can torment women with the onset of menopause - due to fever, heart palpitations, sweating, stress and anxiety.
Diseases and medicines
Talk to your doctor if you have sleep apnea (stopping breathing), especially if you snore or wake up feeling exhausted in the morning.
Chronic pain, such as arthritis or fibromyalgia, is also a common cause of nighttime awakenings.
Even though everyone wakes up occasionally to use the bathroom, if you wake up with frequent urge to urinate, it is worth paying attention and consulting your doctor.
Diabetes, diseases of the thyroid gland, kidneys, lungs, cardiovascular system can also cause nighttime awakenings.
Taking drugs such as beta-blockers and diuretics has a negative effect on sleep.
Mental causes
Stress, depression, and anxiety disorder are often accompanied by insomnia and sudden nocturnal awakenings.
When to start worrying
Waking up periodically in the middle of the night is not necessarily a sign of illness or disorder. To understand when to start worrying, doctors advise using the rule of three.
If sudden awakenings occur three times a week, last at least 30 minutes, and recur for 30 days, it is worth seeing a doctor.
What if you woke up at night
There are several ways to help you deal with nighttime awakenings on your own.
1. Don't spend more time in bed. Some people think that the more time they spend in bed (going to bed earlier or sleeping longer), the more time they will sleep.
This is actually the worst thing to do if you have insomnia. Instead, spend less time in bed. For example, go to bed an hour later than usual, and wake up at the same time as always. It may sound counterintuitive, but it really works. Here are a few more ways.
2. Do not doze. If you sleep during the day, it takes hours away from your night's sleep. But if you really want to, you can take a nap for no more than 20 minutes until 14:00 - this time is quite enough to rest and gain strength.
3. Limit consumption of alcohol and nicotine, liquids and heavy foods, give up physical activity at least three hours before bedtime. All this can provoke a sudden night awakening.
4. Don't drink caffeine eight hours before bed.… Caffeine not only prevents you from falling asleep, but can also cause you to wake up at night.
5. Do not lie in bed if you cannot sleep. Get up, walk around the rooms, do something quiet and calm in dim lighting (do not turn on your smartphone or computer). Here are some things to do if you can't sleep. Return to bed only when you feel sleepy.
6. Don't look at your watch. When you count how many hours are left before the alarm goes off, you get nervous and anxious, which in turn makes it even more difficult for you to fall asleep.
7. Learn to manage stress and anxiety … Try some relaxing exercises before you go to bed. For example, practice meditation. Avoid stressful conversations and situations a few hours before bed.
8. Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool. Make sure nothing will make you wake up in the middle of the night. If noise may bother you, buy earplugs or find a source of quiet, monotonous noise. If light gets in the way, good blackout curtains or a blindfold will help.
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