Do you keep waking up in the middle of the night? Are you having problems going back to sleep after that? If you do, then you’re not alone. Insomnia is a very common problem that many people suffer from every night.
However, insomnia is very far from the only reason you wake up in the middle of your sleep. There are many possible reasons, like eating chocolate or drinking caffeine before sleeping, sudden changes in your sleep schedules, or even your body clock has not yet adapted to your routine.
It’s no wonder that you get exhausted if you don’t have enough quality sleep. It’s annoying, tiring not only mentally but physically as well, and very irritating, too, since you can’t function properly the next morning. That said, how do you stop it? How do you avoid waking up in the middle of the night? Here are some tips you might want to learn.
Your Room Temperature is Not Right
Your arousal threshold (no, we’re not talking about being aroused sexually), which refers to how easy it is for someone to wake up, varies on the levels of sleep you get throughout the night.
That said, you go through 4 levels of R.E.M or rapid eye movement sleep when you sleep. The first stage is the easiest for you to wake up from. A simple banging of the door or even your fan being quite noisy can wake you up. Of course, as you go higher with your R.E.M. sleep, it is harder for you to wake up.
If you notice that even if you’re hours into sleep and you’re waking up, there are various reasons why you keep waking up, including your room temperature. Your room might be too hot or cold for your liking, so it’s quite uncomfortable to keep asleep. Luckily, there are easy fixes if the temperature is in your control, like turning the fan on or off, as well as the air conditioner. Or perhaps you keep forgetting that your window is open.
Minimize Bathroom Breaks
If you wake up due to frequent bathroom breaks, there are a few reasons why that keeps happening. It can be caused by diabetes, sleep apnea, Pavlovian conditioning, or circadian rhythm.
Even when awake, we secrete antidiuretic hormones throughout the day. However, it’s particularly strong when we’re asleep at night, especially toward the end of our sleep. This keeps the body hydrated and will lessen our need for bathroom breaks.
However, if you suddenly change your sleeping schedule, your body clock will misalign, causing the secretion of antidiuretic hormones to be misaligned as well. It will cause a lack of antidiuretic hormones at inappropriate times, which can cause you to urinate, which could also happen when you’re asleep; hence you keep on waking up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Don’t worry, it’s not that much of a concern, but it is annoying most of the time. That said, there is a simple fix for that. If you keep waking up in the middle of the night, try turning on the light each time you go.
This will trick your circadian rhythm into thinking you’re only going to the bathroom during the day. This way, over time, your body will only think of peeing during the day.
Go to Your Doctor
It might be far off the left field, but we are telling you this because you’re probably waking up at night because of your anxiety. Yes, your anxiety can wake you up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, even though you don’t remember having a nightmare. Sleeping problems is a symptom of anxiety disorder.
That said, if your anxiety regularly wakes you up, you might want to go to your doctor and ask them for help with it. Your doctor can help you handle your issues and will diagnose you if necessary if you’re unsure if it’s because of anxiety. Nevertheless, if you’re sure it’s anxiety, they can help by giving you a prescription for anxiety or sleeping meds.
Avoid Caffeine After Noon
If you’re fond of drinking coffee in the afternoons, this may be why you keep waking up in the middle of the night. It’s a common reason since a lot of people do this. Unfortunately, not all of them know it can mess up their sleep. Also, the later you drink coffee in the afternoon, the later you’ll also go to sleep, but if you do, it’s almost a 100% chance that you’ll wake up in the middle of the night.
Not only that, but too much caffeine can also cause acid reflux, which can also happen during sleep. Luckily, if you have acid reflux frequently, even without coffee, there are cheap over-the-counter medications. Or you can ask your doctor for a prescription. They might even help you save money by giving you a Protonix Coupon for your acid reflux.
Final Words
Waking up in the middle of the night is annoying, especially if you can’t go back to sleep. Luckily for you, most of the reasons are not caused by serious illnesses like drinking coffee in the afternoon, messed up circadian rhythm, etc. However, if you think a serious illness causes it, you might want to visit your doctor soon.
