Do You Get up in the Middle of the Night and Easily Get Back to Sleep?

It is quite normal to wake up in the middle of the night, however, regular, frequent episodes of such awakenings in the night, and facing difficulty in getting back to sleep are termed sleep maintenance insomnia.

According to Youngblood, if you wake up in the middle of the night, you haven't experienced deep slumber. There are various reasons for your sleep awakening.

CAUSES

Physical Menopause: Hot flashes and sleeplessness are frequently linked to menopause. These uncomfortable symptoms of excessive heat might appear both day and night. A sudden waking is frequently accompanied by night-time heat flashes.
Chronic pain: Multiple nocturnal awakenings caused by pain-related arousals throughout the night are the most common sleep complaint among patients with chronic pain.
Digestive problems (acid reflux): It is evident that sleep disorders are linked to gastrointestinal symptoms.
People with gastrointestinal difficulties report more chronic insomnia than those with healthy sleep habits (55.4% versus 20%), and those with insomnia report more GI issues than those without (33.6% versus 9.2%).

Physiological

Stress
Anxiety

HABITUAL CAUSES

Excessive consumption of Alcohol or caffeine
Irregular sleeping patterns

Environmental

Lighting
Noises
Temperature

Researchers discovered that disturbed sleep patterns are associated with a greater risk of dying from cardiovascular disease in a meta-analysis of 74 studies.

According to Luis F. Buenaver, Ph.D., C.B.S.M., a sleep expert at Johns Hopkins, there are many better ways to deal with insomnia than staring at the clock, tossing and turning for hours, or turning on the light and watching TV. Check out the following tips to minimize your awakenings at night.

TIPS TO GET BACK SLEEP

TRY GOING TO ANOTHER ROOM AND ENGAGING YOURSELF IN SOMETHING RELAXING:

If you can't fall asleep again after approximately 20 minutes, many sleep specialists advise getting out of bed and moving to a new room.
It might be simpler to fall back asleep when you return if you switch rooms and engage in something calming to divert your attention for a little while.
It’s better to listen to a soothing playlist that helps to calm down your body.

KEEP YOUR EYES OFF THE CLOCK

In particular, if you already suffer from a generalized anxiety disorder, staring at the clock may make you feel nervous about not getting any rest.

According to a few studies, there may be a bidirectional relationship between anxiety and sleep. Both those who struggle with anxiety and those who have problems falling asleep frequently worry about sleeping.

TRY NOT TO LOOK AT YOUR PHONE OR OTHER SCREENS

Smartphone screens and other electronic devices emit blue light, which may prevent your body from producing melatonin.
Your pineal gland in your brain produces melatonin, a hormone that aids in controlling your circadian rhythm and sleep patterns.
Although it's advised to avoid using your phone after bedtime due to the risk of mental stimulation, there are several strategies to lessen your exposure to blue light.

ELIMINATE ANY LOUD NOISES OR BRIGHT LIGHTS

Check, if your living room lights a possible cause of your sleep distraction. Put them off.
Take a note of the LED based lights from shops, billboards or general street lights emanating from the window. These lights might be a deterrent towards a sound sleep.
Try closing your window to filter out any unsettling noises that may be coming from outside.
You can also block out distracting sounds by turning on a fan.

GET COMFORTABLE

If you suspect that your bladder is full, go to the bathroom to empty it, this helps you feel relaxed and you can get back to your sleep.
Secondly, to prevent overheating or underheating, make sure your bedroom is cool, dark, and has the ideal amount of bedding.
In addition to this, it’s important to keep a check on the quality of the pillow.
A medium-firm mattress has been demonstrated to enhance sleep quality, prevent sleep disruptions, and ease muscular discomfort.
It may have an impact on the neck curve and having a comfortable sleep.
Memory foam pillows can be selected for better sleep, this is due to the fact that these materials offer neck support, which might enhance sleep efficiency.

YOUR MUSCLES SHOULD BE RELAXED

One method that many people find helps them unwind and fall asleep is doing a full-body scan.
Here's how you can do a body scan.
Take deep breath and close your eyes
Think about relaxing each of the muscles on your face.
Consider relaxing your shoulders, as well as your neck.
Up till you reach your feet, keep relaxing the muscles in various places of your body.
Regular Yoga based breathing practice are known to tension and stress releasing activity, that’s accumulated within our bodies.
According to studies, people who do, regular Yoga may have a positive effect in getting quality sleep.
The brain can be helped by meditation to enter a particular condition that makes it easier to fall asleep and increase melatonin levels, therefore try doing meditation and yoga if have a night awakening.

READ A BOOK

You might find that reading might help you relax before going to sleep. Reading before bed appears to encourage deeper sleep, at least in children.

It's crucial to understand the differences between reading from an electronic book and a conventional paper book.

TRY DIFFERENT BODY POSITIONS AT NIGHT

Three positions are typically used to sleep:

Side
Back
Stomach

Try and sleep sideways

Finally, try and follow a set pattern to sleep and waking up. Every day is going to help your body to stick to a proper routine, and thus your sleep cycle remains stable.

On the other hand, practicing a few daytime measures such as, not taking long naps in the afternoon, or avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol or caffeine a few hours before your bedtime can help you have sound sleep with no awakening and even if you wake up in the night, when try following any of the above mentioned tips, you can doze off to sleep.