Hi guys,
Have you ever found yourself wide-eyed at night, looking at the clock and then realizing it’s 3 am?
It has been happening repeatedly over and over, making you wonder why.
This nocturnal wake-up has become extremely annoying to me. My sleep is interrupted by this, making my following day gloomy and tiresome.
What causes it and how can I fix it have been my long-term questions.
I have discovered that our sleep consists of different stages which run in about every 90-120 minutes. These are light sleep, deep slumber and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
Sometimes we may naturally wake up during these cycles but just for some seconds.
According to the experts, in most cases, waking up in the middle of the night is not a big deal as long as one can fall asleep within a few minutes.
But, like many others, these awakenings seem to be more frequent and disruptive for me.
Among the possible causes of these awakenings is our circadian rhythm that helps us to sleep when we should sleep and wake up at appropriate time.
Changes in our sleep cycle, exposure to light or simply aging can interfere with this rhythm leading to multiple awakenings during the night.
Another possible cause could be how we feel after getting up at night. If one feels edgy or irritated immediately after waking up it might take longer to fall asleep again causing them to be alert for a long time or even suffer from insomnia.
Therefore, how can we address this challenge?
According to numerous authorities, it is advisable to keep a regular sleep-wake schedule, expose ourselves to the sunlight during the day and reduce exposure to artificial light at night.
They also urge that we should stop looking at our alarm clock when we wake up in the middle of the night as this may increase tension and hinder us from sleeping back.
The best thing to do if one cannot fall asleep within 15 minutes is get engaged in some low- key activity until you feel sleepy again.
This helps break the association between wakefulness and bed, making it easier to fall asleep when you return.
Additionally, it is important to create a favorable sleeping environment.
Managing noise levels, lighting conditions and room temperature/ For others, it might involve keeping away pets from their bedrooms so that they are not disturbed during sleep hours.
However, identifying what is convenient for us may entail some experimentation. What has worked for me is having a routine before sleep at night, employing relaxation practices and limiting consumption of caffeine in the afternoon.
To sum up, it can be annoying but waking up at three in the morning every night is often just a normal part of our sleeping pattern.
We can enhance our sleep quality by being aware of the reasons for such disturbances and leading healthier life styles.