There is nothing more irritating (and cruel) than waking up in the middle of the night and failing to go back to sleep. You regret how you were getting a good sleep, dreaming of nice things and your body suddenly betrayed you and left you wide-awake at 04:00 am in the morning!
But guess what? It is not a bad thing to wake up in the middle of the night – unless you don’t fail to fall back asleep, of course!
According to Click Pharmacy, it is absolutely normal for you to wake up in the middle of the night as your body swings to adjust to deeper and lighter modes of sleep. The real problem is the inability to go back to sleep once you have woken up.
While sleep-inducing pills may be needed for people with actual sleep related issues, it can hardly be described as a long-term solution.
So before you pull a pill out of the bottle, do try some of the tricks that we have listed down here to ditch your insomnia and to get the most of your shuteye.
1. Lower the Room Temperature
Again, as per Click Pharmacy, the temperature of your body alters when you are asleep. When you fall asleep, your core temperature decreases and the temperature of your feet and hands rises.
If your sleeping space is too warm, you will have difficulty sleeping so ensure you set the thermostat to a low temperature to get good sleep. While 60–75°F (15–23°C) works for most, the best-suited temperature may vary from person to person.
2. Draw on the “4-7-8” Breathing Technique
The 4-7-8 technique is an effective breathing method that helps your mind and body to unwind and be calm. It is also said to induce good night’s sleep by using a breathing pattern that will relax your nervous system.
Here is how this technique can be used:
- Locate your tongue on the interior surface of the upper front teeth
- Breathe out fully from your mouth, making a whoosh sound
- Close your mouth and mentally count to four while breathing in through your nose
- Now hold your breath till you finish counting to seven
- Exhale fully, making a whoosh sound while you count to eight
–Rehash the activity not less than three times
3. Follow a Timetable
Research proves that people with properly scheduled days are more likely to enjoy good sleep and that is because of the impact on your body’s very own regulatory system known as the circadian rhythm. This internal clock cues your body to feel alert during the day but sleepy at night (7).
Waking up and going to bed at the same times each day can help your internal clock keep a regular schedule. Just when your body adjusts to the routine you have, it will be easier for it to alter your sleeping routine. This way you will be able to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.
Another thing that is effective in doing so is giving yourself half an hour every evening to relax and unwind before you go to bed. This will help you get rid of the stress and prepare your body for sleep.
4. Put Meditation, Yoga, and Mindfulness into Practice
When your mind is full of worries, you will not be able to sleep properly. By practicing relaxation techniques such as yoga, mindfulness, and meditation, you can calm the mind and body to get proper sleep.
Using any one or all of these techniques can enable you to get good sleep and feel well-rested when you wake up.
5. Ignore the Clock
When you wake up in the middle of the night, the first thing you probably do is look at the clock. If you can’t sleep back easily and keep on looking at the clock, it will stress you out reminding you that you have to wake up in a few hours. The stress caused will move sleep farther away and can ruin the whole night for you.
Research shows that “Clock-watching” is very common in people who suffer from insomnia and this causes anxiety about sleeplessness. Being time-conscious is good in daily life but not when you are up in the middle of the night and want to go back to sleep as soon as you can.
6. Avoid Daytime Naps
A very common cause of insomnia and inability to fall back asleep are the naps you get during the day. Although power naps are said to improve your performance and health, it may influence your night time sleep pattern.
Due to poor sleep at night, people with insomnia tend to be sleepy during the day. This often leads to daytime napping.
While, researchers are still working to prove the correlation, it is obvious that if you sleep for long during the day, your sleep requirement will get fulfilled. This will result in an inability to fall back asleep in the middle of the night or fall asleep at all. Minimize or eliminate the daytime naps and see if it makes a difference for you!
7. Eat Right
The food you have before going to bed may drastically impact your sleep. For instance; research shows that food with high carbohydrate levels may obstruct a good night’s rest.
In fact, there is a host of studies that endorse that low-fat or high-carb diet decreases the quality of sleep and vice versa. If you are someone who loves high-carb meals and simply cannot compromise on them, the least you can do is have your dinner four hours before bedtime.
8. Put Them Electronics Away
Electronic devices have a terrible effect on your sleep. Watching shows or movies on television or computer, playing games on your smartphone, or using social networking websites can make it harder for you to sleep and stay asleep.
Thusly, according to Click Pharmacy, it is imperative you put all your gadgets away and avoid watching shows/movies at night to induce good sleep. Make sure your sleeping space is free of the distractions and is quiet and calm. This way you will be able to fall asleep much faster and sleep better.
The Bottom Line
Waking up in the middle of the night and failing to go back to sleep is not only frustrating but has negative effects on your health. It poses you to the risk of getting different diseases because of inadequate sleep. Try using the techniques mentioned above to improve the quality of your sleep, sleep better, wake up all ready to face to the world!
