Waking Up At Night: What To Do To Stay Asleep?

There is nothing better than treating yourself to a restful night’s sleep after an active and tiring day, wrapping yourself in the duvet, closing your eyes, and sinking into the arms of Morpheus. Likewise, there is nothing worse than finding yourself awake after only a few hours of sleep, without knowing why, trying in every way to go back to sleep. Every attempt seems like a failure: while it is still dark outside, your brain seems to have decided to find all the dynamism you were looking for during that vital work meeting during the day.

Don’t feel alone; having trouble staying asleep is more common than you think. It can be due to various factors and occurs only sometimes, perhaps if you are experiencing a stressful period or have some worries on your mind; in some other cases, if it happens with specific stability, it could be linked to a sleep disorder. The constant is that, in a night full of awakenings, sleep becomes superficial, and in the morning, you may feel as if you haven’t slept at all.

What Are The Causes Of Nocturnal Awakenings?

The elements possibly responsible for a sudden awakening, which leads you to not sleep for a straight night, are many and different. Some new parents may have been woken up more than once by the crying of the baby they have just brought into the world, or some athletes may have had an intensive evening session for an upcoming competition (or due to the feeling of guilt after lunch with friends !). 

Someone else might not be able to stop thinking about all the things they have to do the next day at work, that exam they feel really ill-prepared for, or someone who works in a job that involves shifts that are difficult to reconcile with a night of sleep. Sleep, and is always afraid of sleeping more than necessary and thus losing the hours of light to do everything else. Furthermore, sometimes, it is the body that wakes you up because it senses pain, needs water, or feels the need to go to the bathroom. 

Finally, some groups appear more at risk than others: sleepless nights and nocturnal awakenings are more frequent in the female population, and in old age, they are often also connected to menopause. Whatever the reason that makes you open your eyes when everything is still silent, remedies for nocturnal awakenings exist, and we will explain why they are instrumental.

Disrupted Sleep: The Impact Of Nighttime Awakenings On Health

Waking up in the middle of the night, in addition to being extremely annoying on a psychological level, has consequences for your body and your ability to function at your best the next day. When your body suddenly wakes up during the sleep phase, the awakening represents a sort of “shock” to the cardiovascular system and the nervous system. While this may not have particular consequences when nocturnal awakenings are only a passing episode, when they become frequent, they can give rise to more serious long-term disorders affecting these two systems. 

Frequent nighttime awakenings can lead to an imbalance in cortisol production: this means you may feel more agitated and nervous after a night of fragmented sleep. Not benefiting from an ideal night’s sleep will make you feel very sleepy the next day as if you lack the energy to face the day, your attention will likely struggle to stay fixed on a task.

How To Prevent Night Awakenings? Advice And Remedies

Some natural remedies can be valid allies for nocturnal awakenings and help you ensure constant, good sleep of a suitable duration.

1. Remove light sources and use blackout curtains: exposure to light and, conversely, darkness send a signal to our brain influencing the sleep-wake rhythm. Eliminating light sources as much as possible can reduce the risk of waking up early. Turning off all electronic devices at least an hour before going to sleep can also help you fall asleep.
2. Establish a regular sleep schedule: maintaining regular times for going to sleep and waking up, even on weekends if possible, will help your body tune into a good sleep routine and reduce unwanted awakenings or difficulty falling asleep.
3. Don’t eat heavy foods in the evening: prefer a light evening meal, preferably early enough, and opt for foods that are easy for your body to digest, such as green beans, pesto, boiled potatoes, parsley, courgettes, pine nuts, or almonds.
4. Try herbal remedies if anxiety wakes you up: chamomile, valerian, lavender, lemon balm, and many other botanical extracts can be valid allies for good sleep and are particularly suitable, especially if the awakenings are connected to anxious states and digestion difficulties. They can be used as sleep supplements or in the form of a relaxing herbal tea before going to bed and prolonging your rest until the morning.
5. Train with breathing exercises: if you wake up suddenly during the night, avoid engaging in activities that require excessive awakening of the body. To try to fall back asleep, you can focus on your breathing, placing a hand on your chest and paying attention to your heartbeat. You can also try playing white noise or soothing sounds, breaking the absolute silence that might make you focus on every little noise in the room. It will help you find the right mental state to slip straight into dreams!
6. Keep a diary on your bedside table: if you feel troubled by intrusive thoughts that just won’t let you relax, write a list of everything that’s bothering you and put it aside. It is a way of telling your mind that you are aware of what gives you a sense of alertness and anxiety but that you postpone the worries until the next day so you can resolve them with a fresh mind.
7. Food supplements should not be understood as substitutes for a varied and balanced diet combined with a healthy lifestyle.
8. Melatonin contributes to reducing the time required to fall asleep.

Read Also: How Many Hours Should You Sleep?