Waking up in the middle of the night is one of the biggest causes of sleep deprivation. Although nighttime waking can have serious consequences, there can be very simple reasons why you are having trouble sleeping through the night. One restless night is manageable, but if you are continually waking up during the night, you’re not completing your sleep cycles, and the problem could result in more serious health problems.
Everyone wakes up in the middle of the night
One thing you have to remember is that it is normal to wake up a few times a night, what isn’t normal is being unable to fall back asleep. Because we go through several sleep cycles a night, we are always moving between light sleep and REM sleep. During the lightest sleep stages, it’s not uncommon to have a few moments where you feel awake. However, these moments are short-lived and won’t disrupt your sleep cycle. However, if you wake up and stay awake, your cycle is disrupted and you’ll start to feel the effects of insomnia.
Reasons for nighttime waking
Understanding the reason why we can’t fall back asleep will help you find a solution. Sometimes, the reasons are obvious, like suffering from an illness or injury that is making you uncomfortable and disrupting your sleep. Stress is also a common cause of waking and feeling restless in the middle of the night. Sometimes, the reason may be something simple that you are doing that you may not even realize has an effect on your sleep.
Alcohol before bed
A few glasses of wine seem harmless, but even a few glasses of wine could cause you to wake in the night and be unable to fall back asleep. Initially, the wine will make you drowsy, but as the alcohol metabolizes, it can disrupt the REM cycle of your sleep, causing your night to feel restless. Stop drinking a few hours before bedtime to give the alcohol time to metabolize before you go to bed.
Nighttime peeing
Many people will blame nighttime peeing on their sleep problems. You’d think that simply cutting back on liquids before bedtime would solve the problem, but even if you avoid water before bed, many will still wake up to go to the bathroom. Recent studies have shown that nighttime peeing may not have to do with the amount of water that you drink but on the amount of salt that you consume throughout the day.
Wrong bedroom temperature
Overheating in the middle of the night can cause you to wake up. We sleep much better in a cool environment. If it’s too hot in your bedroom, you could be inadvertently preventing yourself from getting a good night’s sleep.
Sleep through the night
For sleep to be effective, we have to be able to sleep through the night. Sleep is cyclical and cannot be broken up into sections. For the best sleep to help you stay fit, healthy, and happy, you need to sleep through the night without interruptions. The Dreampad Music Pillow is an effective sleep aid that has helped adults and children fall asleep quickly and stay asleep.