For those of us that are always waking up in the middle of the night, realising it’s once again 3am that you’ve inexplicably woken up is an all-too-familiar gut punch.
It can be really annoying, especially when it’s been a while and you think it’s not happening anymore... just to find yourself springing awake in the middle of the night, losing crucial sleep time.
However, according to health experts, it could be down to stress and there is actually a way to prevent it happening time and time again.
Why you always wake up in the middle of the night
Psychologist Greg Murray said: “We actually wake up many times each night, and light sleep is more common in the second half of the night. When sleep is going well for us, we are simply unaware of these awakenings.
“But add a bit of stress and there is a good chance that waking will become a fully self-aware state.”
I don’t know about you but that sounds incredibly relatable to me.
He added: “Concerns about being awake when one “should” be asleep can cause the person to jolt themselves into anxious wakefulness whenever they go through a light sleep phase.”
Basically... we make it worse for ourselves by worrying about being awake at that hour. Great.
How to stop waking up in the middle of the night
To improve your overall sleep, the NHS recommends that you:
- make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet – use thick blinds, curtains, an eye mask or ear plugs
- keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature for sleeping
- make sure your mattress, covers and pillow are comfortable
- exercise regularly during the day
- create a relaxing bedtime routine, like taking a bath or listening to gentle music
- write down any worries and ideas down before going to bed, so that you’re more likely to be able to forget them until morning
- get up at a specific time each day and try to stick to this, even if you feel you’ve not had enough sleep
Help and support:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
- CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.