Most people wake up once or twice during the night. Reasons this might happen include drinking caffeine or alcohol late in the day, a poor sleep environment, a sleep disorder, or another health condition. When you can't get back to sleep quickly, you won't get enough quality sleep to keep you refreshed and healthy.
Sleep in a comfortable, dark, quiet space. Make sure you're sleepy enough before going to bed, and don't lie there for 20 minutes or more if you can't fall asleep. Adopt a nighttime routine that helps you relax, such as reading or meditating before bed. Turn off screens well before you turn the lights out.
One of the common causes of disrupted sleep is lifestyle, including any of the following habits: Drinking alcohol within four hours of bedtime. A nightcap may help you fall asleep, but it also can interrupt sleep later in the night, and can also cause more trips to the bathroom. Eating within a few hours of bedtime.
Several of the most popular natural sleep aids include melatonin, GABA, tryptophan, 5-HTP, CBD and THC, valerian root and lavender.
Your body likely produces enough melatonin for its general needs. However, evidence suggests that melatonin supplements promote sleep and are safe for short-term use. Melatonin can be used to treat delayed sleep phase and circadian rhythm sleep disorders in the blind and provide some insomnia relief.
You wake up at 3am because this is the time you shift from a deep sleep into a lighter sleep. If you turn in at 11pm, by three in the morning you're mostly out of deep sleep and shifting into longer periods of lighter sleep, known as REM.
It's readily available, and it's supposed to help you sleep . . . right? Sleep deprivation can make this logic seem sound, but experts say taking melatonin in the middle of the night can actually make your sleep schedule even worse.
Anxiety or depression
Stress can make it hard to get to sleep in the first place (that's called sleep-onset insomnia). But anxiety can also cause you to wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back to sleep (called middle insomnia, or sleep-maintenance insomnia).
Most people who have experienced depression know that it is often accompanied by sleeping problems. People with depression may find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep during the night.
Is it a normal part of sleep? It is common to wake up during sleep. In fact most people wake two or three times during the night.
This can be a natural, normal waking mechanism. Notice that in many cases you're waking up during a dream in the morning. Adding sunlight is another cue for you to wake up. In addition, the lowest point in the circadian cycle is called the singularity.
Sleep apnea is a common cause of waking in the middle of the night. It causes shallow breathing, which may cause a person to wake up several times per night. In many cases, a person will not even realize that their sleep is interrupted. A person with sleep apnea may notice symptoms such as: headaches in the morning.
Not only can magnesium help you get to sleep, but it plays a part in helping you achieve deep and restful sleep as well. In one study, older adults were given 500 mg of magnesium or a placebo. Overall, the magnesium group had better quality of sleep.
The inability to fall back asleep after waking up is medically known as sleep-maintenance insomnia. Studies have found that anywhere from 10 to 60 percent of people experience insomnia. Other forms of insomnia can cause: difficulty falling asleep.
Melatonin can stay in your body for about 5 hours, though it depends on factors like your age and overall health status. It's possible to overdose on melatonin, so start with the lowest dosage possible. Using too much melatonin can disrupt your circadian rhythm.
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder in which you may have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. A third of Americans report that they don't get the recommended amount of sleep every night, which is at least seven hours. Periodically having trouble sleeping, also known as acute insomnia, is common.
Historically, research also suggests anxiety disorders are associated with reduced sleep quality. When you lie down at night to unwind, your brain turns to all of the worries it didn't have time for during the day. Frequently, this anxiety revolves around worries you can't solve in the moment.
If you've been drinking alcohol, it's also not safe to take melatonin. Melatonin is also not for you if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. Researchers simply don't have enough data to know if it's safe for fetuses or breastfed babies.
There is a wide selection of over-the-counter sleep supplements to choose from. Some of the most common are cannabidiol (CBD), synthetic melatonin, valerian, and chamomile.
Cherries
Cherries (especially sour cherries like the Montmorency variety) are one of the only (and highest) natural food sources of melatonin.