Many factors can cause a person to wake up often at night. Needing to urinate is a common reason, but sleep apnea, overheating, and dietary habits are just a few of the others. However, regularly waking up in the middle of the night can become problematic, as it interrupts sleep.
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.
According to the CDC14, the most common sleep disorders are insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea. All of these disorders can cause waking up in the middle of the night, but it is one of the characteristics of insomnia, in particular.
If you find yourself waking up at the same time every night (including around 3 am) overwhelmed with thoughts, you might be suffering from a serious sleep disorder. Other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome, can also cause frequent awakenings during the night.
A room that is too cold, too hot, or too humid may cause frequent awakenings. Most doctors recommend keeping the thermostat set between 60-67 °F to get good sleep. The bedroom should be completely dark. Using room-darkening shades or curtains may help.
Parasomnias are a sub-category of sleep disorder. They involve abnormal and unnatural movements, behaviours, emotions, perceptions and dreams that occur while falling asleep, during sleep, between sleep stages or upon waking. Most people experience a parasomnia during their lifetime.
1-3am is the time of the Liver and a time when the body should be alseep. During this time, toxins are released from the body and fresh new blood is made. If you find yourself waking during this time, you could have too much yang energy or problems with your liver or detoxification pathways.
Stop waking up in the middle of the night by improving your sleep hygiene. This includes getting light first thing and avoiding light, caffeine, large meals, and alcohol close to bedtime; keeping a consistent sleep pattern; and making sure your bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet.
If you have depression , daily stresses—such as financial worries, an argument with your spouse, or a jam-packed evening commute—could also lead to more nighttime wake-ups and more trouble getting back to sleep than someone without depression would experience.
Waking up in the middle of the night is common. The most common cause is a liver problem, but there may be other reasons why your sleep is disrupted including sleep apnea, nocturnal hypoglycemia, viral infection, urinary issues, digestive issues, potential food allergies or stress.
Some individuals find magnesium supplements to promote sleep, and a few studies have demonstrated a sleep benefit. Consult with your doctor before adding any supplements to your diet.
As we've mentioned, there can be numerous causes of interrupted sleep – from a sudden shift in routine, life events, unexpected noises, bedroom conditions, alcohol, caffeine, medications, or digital devices, as well as anxiety and depression, sleep apnea, insomnia.
What should you do when you wake up in the middle of the night? The next time you wake up at 3 a.m. (or whatever time), give yourself 15 to 20 minutes to doze back into dreamland. It's OK. If you're awake longer than that, it's best to get out of bed, advises Dr.
Keep the bedroom dark and quiet: Environmental disturbances, like noise and light, can wake a person from nighttime sleep. If darkness and quiet are not possible, wearing a sleep mask to block out light and earplugs to block out sound can help.
Nighttime (nocturnal) panic attacks can occur with no obvious trigger and awaken you from sleep. As with a daytime panic attack, you may experience sweating, rapid heart rate, trembling, shortness of breath, heavy breathing (hyperventilation), flushing or chills, and a sense of impending doom.
Liver: 1am-3am
For example, I do not wake early but often feel excessively tired at around 6pm and this, according to my acupuncturist, is because my kidney function is weak. As you can see from this schedule, 1-3am is 'liver time'.
Core body temperature starts to rise, sleep drive is reducing (because we've had a chunk of sleep), secretion of melatonin (the sleep hormone) has peaked, and levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) are increasing as the body prepares to launch us into the day.
You feel scared, anxious, angry, sad or disgusted as a result of your dream. You feel sweaty or have a pounding heartbeat while in bed. You can think clearly upon awakening and can recall details of your dream. Your dream causes distress that keeps you from falling back to sleep easily.
Parasomnia sleep disorders cause abnormal activities during sleep, such as sleep terrors or sleep walking. Dyssomnia sleep disorders cause trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Perhaps the most well known dyssomnia is obstructive sleep apnea.