Waking up in the middle of the night can be incredibly frustrating. If you are waking up in the middle of the night and struggling to fall back asleep, you’re not alone. A Sleep Medicine study found that about one-third of American adults experience this at least three times a week, with many suffering from “sleep maintenance insomnia.” Understanding the reasons for this disruption is the first step toward fixing it. Here are eight common causes and actionable tips to ensure uninterrupted sleep.

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How to Sleep Better
1. Your Room is Too Hot, Cold, Noisy, or Bright
The reason why a number of people wake up during the night is that their environment isn’t sleep-friendly enough. So what does this mean? Well, light, the temperature in the bedroom, and the noise, among the rest, all contribute to this and can easily disturb the sleeping cycle. Sleep experts recommend a cool, dark, quiet bedroom to avoid disruptions and enhance sleep quality. Some practical tips they offer are using blackout curtains to block the light from the street light, if there are any nearby, white-noise machines that help block sounds, and keeping the room cool, at around 18-21°C, to help your body maintain its natural sleep rhythm. These adjustments are all part of something called “sleeping hygiene” that experts recommend for the sake of reducing waking during the night and improving sleep quality in general. Sleep aids

2. Anxiety is Keeping You Awake

What many people aren’t aware of is that anxiety can also play part in sleep disturbances. According to Dr. Nesochi Okeke-Igbokwe, anxiety can lead to symptoms such as a racing heart, shallow breathing, and unexpected surges of fear, which can make you wake up abruptly in the middle of the night. In some cases, these symptoms can be referred to as nocturnal panic attacks, which can be more frightening as they come unexpectedly and can interrupt the body’s normal sleep cycle.Insomnia self-help

Sadly, if anxiety isn’t addressed, it can lead to fatigue and irritability. If you are one of those people whose sleep is affected because of anxiety, you should talk to your doctor and ask for professional help instead of trying to solve the issue yourself. The professional help that is available includes therapy to help deal with anxiety, as well as taking anxiety medications or relaxation techniques such as meditation or deep breathing. When anxiety is treated, it can also result in better sleep quality.

3. Frequent Trips to the Bathroom
Have you ever heard of nocturia? If you wake up during the night multiple times in order to use the bathroom then you are probably suffering from this condition. This usually happens when you consume too many liquids shortly before going to sleep, and that includes water, tea, juices, and any other fluids. Sleep disruption remedies

However, urinating during the night is not only attributed to habits. It can also be cause by other underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, urinary tract infections, or hormonal imbalances that might interfere with the regulation of fluids in the body. As a result, sleep is significantly impaired, and it might be difficult to concentrate during the day.

Some of the things you can do to fight nocturia is to limit the intake of fluids a few hours before going to bed. If you still wake up during the night to use the bathroom after limiting fluids before bedtime, then maybe it would be for the best to consult a doctor in order to discover the cause. When nocturia is no longer an issue, you sleeping would be better, too.

4. Alcohol Consumption Before Bedtime

Maybe you’ve noticed that when you have a glass of two of alcohol, it helps you fall asleep faster. However, having alcohol before going to bed will affect the quality of your sleep since it increases the percentage of sleep stage 1, which is the lightest stage of sleep. This means you’ll be more likely to wake up more often during the night. Night waking solutions

Alcohol consumption before bedtime can also cause throat muscles to relax, which may worsen snoring and sleep-breathing problems, and increase the need to visit the bathroom during the night. To prevent frequent waking up during the night, make sure you have your glass of alcohol at least three hours before sleeping in order to give your body the time to process it.

5. Sleep Apnea Could Be the Culprit
According to NHS, sleep apnoea happens “when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep. The most common type is called obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Sleep apnoea needs to be treated because it can lead to more serious problems.”

People who suffer from this condition sometimes wake up during the night gasping for air, which can be a rather uncomfortable experience. Anxiety management tools

If left untreated, it can cause more serious issues such as high blood pressure, heart problems, chronic fatigue, headaches, and difficulty concentrating.

In case you are among those people who experience symptoms such as loud snoring, choking, and daytime sleepiness, seek professional help. In the case of sleep apnea, the breathing pattern can be normalized with the use of CPAP machines, which can considerably improve the quality of life.

6. Overactive Thyroid Gland
Did you know that hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid, can also affect the quality of sleep? This happens because when the thyroid hormone levels get high, they tend to speed up the metabolism, which results in racing or irregular heartbeat, increased anxiety, and night sweats. These symptoms not only make it hard to fall asleep, but they also affect the quality of sleep and lead to waking up during the night. Sleep aids

So, if you have troubles sleeping through the night and everything seems just fine, maybe it is the thyroid that causes the problem. This can be easily checked through blood tests, so it’s best to consult a doctor who may recommend medications or other treatment to regulate the production of hormones. Managing hyperthyroidism won’t only help you sleep better, but it would offer a better quality of life in general.

7. Eating Too Late or Skipping Meals
Here comes the eating part. As we are all already aware, the food we consume affects our health, and with that, the quality of our sleep. Experts recommend that you do not eat a lot of food before you go to sleep because it might cause a lot of discomfort, and you might wake up in the middle of the night with a burning sensation in your chest, which is mainly caused by too much acid in your stomach. On the other hand, it is recommended that you eat enough food during the day so that your blood sugar levels do not drop when you go to sleep, which might cause you discomfort and wake you up in the middle of the night. By developing healthy eating habits, you will be able to sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the next day.Sleep disruption remedies

8. Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a condition “where you have a strong urge to move your legs, usually when resting at night,” according to NHS. These sensations may feel like tingling, pulling, crawling, or aching, and are often accompanied by difficulty sleeping or falling asleep.

When you experience this, you can try moving the legs, stretching, and walking. However, the issue is that the symptoms return just after you get back to bed and try to fall asleep.

It is recommended that if you experience these symptoms, you visit a doctor for proper examination. The doctor can use blood tests to check the iron levels in the blood, as iron is the most common cause of RLS. The doctor can prescribe iron supplements or medication that can help improve nerve signals and muscle functions, ensuring you have an uninterrupted sleep.