After you’ve walked 10,000 steps and had eight glasses of water, your body cries out for about eight hours of sleep at night. Additionally, you find yourself waking up at two in the morning every day, despite your desire to sleep for a long time, which makes you wonder, “Why?”
According to doctors, there is only one simple thing you might be doing that wakes you up in the middle of the night.
You wake up in the middle of the night. What do you do when you wake up? “Check the time,” you say, and you’re not alone. It feels normal, almost instinctual, to check the time or grab your phone.
But this one action might be the reason you’re having trouble getting back asleep.
According to doctors, you start calculating how long you’ve been up and how many hours till the alarm goes off to start a busy day as soon as you see the time.
“People who check the clock during the night tend to have worse sleep quality overall,” says sleep specialist Dr. Carleara Weiss. “Behavioral sleep medicine science suggests that the clock-monitoring habit may increase pre-sleep anxiety and worry during the night.”
This suggests that mental math triggers a stress response in your brain, making relaxation even more challenging. An increase in heart rate, excitement of the mind, and sudden awakening are possible.
“We’ve seen people who got too attached to this habit and started waking up every night at the same time to check the clock,” Dr. Weiss told Well+Good.
The doctor also warns that checking the time on a mobile device, like a phone or smart watch, is making the situation worse.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Weiss said, “Just doing this makes a huge difference because we know bright light from electronic devices affects the natural production of melatonin.”
According to Weiss, mobile devices’ blue light deceives your brain into thinking it is sunlight, which suppresses melatonin, a hormone that encourages sleep. You can’t get back to sleep after even a short exposure.
How to prevent wake-ups
First, resist the temptation to check the time. If you need an alarm in the morning, turn your clock away from you before bed. When using your phone, keep it mute and face down. Spending less time at night will make it easier for you to go back asleep on your own.
If your body is preventing you from falling back asleep, get out of bed.
It may seem contradictory, but Dr. Luis Buenaver claims that spending a lot of time lying awake in bed might teach your brain bad habits.
Buenaver, a sleep specialist at Johns Hopkins, says it’s important to get out of bed, even if you’re reading. Your brain and body will begin to associate your bed with being awake instead of sleeping if you do this. It might be difficult to get out of a warm, comfortable bed in the middle of the night. But if you do this now, think of it as an investment in getting more sleep tomorrow and beyond.
Lastly, only return to sleep when you’re exhausted. This method, called sensory regulation therapy, tries to help your brain associate sleep with your bed rather than with being agitated and alert.
What causes awakenings
Experts emphasize that waking up throughout the night is entirely typical and that most individuals experience about 15 short awakenings per night.
These short arousals, which can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, are “amnestic,” meaning that people usually don’t remember them, according to Michael Perlis, head of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.
Perlis said, “It’s debatable exactly why these occur,” adding that these sleep disturbances usually happen as a person transitions from one stage of sleep to another. “It’s fortunate, though, that you frequently shift your posture during these brief awakenings.”
However, medium maintenance insomnia, which affects one in five Americans, is characterized by two or three noteworthy wake-ups per night.
Don’t freak out.
Sleep scientists caution us that the body is robust. You can feel drowsy or lethargic after a difficult night, but you’ll likely get more sleep the next day to make up for it.
The best thing to do after a bad night is to go about your daily business as usual. Avoid napping too frequently or going to bed too early because these habits might throw off your internal clock and make things worse.
Improve your sleeping habits
The Mayo Clinic shares some more tips to help you develop good sleep hygiene now that you know how blue lights and clock-watching disrupt your sleep.
Even on the weekends, stick to a regular sleep routine by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.
Create a calming evening routine: You might wind down by engaging in soothing activities like deep breathing, gentle stretching, or reading.
Make the most of the mood in your bedroom by keeping it cool, dark, and quiet. Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows.
Avoid caffeine-containing beverages after noon and limit your alcohol intake to one drink at least four hours before bed. Although coffee can stay in your system for hours, alcohol might trigger sleep difficulties later in the night.
Manage stress during the day: By practicing mindfulness, keeping a journal, or exercising, you can prevent stress from interfering with your sleep.
If your lack of sleep is affecting your daily activities, a doctor can help identify the underlying cause and provide targeted treatments.
The next time you wake up in the middle of the night, avoid eyeing the clock and practice good sleep hygiene! Sometimes your body only needs a little help to go asleep, but it is capable of doing so.
Please share this tale and then tell us how you practice excellent sleep hygiene so that we can hear from others!
