It's 3am and you're staring off into the darkness wondering why your body decided now is the time to wake up. Again.
The good news is you're hardly the only one with this problem which means plenty have put their minds to finding solutions to the problem.
In fact, 2-4am is the most popular time to wake up. There are myriad reasons for this:
- Stress
- Being uncomfortable
- Getting old
- Insomnia
- Sleep apnea
- Your liver
- Restless leg syndrome
- Too much caffeine
- Cell phone use, too many naps, etc.
Some of the reasons above may require oversight from a doctor. Contact your primary care physician if this is the case.
Regardless, these 7 tips can help you close your eyes and sleep until your alarm wakes you up.
How to Go Back to Sleep When You Wake Up
When you wake up in the middle of the night, you absolutely must not panic. This just makes it worse. The idea that you can't sleep and need to sleep just makes it more difficult to sleep.
Yes, you'll need to get up for work soon. No, you should not take a sleep gummy or melatonin because you won't have time to sleep it off.
1. Don't look at your clock
As mentioned earlier in this article, it's probably between 2 and 4 am. But all you need to know is you should get back to sleep. Stay focused and do NOT check the time. You may trigger panic mode when you just need to turn over and close your eyes.
If that doesn't work, move on to the next tips.
2. Go to the Bathroom
You may have woken up because your body says it's time to go. Don't hold it in. Your body, mind, and ability to lay back down will thank you.
3. Keep Your Phone Off
Social media, Reddit, and your mobile games, may seem like great ways to waste time and make you tired, but they will likely wake you right back up. If they don't do it themselves, the blue light from your phone will prevent you from going back to sleep. It tells your body to stop producing the sleep hormone, melatonin.
4. Focus On These...
Focus on belly breathing (deep breath in, deep breath out, making sure your diaphragm is expanding every time).
Counting. Count backwards from 10,000 or a similarly high number of your choice.
Or think about anything that isn't work, kids, money, or other stressors. If you feel that start to happen, go right back to your belly breathing or counting.
5. Write Your Worries Away – BEFORE Bed
One of the best ways to clear your mind is called expressive writing, a form of free writing. Just write down everything that's currently stressing you out without worrying about grammar or spelling.
The idea is to just put it down on paper and get it out of your mind for the time being. You can review it later and come up with ways to deal with these issues, should you decide to. But for tonight, just get them out of your head before you go to bed.
6. Leave Your Bed
Don't feel like you need to stay in your bed. If you've been struggling for a while and nothing seems to be working, change your scenery. Find a couch, a pouf, something comfortable, and sit down or turn on the lights low enough to still be able to read and open a book.
7. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
If you want to sleep through the night, every night, keep a consistent schedule. At the very least, work on the last hour before you go to bed so when your head touches your pillow, you're ready to sleep.
Sleeping Through the Entire Night
For medical situations, get assistance from a doctor.
The 7 tips above can help you if you wake up, but they can't help you if you have an uncomfortable bed. All out Milton mattresses feature industry-leading cooling technology and 3 mattress-in-a-box styles, you can find the perfect fit for your sleep. Plus, we'll ship it directly to you.
Sweet dreams.