Waking Up in the Middle of the Night?

Do you frequently wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason at all? There are many factors that may cause this, and many of them can be resolved with a simple change in your sleeping habits. This post will talk about potential problems in your sleep routine that may cause this disorder, and an also possible solutions to ensure you get a full night’s sleep.

One reason for waking up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason is caused by a disorder aptly named “middle-of-the-night insomnia”. This is similar to normal insomnia except, in this case, you sleep normally when you go to bed but then frequently wake up in the night much earlier than expected and not being able to fall asleep again. Because the sleep patterns are disrupted, sufferers are normally extremely tired the next day. This is the most common insomnia symptom, with approximately 30% of people suffering from it.

This problem can be caused by a multitude of problems that range from environmental factors to psychological factors. Environmental causes include:

  • Someone you’re sharing the room with may still be awake or they may be a restless sleeper, thus disrupting your peaceful sleeping environment.
  • Noise can be the cause of disruption to your sleeping patterns so if your room is situated near a busy road, this could be a reason for waking halfway through the night.

The majority of cases, however, are due to psychological issues that may be temporary or permanent. The following could be reasons why you can’t get a full night’s sleep:

  • Being pregnant can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night.
  • Being worried about something currently happening in your life can cause problems with sleeping, this is closely related to suffering from depression/stress and is not an uncommon reason for not sleeping right through the night.
  • Lack of performing a proper routine that you normally do before going to bed (e.g. brushing your teeth or drinking some water). At the end of the day, we’re all creatures of habit so not having a regular routine before bedtime may hinder you from sleeping properly.

To treat this disorder, you should try to find out which of these reasons are the root causing you to wake up in the middle of the night. Bear in mind that there may be multiple causes to your insomnia problem so try to use trial and error to resolve it. There is currently no medication you can take to fully resolve this problem.

If you don’t have any problems falling back to sleep, the cause is most likely a physical one. If the time you wake up is roughly the same every night, you should check to see if there are any sounds or noises scheduled near that time such as the water boiler, an alarm, or people shouting outside.

If the problem is definitely not noise, then it could be to do with what time you have dinner. If you have dinner too late, it could disrupt your sleeping patterns, stopping you from falling into a deep sleep. Another cause related to this one is that you shouldn’t drink too much water prior to sleeping as this could cause you to need the toilet halfway through the night, and therefore waking you up.

Lastly, asthmatics are known to sometimes have a reaction around the same time every night, which could cause you to wake up short of breath, etc. You should consult a doctor if this is persistent and see if they have any suggestions.

In conclusion, waking up in the middle of the night on a frequent basis should not be something you have to put up with. Take action and you should be able to improve your quality of sleep every night.

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