Waking up in the middle of the night?Here’s why
We all have different sleep patterns, and the quality of sleep varies from one person to another. Most of us wake up once or twice during our sleep. Waking up a few times, is completely normal, but if you’re waking up more than 4-5 times, then something is not right. To get the bottom of this conundrum, we got in touch with Dr RK Singal and Dr Ambuj Garg, enlisted the factors which are messing up with your sleep cycle.
NOCTURIA
The most common cause of waking up is the urgent need to pass urine. This state, known as nocturia, can be caused by various reasons. One of them is that you may be drinking a lot of fluids before sleeping. Solution: Don’t drink too much fluids like tea or coffee, in the evening or before going to sleep. Also drink water with a pinch of unprocessed sea salt. Salt contains sodium that helps in retaining water.
BLUE LIGHT
The blue light emitting from your mobile phone is a sleep killer. It prevents the release of melatonin, a sleep inducing hormone.
Solution: Dimming your phone or tablet’s light, and holding it at least a foot or two from your face, makes it less likely to mess with your sleep. Try to not use your phone when you wake up in the middle of the night. You can keep your phone in a different room.
STRONG LIGHTING
Darkness is essential for a deep sleep. The absence of light sends a signal to your body that it’s time to sleep. However, if there are bright lights in your room, it can alter your body’s internal sleep clock by making you feel alert and awake.
Solution: Try to transform your room into the dark and quiet sanctuary as this will aid in sleeping peacefully. As for lighting the room, opt for dimly lit yellow light.
ALCOHOL
Alcohol has a sedative like effect, so you may pass out, or fall asleep easily when you are drinking. However, it also causes dehydration, due to which you have to wake up in the middle of the night to drink water.
Solution: Either avoid alcohol before sleep or sleep after few hours of drinking alcohol. You can go for herbal teas like valerian tea or chamomile tea before going to sleep. A glass of warm milk before bed can make you sleepy.
ANXIETY AND STRESS
Anxiety and stress can rob a goodnight sleep. Understand what triggers your anxiety. Knowing the reason for your stress and anxiety can help you deal with the problem. Solution: Try meditation as it calms your nervous system and shifts your focus from the stressful thoughts that keep you awake. You can also go for a workout session before hitting the sack as it will tire you and help in sleeping.
TRY MEDITATION AS IT CALMS YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM AND SHIFTS YOUR FOCUS FROM STRESSFUL THOUGHTS