When to Get Help for Middle-of-the Night Awakening

When to Get Help for Middle-of-the Night Awakening

You set the alarm for 6 a.m., but for the third day this week you wake up at 1 a.m. instead. You know you need more rest, but falling back asleep takes a long time. When you finally do doze off, before you know it, your alarm clock is ringing.

If that sounds familiar, you may have a common form of insomnia that makes it hard for you to stay asleep.
What Makes You Wake up in the Night?

Middle-of-the-night insomnia affects almost twice as many women as men. It becomes more common in middle age.

Chronic pain, sleep apnea, and the need to get up over and over to use the bathroom are some things that can interrupt your sleep. So can the hot flashes of menopause.

Meanwhile, life’s stresses take their toll. Marriage troubles, job losses, aging parents, or children leaving home all can leave your mind racing in the night.

Once you start waking up at night, a vicious cycle can begin. The more you worry about losing sleep, the harder it becomes to stay asleep.

“Everyone wakes up at night once in a while. Most people roll over and go back to sleep. But some people begin to fret about it,” says clinical psychologist Theresa Lengerich, PsyD. She’s the director of behavioral sciences at the Bethesda Family Medicine Residency Program in Cincinnati.

“As you lay there, you become tense, which makes it harder to fall back asleep. And then you become even more upset,” Lengerich says. “If this continues night after night, it can become a conditioned response that can cause insomnia all by itself.”
Sleep Hygiene to Help You Get Better Sleep

“Sleep hygiene” sounds like it has to do with cleanliness, but it actually refers to improving some of your habits to give you a better night’s sleep.

Some of the steps you can take are changes to your daytime routine:
Avoid naps during the day
Get regular exercise
Make sure you go outside during the day to get exposed to natural light. This helps you maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle.

There are also steps you can take as you get close to bedtime that can improve sleep:
Avoid caffeinated drinks and alcohol
Don’t use tobacco products
Don’t have a large meal close to bedtime
Avoid emotional discussions before going to bed

It’s also important to keep up a regular sleep-wake schedule — during the week and on weekends too. Try to go to bed and wake up the same time every day.

When to Call the Doctor