Tips to getting back to sleep after waking up in the night
What’s worse than waking up at night and not being able to fall back to sleep? It’s frustrating, and can cause us to feel exhausted the next day. Unfortunately, this is a common issue for many.
Here are some helpful tips and tricks for getting back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.
1. Don't check the time
Avoid checking the time. Counting the minutes of missed sleep since waking up can increase stress and anxiety, which can further delay your return to sleep. What’s more, exposure to blue light from your clock, phone, tablet or computer can make your brain more alert, making it much more difficult for you to fall back into deep sleep.
2. Get rid of bright lights or loud sounds
Try to remove any types of lights in your bedroom that may be disturbing your sleep. They could be LED lights from your electronics or lights shining in from outside your room. You may want to wear an eye mask to block out light or listen to white noise to block out disturbing noises.
3. Get out of bed and move
If you continue to roll around in bed for more than 20 minutes, try moving to a different room to distract your mind. It may be easier to fall asleep when you distract yourself or relax your body for a few minutes before hopping back into bed.
4. Avoid checking your phone or other screens
Blue light emitted from smartphones or computer screens may suppress your body’s melatonin production and keep you awake. Melatonin is an important hormone that your brain produces in response to darkness. It helps regulate your circadian rhythm and sleep cycle.
If you need to check your phone or screen, you can reduce your exposure to blue light by operating your device in a night shift mode, which adjusts your screen to a warmer tone. Alternatively, you can purchase glasses with amber lenses to block out blue light.
5. Try breathing exercises or meditating
Calm your mind and make it easier to fall back asleep through breathing exercises or meditation. These techniques may distract you from worrying or stressing about falling asleep and calm your mind. One popular exercise you can try is the 4-7-8 breathing technique, where you inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds and breathe out through your mouth.
6. Relax your muscles
Try performing a full body scan to relax your mind and body:
Shut your eyes closed and breathe slowly
Focus on your face and think about relaxing each of the muscles
Gradually shift to your neck and shoulders and try relaxing them too
Proceed with relaxing muscles in different parts of your body until you reach your feet
7. Keep your lights off
Ensure to have your lights off despite being unable to fall back asleep. Similar to blue light, the bright light from your room can impact your body’s production of melatonin and stimulate your brain to stay awake.
8. Listen to relaxing music
Try listening to relaxing music like low-fi or classical to ease your mind and relax your body. It may help to gradually coax you back to sleep, while also blocking out sounds that may be disrupting your sleep.
9. Try sleep apps
Sleep apps may help people fall asleep faster by easing them into relaxation mode. There are many popular sleep apps on the market that offer relaxing stories, music or sounds. You may give these apps a try, and often they offer free trials to give you the opportunity to find the app that best works for you!
10. Make yourself a cup of warm milk
Research has shown that having warm milk before bed may help induce sleep. Drinking a cup of warm milk may help you go back to sleep quicker if you wake up in the middle of the night. Milk may promote sleep due to the amino acid tryptophan it contains, an ingredient that is proven to improve one’s quality of sleep and mood.
Key takeaway
For many people, an inability to fall back asleep after waking up in the middle of the night is an annoyance as it impacts their productivity the next day and takes a toll on their mental wellbeing over time.
However, there are a number of sleep remedies that people can try to help bring on sleep, ranging from breathing exercises and listening to relaxing music to avoiding blue screens and more. If you’re struggling to get back to sleep, try some of our tips and tricks and see which works best for you!
IF YOU’RE EXPERIENCING PERSISTENT DISRUPTIONS TO YOUR SLEEP, CONSULT WITH A PHARMACIST OR TRUSTED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS.
Any advice provided in this content is of a general nature and does not take into account your objectives, health or needs. The information in this post is not intended to substitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be exclusively relied on to diagnose or manage a medical condition. You need to consider the appropriateness of any information or general advice we give you, having regard to your personal situation, before acting on our advice or purchasing any over-the-counter sleep product.