6 Tips on How to Get Back to Sleep in The Middle of The Night
When you wake up in the middle of the night and you just can’t sleep, that’s frustrating. With these 6 tips, you’re sure to find your way back to sleep.
Whether you are having a bad dream or too many thoughts in your head, there are many factors why you are scared out of your well-deserved sleep in the middle of the night. If this is the case more often, you should consider ways to deal with these sleep disturbances. We give you 6 tips to help you get back to sleep.
1. Cool down the room
“Studies have shown that people fall asleep better in cooler temperatures, and waking up is often a result of overheating,” explains psychotherapist Denise Limongello in an interview with “Bustle”. So when you wake up, just open the window – and leave it on tilt for the rest of the night. Temperatures between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius are ideal in the bedroom, by the way.
2. Try out relaxation techniques
Focus on your body and on your breathing. This can help you to relax if you are tense. Which relaxation technique you use is up to you: Yoga, meditation or progressive muscle relaxation are very effective according to the US “National Sleep Foundation” and can bring you back to slumber mode.
3. Make a to-do list
Admittedly, it is better if you have already written down all thoughts from your soul before falling asleep and noted down the upcoming tasks for the day on a to-do list. If this is not the case, then simply catch up on it during the night: This is the only way to put an end to your circle of thoughts. If you have written down your tasks, the stress and worry that you have forgotten something important can be solved.
4. Allow a midnight snack
Often it is only hunger that makes you startle in the middle of the night. “If you make your dinner too early, you might get hungry again at night,” Limongello explains. So it might be an advantage if you eat a little later. In that case, however, you should pay close attention to what you eat: Pizza, for example, lies like a stone in your stomach, and salad ferments and doesn’t let your stomach rest. Our immediate tip: allow yourself a small midnight snack so that the stomach (and ultimately the head) can come to rest.
5. Avoid light
People who cannot fall asleep at night tend to turn on the light to read or do something else. However, keep in mind that the light influences the natural rhythm of your body and causes confusion. This is because the body interprets it as a signal to get up. If you still can’t do without brightness (for example, because you want to write a to-do list), you should use dimmed light or candlelight.
6. Release the pressure
“People who suffer from insomnia often report that they put themselves under pressure to go back to sleep, which can lead to growing anxiety and frustration,” Limongello says. And people who are afraid of sleeping will not solve their problems – on the contrary. If you just lie down and rest, even if you can’t sleep, you’ll be much more rested the next morning than if you were tossing and turning in bed all night. So, it doesn’t hurt if you don’t sleep for a night – the body will get the sleep anyway sometime.