What If I Wake Up At Night?

In this article, we advise you on what to do if you wake up during the night, to avoid side effects.

Nighttime awakenings and insomnia can happen at any time, not just when trying to fall asleep or at the start of the night. Sometimes we wake up at dawn and it is very difficult to fall asleep again.

What should I do if I wake up during the night?

Waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to sleep is maddening. We want to rest because there is still a long time before the alarm clock rings. Plus, we know that if we don’t get a good night’s sleep the next day, we’ll be zombies.

Waking up early in the morning can be due to different reasons. Hearing a loud noise outside (for example, the fire brigade siren), having a nightmare, being too cold or too hot, etc.

Once awake, it can be very difficult to fall asleep again. Some people choose to change their position several times in bed. Others get up and do things that couldn’t be done the night before (including quirky and bizarre activities).

The quality of sleep is fundamental to our physical and mental health. On the contrary, lack of sleep causes listlessness, irritability, impaired memory and attention, drowsiness and much more.

• When should you be concerned about waking up frequently during the night? If this happens more than three times a week, it could be a sign that you are too stressed, anxious or nervous. In the long run, this will of course cause serious health problems.

Getting out of bed to be able to fall asleep better

One of the techniques you can apply, if you wake up during the night, is to get out of bed, leave the room, turn on a dim light, and do some relaxing activity for 20 or 30 minutes.

Then go back to bed and try to sleep again. Certainly, it is a personal choice that we consider “something reassuring”. For some it may be meditating or practicing yoga, for others it may be reading, playing cards or looking at pictures.

Either way, these should be activities that don’t excite the nervous system. It is important not to have recourse to coffee, alcohol or tobacco.

If you want to use the tablet or phone, it’s best to keep screen contrast and light to a minimum and avoid white, green, and blue lights that inhibit the production of melatonin (a hormone that helps us fall asleep).

If you want to watch TV, choosing a suitable type of programming is essential. No action movies, violent series or videos full of color and glowing lights.

When you have gone back to bed, if the same process happens again, then you have to start over. Unless there is only 1 or 2 hours left before the alarm clock rings. In this case, it is recommended to get up right away and start your day.

You certainly have a lot of things you can start to get you going with the chores around the house (preparing meals, doing a shopping list, doing laundry, tidying up the room, etc.).

How to recover from a nocturnal awakening

No matter how bad the night was the night before, you can’t make the mistake of making up for it with a 3 hour nap. Likewise, it is not possible to change the wake-up time and get up later. These behaviors only worsen and make insomnia more frequent.

After a sleepless night, it is very important that recovery is done as soon as possible in order to be able to fulfill our obligations and activities for the next day. Here are some tips that you may find useful.

1. Increase vitamin B12 intake

If you don’t get enough rest, your body consumes more of the B vitamins. The lack of these nutrients will make you listless, cranky, and with problems concentrating.

To recover some of this lost vitamin, you can eat some of these foods:

• Clams, oysters, mussels
• Fish, octopus, squid
• Liver
• Cheese
• Eggs

2. Drink ginger tea

This plant has many properties. So don’t hesitate to add it to your diet. If you wake up at night, the hormone cortisol rises and therefore gives your body constant stress.

As a result, it raises blood pressure. This causes anxiety and therefore lowers the immune response. To counter these effects, nothing beats an infusion of ginger. It’s very easy to prepare:

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon of grated ginger (2 g)
• 1 cup of water (250 ml)
• a tablespoon of honey (20 g)
• 1 bag of black tea

Preparation

• Heat the water and pour it into a cup.
• Add the black tea bag and let stand for about 5 minutes.
• Remove the tea then add the ginger.
• Finally, stir well and sweeten with honey.

Avoid sugars and fats

Meals high in carbohydrates or fat are not recommended because calories are burned very quickly.

Even if this is what you need to feel better, after a sleepless night, this effect is only temporary. In a few minutes, you will feel more tired than before.

Instead, choose healthy foods rich in protein, fiber and natural fat that will give you more lasting energy. And say goodbye to waking up at night!