Why do I wake up several times at night?

To understand the reasons for being awake several times at night, it is necessary to take into account that sleep is the most important rest for daily physical and psychological functions.

If you do not take care of your sleep, it is possible to suffer harmful effects on your health. In addition, we have to deal with the hectic daily routine, which requires us to make the most of our time and even more so in this globalized and digital world, which leaves little room for rest.

Now, all is not lost. The first step to solving this nocturnal problem is to understand what our mood is like.if we have some type of illness or are going through stressful situations, among other reasons.

It is normal to wake up several times a night because the brain goes through different sleep cycles. The problem arises when this cannot be reconciled immediately, which would be a sign that there is a problem for the body to rest and recover, and even more so if this situation persists over time.

Next we will see what are the main reasons why you may be awake several times at night.

Reasons why you may wake up several times a night

Waking up several times during the night to go to the bathroom or checking the alarm to see that it hasn’t gone off may not interrupt the brain’s recovery process; We may not even remember the times we woke up during sleep cycles.

The problem with dream rest appears when we wake up every night, persistently interrupting sleep cycles for a considerable time and especially when we have trouble falling asleep again. According to the above, It is necessary to pay attention to it because it may be a symptom of a more important problem..

The dream process

He dream It has two phases: REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep) and non-REM sleep. The first is the active phase of sleep that allows the brain to be active and the second, also known as NREM, is divided into four stages, which occur according to the repeated cycle of NREM followed by REM. This process occurs four to six times, for seven to eight hours.

If we wake up during the development of any phase of the cycles, rest is interrupted and the sleep process must begin from the beginning, that is, from the first NREM phase. Let us remember that sleep cycles repeat every 90 minutes, according to author and psychology professor David G. Myers.

The more times we wake up in the night, the greater the likelihood of losing our restful sleep, the consequence of which would be the disturbance of our circadian rhythm.

Main causes

Once contextualized with the sleep process, let’s move on to the main reasons why you may be awake several times at night:

Depression: Its symptoms are fueled by negative thoughts and irrational ideas, excessive worry, anhedonia and muscle pain that directly influence the quality of sleep. The disorder of depression can generate excess insomnia, in addition to the fact that it feeds on the stress of daily life, especially, so it cannot be controlled.Stress: is closely related to depression. Obsessive and intrusive thoughts over which we have no control are generally related to physical and mental symptoms, which increase stress in the mood of the sufferer. The most serious consequence is that it activates the body to face stressors, whether real or imaginary. For example, the anxiety of waiting for a future that has not yet happened. Pessimistic behavior: In this position, the mood is conditioned by negative and generally irrational feelings and thoughts. If emotions are not regulated, it is due to the presence of anxiety, due to the persistence of maintaining a behavior fueled by irrational ideation..Social networks: Visits to social networks can wake you up during the night or in the early morning. The light from digital screens It interrupts the production of melatonin, known as the sleep hormone, causing its decrease and considerably increasing insomnia.Alcoholic beverages: They can cause daydreaming, but also disrupt sleep. Alcohol has sedative effects, a job that falls to the REM sleep. The consequences will be that the person wakes up very early in the morning.Sleep apnea: This disorder prevents you from breathing properly during the night, causing you to wake up several times to inhale air.Medical complications: Aside from psychological situations, there are several physical conditions that can disrupt sleep cycles. For example, fever, malaise, acid reflux, thyroid and respiratory problems, vitamin D deficiency or drinking plenty of fluids before going to bed, among others.

recommendations

If you can’t fall asleep when you wake up during the night, keep the following recommendations in mind:

Relax to deactivate anxiety and stress. Don’t worry about the ticking of the clock or the sun that will show its shining body in a short time, stay calm and this will ensure that your adrenaline levels don’t skyrocket. Do breathing or meditation exercises: If you have been awake for more than thirty minutes, you can choose to practice breathing or meditation exercises that will help you relax and combat negative and intrusive thoughts and, therefore, anxiety and stress. Try not to turn on any screen before Go to sleep: don’t visit social networks, leave your phone still and better focus on the previous point. Remember that light from screens interferes with the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin.Do exercises or stretches that are not very demanding so that your body regulates and relaxes through motor skills.Limit the consumption of stimulant drinks before going to bedsuch as alcohol, caffeine, energizers, etc. If you are sleepy during the day, try to take naps only in the afternoon, which do not exceed 30 minutes.Be strict with your daily routine to respect your circadian rhythms, you will affect them if your sleep schedules are inconsistent. Go to bed and get up at a fixed time in order to protect the time required for restful sleep. Receive sunbaths to help your body produce vitamin D. Fifteen minutes of exposure daily is enough.

Finally, if after the points treated you realize that you continue waking up several times at night , do not hesitate to consult with a specialist.

The first thing will be to rule out an organic problem. Once done, turning to a psychologist specialized in anxiety management can help you a lot. Sometimes we overlook disorders that we do not believe we suffer from and their diagnosis is necessary to know if we suffer from thyroid, obsessive or depressive traits, among others.

You might be interested…