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Getting Back to Sleep After Awakening in the Middle of the Night
This article is a follow-up to Getting a Good Night’s Sleep and the Importance Thereof in Volume 22 Number 4 of this newsletter. That article addressed general issues in regard to sleep. This article will address what is this writer’s biggest struggle in regard to getting a good night’s sleep, that of waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep.
To find suggestions on how to overcome this struggle, I did an internet search on “getting back to sleep after waking up.” DuckDuckGo then suggested to also search on “I wake up at 3am and can’t go back to sleep,” so I did that as well.
The following are summaries of some of the many results that came up, along with my comments thereupon. Given the number of search results for these two inquiries, these are obviously very common problems, not unique to me.
Healthline. 10 Tips to Fall Back Asleep After Waking Up at Night.
The inability to fall back asleep after waking up is medically known as sleep-maintenance insomnia….
If you’re having trouble getting back to sleep after waking up, it’s a good idea to avoid anything mentally stimulating and to focus on relaxing. The following 10 tips may help you.
1. Get rid of bright lights or loud sounds…
2. Get out of bed and move…
3. Avoid staring at the clock…
4. Avoid checking your phone or other screens…
5. Meditate or try breathing exercises…
6. Relax your muscles…
7. Keep your lights off…
8. Focus on something boring…
9. Listen to relaxing music…
10. Try sleep apps…
Each of these points in this Healthline article is followed by a paragraph or two giving more details on the point. Each is good, but they miss the most important one—prayer. They come close with “meditate,” but meditation and prayer are not quite the same thing.
However, I have found the prayer needs to be one more focused on God and His attributes, not on me asking requests. The latter can just get me stressed out thinking about my problems, while prayers for others could get you stressed out thinking about their problems.
To put it another way, if you look at “The Lord’s Prayer” it begins:
Our Father, the [One] in the heavens, let Your name be regarded as holy.
10Let Your kingdom come.
Let Your will be done, as in heaven, [so] also on the earth (Matthew 7:9b-10; ALT3c).
These stanzas are all God-focused. It is only after this introduction that Jesus tells us to pray for ourselves and our needs (“Give us today the bread sufficient for the day,” v.11). Stick to the former, and you might have better success falling back to sleep. For more in this regard, see Scripture Study #37, “Worship and Prayer” in my book Scripture Workbook: Third Edition. The excepts it contains from The Revelation put together as a prayer is a good example of what I am talking about here.
Going back to the list, the reason to not check your phone is the “blue light” can suppress melatonin. But I have found, as long as I keep the brightness low, sometimes checking a non-stressing website and reading for a few minutes helps as well.
Sleep Foundation. How to Fall Back Asleep After Waking in the Night.
Waking up in the middle of the night when you would like to be asleep can be a frustrating experience. Luckily, there are multiple research-backed strategies and relaxation exercises meant to promote relaxation and reduce tension.
1. Deep Breathing…
2. Mindfulness Meditation…
3. Box Breathing…
4. Guided Imagery…
5. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)…
6. Non-Sleep Deep Rest…
7. Calming Music or ASMR [autonomous sensory meridian response]…
Again, each of these points is followed by a descriptive paragraph or two. However, each of these techniques requires practice, so try one at a time and use it for several nights to get the hang of it and to see if it works for you or not.
CNN. 8 ways to fall back asleep after waking in the night.
Here are eight tips from sleep and anxiety experts on how to shut down that whirling dervish of a brain and coax your body back into much-needed sleep.
1. Use deep breathing to fall back asleep…
2. Try guided sleep meditations and muscle relaxation…
3. Stop the blame game…
4. Avoid clock watching…
5. Don’t drink alcohol before bed…
6. Write down your worries…
7. Beware of blue light and stimulation…
8. Get up after 20 minutes…
There is some repetition at this point in these lists, but a couple of new points in this one are worth noting. Point 3 is that worrying about not sleeping can add to your inability to fall asleep. It is yet one more stress that keeps you awake. That can then become a vicious cycle of worry about not sleeping leading to not being able to sleep. That is why many of these sleep techniques are directed towards calming the mind.
Point 6 is important. The idea is to keep a pad beside your bed and write down anything you left undone during the day or that is stressing you out, then forget it. It’s written down, so you’ll see it and can do it or stress out about it in the morning. You don’t need to worry about forgetting about it, so that can help calm your mind.
Live Strong. Always Waking Up at 3 a.m.? Here’s What Your Body’s Trying to Tell You.
Here, Vishesh K. Kapur, MD, MPH, professor in the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the University of Washington, explains why you keep waking up at 3 a.m., and what you can do to get back to sleep.
1. Your Body Is Conditioned…
2. You’re Sleeping Lightly at This Time…
3. You Have Sleep Apnea…
4. You’re Getting Older…
5. You’re Drinking Too Much Alcohol (or Drinking Too Close to Bedtime)…
6. You Have a Circadian Rhythm Disorder….
7. You Have a Nightmare Disorder…
Point 1 is interesting and something I have noticed. If say I get awoken by a loud vehicle going up the steep hill outside my home at 2 am, then the next night, I seem to wake up at 2 am for no reason. Quite frustrating.
But if a sleep disturbance for just one night can start a habit, how much something that is more prolonged. But even once that disturbance ends, it can be heard to break that habit. That is where the strategies in this and its prequel article can help.
Point 4 is followed a list of symptoms of sleep apnea and then by a strong “Warning” if you think have it to see a sleep specialist. Sleep apnea is not just disruptive of sleep with its resultant problems but also can lead to more serious issues like a heart attack or stroke.
The “Disorders” in points 6 and 7 are followed by recommendations to see a doctor or therapist to deal with these issues. These are again serious issues that you might need help to address.
Healthline. Why Do I Keep Waking Up at 3 a.m.?
There are many reasons why you might wake up in the middle of the night. Adopting certain habits may help improve your sleep quality, depending on the cause….
Reasons why you may wake up at 3 a.m….
1. Stress…
2. Insomnia…
3. Aging…
4. Medications…
5. Other health conditions…
6. Lifestyle choices…
Medications is a big one for me. There have been many medications I have tried over the years that have this effect on me. The same goes for supplements. That is something to consider if you’re having this problem.
The “Other health conditions” include: Sleep apnea, Gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), Arthritis, Restless leg syndrome (RLS), Depression, Neuropathy, Enlarged prostate, Menopausal symptoms. I struggle with most of these or similar issues, except the last one of course. Each requires a trip to and discussion with your doctor. But I can attest that each can disrupt your sleep. Together, well, that is why I rarely get a good night’s sleep, hence these two articles.
In any case, the “Lifestyle choices” include:
1. looking at computer or cellphone screens close to bedtime
2. drinking alcohol or caffeine before bedtime
3. eating too close to bedtime
4. eating spicy food in the evening
5. smoking
6. sleeping somewhere that isn’t conducive to sleep
7. taking naps too late in the day
8. not getting enough exercise
None of these are issues for me, but they are for many people and need to be considered.
Cleveland Clinic. Up at 3 a.m.? Here Are Possible Reasons Why.
Tips to prevent you from waking up in the middle of the night…
1. Limit fluids before bed….
2. Avoid eating before bed…
3. Try over-the-counter sleep aids…
4. Make your bedroom as dark and quiet as possible…
5. Seek help for stress, anxiety or depression…
As with most of these lists, each item if followed by a descriptive paragraph. On the eating before bed, I’ve tried not eating and various small snacks. I have found I sleep better with a small snack, provided it is of the right kind. I mentioned to my PCP about eating yogurt with almonds before bedtime, and he said that was a very good bedtime snack.
New York Times. Wide Awake at 3 A.M.? Our Readers Offer Advice.
This last article to be considered is interesting in that it is not “experts” giving advice but ordinary people expressing what they have found works for them.
1. Count sheep … or whatever…
2. Take a trip [mentally]…
3. Consider underlying medical causes…
4. Tame the anxiety…
5. Lull yourself to sleep…
6. Bore yourself to sleep…
7. Don’t always listen to sleep experts…
8. The biscuit cure…
9. Is your nightcap the cause of your insomnia?
The underlying point of several of these suggestions is to think of something boring or distracting to calm your mind down. “The biscuit cure” involves getting up and making the old standard of a warm glass of milk, along with eating a “digestive biscuit” (whatever that is).
Conclusion
If your sleep is disrupted regularly, talk with your doctor to find out more about the underlying reasons for the wake-ups (Healthline. Why).
Most of these articles include a suggestion of this sort, and I am making it as well. But in the meantime, I hope this article and the previous one give the reader some ideas to try to help to alleviate any sleep difficulties you might be having.
Additional References:
Harvard Health. Awake at 3 a.m.? Strategies to help you to get back to sleep.
Health Shots. How to fall back to sleep after waking up at night: 9 tips.
Hopkins Medicine. Up in the Middle of the Night? How to Get Back to Sleep.
Mayo Clinic Insomnia: How do I stay asleep?
Real Simple. How to Fall Back Asleep After Waking Up in the Middle of the Night.
Sleep foundation. Why Do I Wake Up at 3 am?
Notes:
Getting Back to Sleep After Awakening in the Middle of the Night. Copyright © 2024 By Gary F. Zeolla.
These three books on nutrition and the Bible look in-depth at what God give to human beings for food and what the Bible teaches about diet and nutrition. They also compare these Biblical teachings to scientific research on nutrition and degenerative disease like heart disease, cancer, and stroke.
The above article was posted on this website October 9, 2024.
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