Have you ever experienced falling asleep quickly, but then wake up repeatedly throughout the night? If yes, that fragmented or interrupted sleep may be as bad as getting no get sleep at all.
Unrefreshing sleep is more than displeasure. This condition has serious health consequences including shortened attention span and impaired critical thinking. At long term repetitive sleep problems can lead to weight gain, cardiac issues, mood problems, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Sleep physicians generally recommend that people with unwanted night-time awakenings work to improve their sleep hygiene:
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day
- Avoid electronics in the last hour before bed
- Avoid alcohol, particularly in the last hour before bed
- Avoid caffeine at least eight hours before bed
- Sleep in a space that’s cool, dark and quiet
A publication from the magazine Self describes some of the 8 common reasons why you wake up in the middle of the night.
- Your room is too hot, cold, noisy, or bright
- You have anxiety
- You full bladder cannot wait until the morning
- You had a couple of alcoholic drinks
- You have got sleep apnoea
- You have and overactive thyroid gland
- Food related: You ate right bedtime, or you did not eat recently enough you went to sleep
- You have restless legs syndrome
In the article, they explained each possible sleep disrupters, and suggest some possible solutions for these.
It is an interesting article, worth reading. But remember that if you do have concerns about your sleep, to please discuss these with your doctor.
Here is the link if you would like to read the full article: https://www.self.com/story/waking-up-at-night-reasons
References
- Fragmented Sleep: https://www.tuck.com/fragmented-sleep/
- 8 Reasons You’re Waking Up Mid-Sleep, and How to Fix Them https://www.self.com/story/waking-up-at-night-reasons
