Anahad O'Connor
07/20/2021 10:15
Clarín.com
The New York Times International Weekly
Updated 07/20/2021 10:15
It is normal to wake up several times during the night, generally when the brain goes through different cycles of more or less deep sleep.
Older people often have to get out of bed to go to the bathroom.
All of this is usually
harmless
.
Among the many shocks of 2020, insomnia may rank high on the list.
(Nadia Hafid / The New York Times)
Most people have no difficulty falling back to sleep and may not even remember the next morning that they woke up in the middle of the night.
But if you frequently wake up in the middle of the night and find yourself in a battle to get back to sleep, there could be an underlying problem.
If this happens to you at least three times a week in a period of at least three months, your thing could be
chronic insomnia
, said Kannan Ramar, a sleep medicine specialist at the
Mayo Clinic
in Minnesota and former president of the American Academy of Medicine for the Dream.
Two of the main drivers of insomnia are
stress and anxiety.
If you wake up and look at your watch and then start to worry that the next day you have to be rested to go to work, or from paying bills and other concerns in life, this could activate your
sympathetic nervous system
, which controls the called a fight or flight reaction.
The levels of
adrenaline,
known as the stress hormone, will rise and increase your heart rate, creating a heightened state of arousal that makes it particularly difficult for you to fall asleep again.
“You might ask yourself, 'Is this the same time I woke up last night?
Why does this always happen to me? '”Ramar said.
"These thoughts are not helpful in getting back to sleep."
If you find that you've been awake for 25 minutes or more, experts advise getting out of bed and doing an activity that
calms
you down -
anything that fights stress-stealing thoughts that steal your sleep.
Light stretching or
breathing exercises
can help, as well as
meditation
, which studies have shown can help combat chronic insomnia.
You can sit on the sofa to knit, or read a book or magazine in soft light.
Of course, avoid reading on your mobile phone as the blue light from these devices can stop the production of
melatonin
, the hormone that causes drowsiness.
However, you can turn to your phone to use an app like
Calm or Headspace
, designed to help you meditate and sleep.
In the end, when you start to feel tired, go back to bed and try to
doze
.
Then the next day, practice the following
sleep hygiene
habits
to improve your chances of getting a sound night's sleep.
Limit your alcohol intake at night.
In small amounts, alcohol can work as a sedative and help you fall asleep faster.
But it can also cause you to wake up in the middle of the night while your body is
metabolizing it.
Studies show that consuming alcohol before going to bed can lead to poor quality of sleep.
Avoid caffeine after 2 pm because it can stay in your system well into the night.
If you have a cup of coffee at 3:30 pm, a quarter of the caffeine it contains could remain in your body up to
12 hours later
.
Don't take naps late, because it can make it difficult for you to fall asleep and stay asleep at night.
Napping too late reduces what scientists call the
homeostatic
drive
, which is basically your body's pressure to sleep at night.
If you want to nap during the day, be sure to do it in the morning or early afternoon and keep it short, no more than 30 minutes.
"The longer or closer to bedtime, the more likely it is to cause problems for you," said Sabra Abbot, assistant professor of neurology in sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Keep a strict schedule
Waking up and sleeping at
inconsistent
times
can confuse your
circadian
rhythm
, the body's innate cycle that tells us when to wake up and fall asleep, and make it difficult for you to sleep without interruptions.
Try to wake up at the same time each morning (try exposing yourself to at least 15 minutes of sunlight in the morning, which helps stop melatonin production) and go to bed at the same time each night.
Studies show that people who have
irregular
sleep
schedules
are more likely to develop insomnia symptoms.
If you get up frequently to go to the bathroom, try to
limit your fluid intake
before going to bed.
If none of these measures help you, a sleep specialist can evaluate you
and determine if you have a more serious problem such as
apnea
of sleep
or
restless leg syndrome
, conditions that require medical treatment.
A sleep clinic may also help you contact a
cognitive behavioral therapist
to identify and address particular behaviors that could be causing your chronic insomnia.
Anahad O'Connor is a staff reporter covering health, science, nutrition, and other topics. He is also a best-selling author of health outreach books such as Never Shower During a Thunderstorm and The 10 Things You Need to Eat.
c. 2021 The New York Times Company
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