Drift Back to Dreamland: Tips for Falling Back Asleep in the Middle of the Night
One of the most common questions I am asked is “what do I do if I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep?” It can be a frustrating experience if you’re unable to fall back asleep, resting when you want. You’re not alone in this experience and there are some science backed tips to deal with nighttime awakenings.
Tip 1: Keep the lights off
Many are aware about how exposure to light (specifically blue light from devices) can disrupt your body's production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep (Harvard Health Publishing, 2018). If you wake up in the middle of the night, resist the urge to check your phone or turn on the lights and instead, try to keep the room dark.
Tip 2: Practice relaxation techniques
Before doing anything else, try some proven relaxation techniques to help calm your mind and ease you back into sleep. These can include:
Deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and visualization
Try these exercises at the start of the night too! Often, the way you can successfully fall asleep at the start of the night is also a good technique to employ in the middle of the night. When you are creating your wind down routine (which typically should start 30-45 minutes before lights out), you can end in bed with one of these exercises to help establish calm and relaxation.
Tip 3: Resist checking the clock!
I know, we are all tempted to check the time, but this typically just leads to more anxiety/frustration, no matter what time the clock shows. If you have your alarm set for your desired wake up time (or are okay to wake up whenever naturally), there is no need to know the time.
Tip 4: Get out of bed
Let’s say, you try the tips above and it’s just not quite working and perhaps about 20 minutes has gone by (remember, this is an estimate because you’re not checking the actual time), then just get out of bed! WHAT? You may ask. Yes, get out of bed and do something relaxing. If you need some light, keep it low light. We want to minimize time in bed awake and worrying, so get out of bed, do something relaxing and then climb back into bed when you feel sleepiness set in. Examples of relaxing activities: read a book you’ve read before, meditate, gently stretch, listen to calm music. Avoid stimulating activities or bright light and certainly no screens.
You may have to repeat this a couple of times. But that’s expected and over time you will find your brain will better associate your bed with sleep and falling asleep (and back asleep) will get easier.
Bonus Tips - How might we avoid nighttime awakening in the first place?
Tip 5: Limit daytime napping
Napping too much during the day can make it harder to fall back asleep at night. Aim for short power naps of 20-30 minutes, ideally before 3 PM, to avoid negatively impacting your nighttime sleep.
Tip 6: Maintain a consistent sleep schedule
A consistent sleep schedule helps regulate your body's internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up at the same time every day. First focus on your wake up time and anchor that through weekends and vacations. How do you determine the proper bedtime? Think when do I need to wake up? (ex: 7am). How many hours do I need to feel good? (ex. 8 hours).
So with this example, wind down routine may start around 10:15pm, with plans for lights out at 11pm.
Waking in the middle of the night is common, but may be easily tackled with a few new habits. Try these strategies above to take active steps to reclaim those precious hours of rest. Better sleep is in your reach!
Sleep Well! Be Well!
Caroline Okorie, MD, MPH
