Table of contents:
- Cause waking up at night
- 1. Urinating
- 2. Sweating
- 3. Stress
- 4. Leg cramps
- 5. Cough
- 6. Difficulty breathing
It is natural to wake up at night without remembering it. However, waking up from a deep sleep so that you feel restless could be a sign of a particular problem. “Most of us wake up regularly at night. However, if you are fully awake, this should not be ignored, "said Dr Neil Stanley of the British Sleep Society. So, what causes us to wake up at night?
Cause waking up at night
1. Urinating
Nocturia (nighttime urination) has many triggers. However, if you find yourself waking up two to four times during the night to urinate, even when you limit drinking at night, you may want to try reducing your water intake before bed. According to Jonathan Steele, RN, an executive director of WaterCures.org, our bodies try to maintain an internal balance of water and electrolytes. Because there is too much water without enough salt, your body tries to get rid of some H2O, which might explain why you wake up in the middle of the night just to urinate.
2. Sweating
Alcohol can cause your skin's blood vessels to dilate, making you feel warmer. Sweating can also be a side effect of antidepressants, which can raise levels of stress hormones such as noradrenaline, according to Dr Ramlakhan. And in women, sweating can be the result of low estrogen levels, which usually occur before or during periods, or after menopause. If a man sweats at night, even when it's not warm, then he could have low testosterone. Night sweats can signal problems such as cancer or heart disease. So, if it happens continuously, consult a doctor immediately.
3. Stress
Whether it's because of work problems or family issues, stress can hijack your deep sleep. "Meditation and relaxation have shown some effectiveness for dealing with sleep disorders, including frequent awakening from stress," says Lekeisha A. Sumner, PhD, a certified clinical psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. Sumner says that meditation practice and the like can help reduce anxiety and improve mood, which supports healthy sleep.
4. Leg cramps
Excessive exercise can reduce calcium and magnesium levels, which are needed to aid muscle development and contraction, according to John Scurr, a consultant vascular surgeon at Middlesex Hospital. In addition, another trigger for cramps is when the peripheral arteries that supply the legs are damaged by fat deposits from the food you eat, or from high blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Your heart may thank you for taking a cholesterol-lowering statin drug, but one study in the United States found that this drug caused a 20% increased risk of cramps. And don't forget the alias restless leg syndrome restless leg syndromeIt can also trigger leg cramps due to low levels of dopamine which controls muscle movement.
5. Cough
This occurs when the valve that closes the esophagus from the stomach doesn't work, allowing stomach acid to escape. Lying flat makes you prone to acid reflux. Without gravity, the acid can move up through the chest, irritating the throat, causing a cough. "It's more common in people who have excess fat around their stomach and chest," said Dr. David Forecast, a gastroenterologist at the London Clinic and St Mark's Hospital, Middlesex. It takes more time mainly to be digested in the digestive tract.
6. Difficulty breathing
If you have asthma, sleeping can make you feel worse, because lying down can build up mucus in your airways, creating pressure on your lungs. In fact, many people find it difficult to breathe only after it wakes them up at night. However, what is more worrying is when you wake up gasping for breath, as that can signal serious heart problems.
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