Is it normal to often wake up in the middle of the night? this is the expert's answer

Waking up in the middle of the night while you are fast asleep can be quite frustrating sometimes. The reason is, you just wake up without knowing what caused it. In fact, many people have the habit of waking up in the middle of the night at the same time. Then, is this including normal?

Waking up in the middle of the night is natural

Quoted from Prevention, Jose Colon MD, a specialist in sleep disorders in the United States states that waking up in the middle of the night is normal. He stated that basically no one really sleeps all night long. In fact, getting up 4 to 6 times at night is still fairly normal. However, this is usually not realized or remembered that last night he woke up from his sleep.

Sleep consists of several phases. Each phase lasts between 60 and 120 minutes. Well, usually people will easily wake up at the end of each phase of sleep before moving on to the next stage of sleep. Especially if towards the end of the phase there is a disturbance such as wanting to pee or overheating, then you can wake up quite refreshed.

In the end, this is what ultimately makes a person wake up at the same time every night. You don't have to worry about this. The reason is, this is a natural condition that indicates your body's internal clock and your sleep are well connected.

What to do if you wake up in the middle of the night?

When you wake up at night, all you need to do is go back to sleep. But sometimes, doing this is not as easy as it seems. There are many people who wake up and feel irritated and finally find it difficult to get back to sleep. Therefore, try not to get irritated or frustrated when you wake up. Understand that this is a normal condition that almost certainly happens to everyone.

For that, try not to do things that might make you feel more frustrated or interested in continuing. For example, avoid checking e-mail work or continue unfinished work. Instead of making you sleepy, it can make you stressed out and make it very difficult to get back to bed.

It's a good idea to take a reading book that isn't very interesting and read it slowly. Usually, reading something that is quite boring makes your eyes tired and makes you sleepier more easily. Or it could be a crossword puzzle which makes you think a little harder.

That way, it is hoped that the brain will send tired signals to the body and eventually make you sleepy. You can also put on some relaxing music to help make you feel sleepy.

Also, try not to turn on your cellphone, tablet, or laptop. The point is, don't turn on any electronics. The blue light spectrum emitted from this electronic device can actually make it even more difficult for you to sleep.

Whatever the activity, try not to turn on the main lights and only use a light sleep so that the body's circadian rhythm does not fall apart. After you feel sleepy, then go back to bed and find the most comfortable position.

If the fact is that you are still having trouble falling asleep after 15 minutes of trying it, then get out of bed and do the activity until you feel sleepy.

However, if you are still awake for up to 20-30 minutes at night, then this is one sign you are experiencing middle of the night insomnia.This condition will make it difficult for you to go back to sleep again after waking up at night. If this happens you should immediately consult a doctor.