Understand nightly waking up: causes and solutions
Sleep was a very dangerous process during the longest period of human evolution. We slept in the wilderness, behind bushes, on trees, in hollows or caves. The time when we live in protected dwellings and sleep is no longer a dangerous condition is far too short. Your “sleep-genes” are still Stone Age. From an evolutionary biological point of view, the nocturnal wax was essential for our species. After all, it was necessary to recognize dangers in good time in order to flee or attack. Just because you become awake regularly at night, you can now sit here in front of the screen and read these lines. If you weren’t waking up in your sleep, the Species man would have long died out.
Depending on the age, you wake up between 10 and 25 times a night. Are you wondering how that can be? After all, you often have the feeling that you rarely or not awake at night. The next morning, your brain can only remember nightly wax phases if it took at least one to three minutes. Only then is the information from short-term- to long-term memory. If you fall asleep again faster, waking up is not saved, the next morning you will no longer remember it and think you have slept through.
So waking up at night is something normal. It is part of our sleep. But if you “turn light” when you wake up in your head, ie think of the big and small worries of everyday life, that starts your carousel or even develop fears, not to fall asleep again, then you take tension and develop a sleep disorder. The enemy of sleep is tension. Only when you are completely relaxed, dissolve from everyday life, do not want to sleep and cuddle in the pillow, make you nice thoughts, then the sleep will quickly come back with the relaxation.
How our internal clock affects the night waking up
You have a very precise sleep-wake watch. You can get used to certain sleeping, waxing or up time very quickly. For example, many know the phenomenon that they wake up on their own in the morning just before the alarm ringing. So it is also possible that you get used to nightly wax and brooding phases and your sleep-wake watch regularly wakes you up at the usual time.
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Tips for avoiding nightly waking phases
At night waking up cannot be completely avoided, but you can influence the frequency by completely relaxing at night and thereby reducing the release of the stress hormone cortisol. In addition, once you are awake, you shouldn’t look at the alarm clock, not to count how long you have slept, how long you have been awake or how much time you still have to sleep.
If you want to sleep, you stay awake. There is no better way to stay awake than to sleep. A relaxed handling of sleep is crucial. If you are putting yourself under pressure, to fall asleep again quickly, create tension, and tension is the enemy of sleep. You should also avoid dealing with everyday worries. Night brooding also leads to sleep disorders.
Does nocturnal awakening indicate possible health problems or sleep disorders at fixed times?
Occasionally, frequent nocturnal awakening can also indicate organic diseases or other sleep disorders. Low blood pressure, strong nightly blood sugar drop or a thyroid misalignment can promote nightly waking phases.
Certain drugs such as cortisone, drive-enhancing antidepressants or beta blockers can also lead to sleep disorders.
Anyone who suffers from a pathological nightly snoring with breathing interruptions, the sleep apnea, also has many nightly wake -up reactions. These end the nocturnal breathing interruptions, but also lead to stimulating sleep and can occasionally lead to sleep disorders.
The syndrome of the restless legs (Restless legs syndrome) can also lead to increased alarm reactions and sleep disorders. Those affected often complain about a strong urge to move in the legs or arms, especially in the evening and night hours. The cause of this urge to move are sensations such as tingling, burning or ants.
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