A good night’s sleep is one of the best things life has to offer. Drifting off in the evening to wake up the next morning feeling relaxed and refreshed is something everyone wants. But for a lot of us, this is rarely something we get to experience, if ever.Image Credit: ShutterstockFor a number of different reasons, our bodies can fall out of sleep during the night, leading to tiredness and fatigue the next morning. To help you work out why you wake up at night, and what you can do about it, we’ve compiled a list of possible causes and practical solutions; some are simple, others more complex. We hope it helps.
1. Screen Use: Using a screen in the hour before bed can disrupt your body clock, make it harder to fall asleep and cause you to drift out of sleep during the night. Solution: Avoid screens in the hour before bed, and charge electronic devices outside the bedroom.
2. Indigestion: Too much food, or food that is harder on the digestive system (like spicy food) can cause you to wake.Solution: Eat heavy meals earlier in the day and steer clear of spice late at night.
3. Overheating: If your body temperature rises above the cool level it needs to sleep well, it can disrupt your sleep.Solution: Cool down your sleeping environment: fans, AC, or removing blankets all help.Note: For some people, overheating during the night can be a result of night sweats. If this is the case, it’s necessary to see a doctor.
4. Needing to Urinate: If you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. But sometimes that comes at the expense of sleep.Solution: There are a number of causes for this; if it’s because of certain medication or fluid intake before bed, then limit these things to earlier in the day. However, if it keeps occurring or happens for a different reason, please speak to a doctor.
5. Anxiety: Being worried and anxious, whether clinical or based around a particular thing, can cause insomnia. And vice versa.Solution: While there are steps you can take to help with this, like exercising regularly and creating a calm environment, we ultimately recommend speaking to a medical professional; either a therapist, your GP, or both.
6. Sleep Apnea: Sleep apnea is a condition that interrupts breathing and wakes people during the night. Often without them knowing. Because of this, it’s important to look for symptoms like: morning headaches, shortness of breath at night, tiredness, and snoring.Solution: If sleep apnea is the cause of you waking up at night, then you need to talk to your doctor. Professional treatment is needed for this disorder.We hope this list is helpful in guiding you to figure out the next steps in dealing with whatever is disrupting your sleep.
But the bottom line is, if you, or someone you know, is having trouble sleeping, then please talk to your GP, and get in touch with us to find out how we may be able to help.
Sleep Well – Live Well -Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325294.php#sleep-apnea
This blog post is from Keystone Medical Media, a sub-entity of Keystone Content.
