When you wake up in the middle of the night, does that then mean you struggle to get back to sleep? This is a surprisingly common cause of insomnia and other sleep problems.
If you have been watching my recent videos, then you will already know that there are 4 pillars of great sleep. The first is falling asleep in the first place, which requires you to switch off in the evenings.
If this sounds like it might be your issue, then click here to watch last week’s video about switching off in the evening.
In today’s video I address the second pillar of great sleep, which is staying asleep through the night, and specifically the 3 most common reasons for waking up in the middle of the night. I know this can be so frustrating, and of course, this negative emotion is only contributing to your problem.
But it doesn’t have to be a vicious circle. Watch today’s video for my best tips.
So as I shared in my video above, these 3 common reasons for waking up in the night can be improved in the following ways.
Toilet Breaks
It is really common that people get up to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. Of course, there could be an underlying medical issue, so don’t ignore that possibility. But much of the time this is about the food and drink we are taking onboard during the day.
If you are rushing about all day, not eating or drinking well then catching up on food and drink in evening, it’s not hard to see why your body needs more toilet breaks at night.
Eating and drinking better early on in the day gives your body a chance to process more of it before you head to bed for the night.
Negative Emotions
If you are somebody who wakes up in the middle of the night and starts to feel anxiety, stress, or runs over negative scenarios in your mind, then this part is for you.
Stressful thoughts wake your body up as well as your mind, by increasing your heart rate and telling your body it’s time for action, when really you need to rest.
As I talk about in the video;
You need to get to the bottom of what’s causing the negative emotion that comes up in the middle of the night.
This may be a complex issue, so if you need with that, do reach out to me and ask. When we understand where your worries stem from, a simple mental reframing technique can put you on the right path again.
Your Drive to Achieve
This is something that peak performers suffer from. When you are in the mindset of doing more all the time, you go through your day with your brain on alert for the next thing you need to do, and then the next and so on.
The trick to this is learning how to wrap up your day and get a sense of closure before you go to bed. This might mean having separate lists for each day, where anything that needs to be carried over to the next day is acknowledged and noted before you leave work, rather than your brain reminding you about it during the night.
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