‘I Wake Up Many Times While Sleeping’: Why Does It Happen?

It is completely normal that from time to time we may wake up in the middle of the night. In fact, according to research, no one sleeps all night straight. In reality, even waking up four to six times during the night can be considered normal. But if at wake up at night People cannot go back to sleep, this may imply that there is a further problem. So, what can it mean to wake up early in the morning and not be able to go back to sleep?

Why do I wake up many times at night?

The main reasons that can lead to people waking up several times a night and not being able to fall asleep again are the following:

1. Depression: Sleep disorders are one of the most common symptoms in people with depression (at least 70% of people with depression experience them). This may be due to the symptoms associated with depression, which include negative thoughts, excessive worry, lack of energy and body pain, which can influence the quality of our sleep. In fact, depression can cause people to end up having a lot of problems at night. This is a vicious circle because the symptoms of depression generate poor sleeping habits that cause people to stay awake or start sleeping. wake up at midnight which contributes to not getting enough rest and contributes more to promoting this disorder.
2. Social networks addiction : If your bedtime routine involves checking your social networks, you should know that this can contribute to people having problems falling asleep and may wake up in the morning or during the night. This is because exposing the eyes to light from screens interferes with the production of melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep. According to research, the blue light emitted by mobile screens is the most problematic. Furthermore, addiction to social networks causes the time at which we go to bed to be delayed, due to the constant reviews of each of them and the possible notifications that arrive regarding conciliation.
   of the dream. Without forgetting that sometimes part of the population that wakes up at midnight checks their notifications, delaying falling asleep again. Therefore, if you want to avoid a bad night’s awakening, it is important that you avoid these types of devices when we are in bed.
3. Drink alcohol before bed: Although alcohol before bed can cause more daydreaming, it can also cause us to disrupt our sleep. The reason is that alcohol has a sedative effect that can induce sleep, but it prevents REM sleep by causing those who have drunk to remain in the REM (rapid eye movement) phase, which is the prelude to REM sleep. This will help us wake up more frequently because we do not go into deep sleep and the next morning, despite having slept, we will not feel
   rested. Furthermore, alcohol dehydrates and inhibits vasopressin, so our kidneys will not reabsorb water and the bladder will fill more quickly, leading to a greater number of nighttime awakenings.
4. Sleep apnea: This disorder involves people repeatedly stopping breathing during the night. Sometimes these breaks in breathing can last so long that it can cause people to waking up suddenly during the night
5. Stress: Obsessive and intrusive thoughts that can be related to excess stress, which can hinder our mental and physical relaxation, which encourages people to begin to waking up several times a night On many occasions, people who suffer from stress or anxiety go to sleep with television or series in the background, which delays falling asleep and encourages more nighttime awakenings. When we experience stress, our body activates parts of the brain that are associated with attention and excitement. In order to reduce stress, people can practice both meditation and progressive relaxation. Furthermore, if these problems do not subside, it is important to go to a professional psychologist as soon as possible. For example, cognitive behavioral therapy can improve sleep quality by helping the person control stress-based thoughts that can cause people to start waking up at night.
6. Be a caregiver: Taking care of a family member, a partner or a friend can cause people to end up experiencing excess stress that can break the break In fact, recent research shows that the vast majority of caregivers have poor sleep quality. The reason for this effect is that being a caregiver involves many resources that can contribute to harming our mental health. Especially in cases of caregivers of people with dementia, people may experience sadness and anxiety, which can affect sleep due to the need to remain constantly alert in case the patient has any needs during the night.
7. Negative thoughts: Negative thoughts both around sleep (worrying about my performance because I can’t sleep or the hours of sleep I have left, for example) and about life problems, looking for solutions to these when we go to sleep, encourage We remain engrossed in these unpleasant thoughts and therefore it is more difficult to fall asleep and more nighttime awakenings occur. To work with this problem, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy applied to insomnia is highly recommended. It will work with these cognitions and give them a more positive nuance that allows us to relax more.
   ease, falling asleep and staying asleep.
8. Medical problems: In addition to the psychological problems that can lead to wake up in the morning , there are a series of diseases or physical conditions that can contribute to experiencing a bad awakening or waking up several times a night. Among the most common are the following:

• • Vitamin D deficiency
  • urinating a lot
  • Room too hot
  • Advanced age
  • A cold
  • Thyroid problems
  • acid reflux
  • Excess abdominal fat

These may be some of the reasons why people may waking up at night repeatedly If you think you may have a physical or mental health problem, it is important to see a specialist as soon as possible, in order to be able to solve it as soon as possible. The reason is that a good rest not only influences tiredness or fatigue, but it can also end up taking a toll on both your body and your mind.

Reviewed by: Regina López, psychologist Centro Ahora