Why Do I Wake up at the Same Time at Night?

Sleep hours make up the part of the day in which one of the most common types of disorders arise: insomnia problems.

These are alterations that can be very harmful, since they not only cause discomfort and increase the risk of developing physical and psychological illnesses, but also wear down people’s mental agility and cognitive abilities, literally overnight. in the morning. Of course, not all forms of insomnia are equally severe.

Here I will talk about one of them whose intensity can vary greatly, and which occurs when during a certain period we usually wake up in the middle of the night, too early for the start of our day, and more or less always at the same time.

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Why do I wake up at the same time in the middle of the night?

This is a question that many patients who come to psychotherapy or a doctor’s consultation ask themselves. Apparently, it is rare for such a phenomenon to occur: what makes us wake up in the middle of the night, if we have no temporal references such as a wake-up alarm or reasons to get up at that time?

Actually, it’s not that strange. After all, it is very normal to wake up at more or less the same time of day a few minutes before the alarm goes off; It is evident that the body has a mechanism to estimate the time that passes even if we are not aware.

This set of biological mechanisms constitute what is known as circadian rhythms: it is a kind of internal clock that determines the degree of activation of our body, and that works through the release of hormones. The key hormone here is what is known as melatonin. , since this is released according to our degree of exposure to light, whether natural or artificial. Thus, melatonin acts as a “bridge” between external time, determined by the sun, and the internal clock, which is tuned through this substance.

From this time reference, the human body estimates which hours are when it is necessary to have more energy available to be burned, and which are the hours of rest. The problem is that, sometimes, this internal biological clock can work against us. If there is something that alters its functioning, it can cause it to work out of phase, causing it to act as it normally does, but at an out of time. And this is what happens in the case of people who wake up in the middle of the night.

The phenomenon by which some people tend to wake up in the middle of their day dedicated to sleeping for several hours in a row (which in most individuals occurs at night) is called biphasic sleep, and it is not a disorder in itself. It is only considered that there is a problem when, after having experienced sleep interruption, it is very difficult to go back to sleep. In these cases, this does constitute a sleep disorder, called middle-of-the-night insomnia.

Related: Is Panic Always a Bad Thing?

To do?

If this problem persists and occurs constantly, almost every night, it is important to go to health professionals. as soon as possible, ideally seeking medical and psychotherapeutic support. Meanwhile, there are some simple tips that can help this form of insomnia disappear, but it must be taken into account that in many cases they will be insufficient and we will have to wait for professional supervision.

The tips are as follows.

1. Don’t stay in bed

When you wake up in the middle of the night and have a hard time getting back to sleep, Get up and go do some activity outside of bed, as long as it doesn’t require much effort or concentration. and do not expose yourself to a strong light source. Additionally, it is best that this activity does not remind you of responsibilities that you must carry out during the day. For example, you can practice Mindfulness, listen to a podcast, etc. After about 20 or 30 minutes, go back to bed and try to sleep.

2. Control stress levels

In many cases, the main reason why some people wake up too early in the middle of the night is that they have problems managing their stress or anxiety.

That is to say, your nervous system is more activated than normal and this has repercussions on your state during sleep, so that after a while the need arises to wake up to be alert to what may happen.

To remedy this, there are several relaxation exercises that can help, such as Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation, but the most effective thing is to go to psychotherapy.

3. Live a healthy life

People who do not take care of themselves are more likely to develop insomnia problems. Thus, You have to eat a balanced diet, do moderate exercise and not spend a lot of time maintaining the same posture.

4. Strive to maintain a meaningful sleep schedule

Even if you haven’t been able to sleep much due to the problem of insomnia, Try to respect your schedule and do not postpone or advance the time you go to sleep too much. Otherwise, it will be difficult to “train” the body to understand what hours of sleep and wakefulness are.