{"id":2393,"date":"2020-08-07T16:21:10","date_gmt":"2020-08-07T16:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/?p=2393"},"modified":"2020-08-07T16:21:10","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T16:21:10","slug":"shuteye-and-sleep-hygiene-the-truth-about-why-you-keep-waking-up-at-3-a-m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/07\/shuteye-and-sleep-hygiene-the-truth-about-why-you-keep-waking-up-at-3-a-m\/","title":{"rendered":"Shuteye and Sleep Hygiene: The Truth About Why You Keep Waking up at 3 a.m."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You eschew caffeine after lunch, have stopped drinking alcohol and eat healthily. But you\u2019re still staring at the ceiling in the small hours. Here\u2019s why.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theguardian.com\/?utm_source=pocket\">The Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Elle Hunt<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GettyImages-1162477975.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/pocket-syndicated-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/5e552022eb080.jpg\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u2018If you find yourself waking regularly during the night, flag it with your GP so they can consider any possible underlying causes.\u2019 Photo by amenic181 \/ iStock \/ Getty Images<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You land in your body with a start, or else it slowly comes into groggy focus: either way it\u2019s night-time, but you are now awake. Why? Alice Gregory, a psychology professor at Goldsmiths, University of London and the author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomsbury.com\/uk\/nodding-off-9781472946157\/\">Nodding Off<\/a>, says it\u2019s quite normal to wake up during the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After dropping off, we move through different stages of sleep, a cycle that takes the average adult about 90 minutes to complete and speeds up towards morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe night is also punctuated by brief awakenings,\u201d says Gregory. \u201cTypically, people return to sleep without realising that they had ever been awake.\u201d But sometimes we might at least be more aware of it, or pulled entirely awake. Reasons range from the fairly obvious (being too hot or cold, needing the loo, having a nightmare, a crying baby) to the medical (disordered breathing such as sleep apnea, or nocturia: excessive night-time urination).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Waking up during the night does not necessarily mean you have insomnia, which, says Gregory, is diagnosed alongside other criteria such as the frequency of this occurrence and how long it has been happening. \u201cIf you find yourself waking regularly during the night, certainly flag this with your GP so they can consider any possible underlying causes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, sleep deprivation takes its own toll, from irritability and reduced focus in the short term, to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. If you do find yourself regularly waking up without any apparent reason \u2013 what can you do about it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a misconception that we sleep the night through \u2013 nobody ever does,\u201d says <a href=\"http:\/\/www.circadiansleepcoaching.com\">the sleep coach Katie Fischer<\/a>. Waking as much as five or seven times a night is not necessarily a cause for concern \u2013 the most important thing is how you feel when you get up. \u201cIn the morning, do you feel refreshed, or groggy and unable to function, 30 minutes after waking?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If there is nothing to suggest an underlying medical issue, Fischer will look at the bigger picture with a patient. \u201cIt\u2019s really important to know if they have children. Do they have a partner who snores, or works shifts?\u201d she says. \u201cThey might not have their own sleep issues but they might be sleeping next to someone who does.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lifestyle changes can make a big difference, even for people suffering from sleep apnoea (although that should be treated by a specialist). It is hackneyed to point the finger at caffeine, but people tend to underestimate how long its effects can last \u2013 Fischer says to stop consuming it by 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. Water intake during the day is also a factor: \u201cEven going to bed mildly dehydrated can disrupt our sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similarly, although people commonly turn to alcohol to help them fall asleep \u2013 Fischer says one in 10 use it as a sleep aid \u2013 it has a disruptive effect beyond the initial crash, causing spikes in blood sugar and cortisol levels. Diet can function in the same way, with \u201canti-sleep foods\u201d that are high in sugar or cause flatulence or heartburn (such as broccoli and cabbage).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A \u201cpro-sleep\u201d bedtime snack is a small amount of complex carbohydrates and protein, such as wholegrain cereal with milk, or toast with peanut butter, says Fischer. An \u201canti-inflammatory\u201d diet favouring fruits, vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds and healthy fats (and limiting processed foods, red meats and alcohol) has been shown to improve sleep apnea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for exercise, although being active during the day aids sleep, anything strenuous is to be avoided before bedtime. A lot of advice for preventing night-time \u201cawakenings\u201d falls under the umbrella of what has come to be known as \u201cgood sleep hygiene\u201d: restrict the bedroom to sleep and sex, ban screens emitting blue light, keep to regular bedtimes and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our bedrooms \u2013 even our beds \u2013 have come to double as home cinemas, offices, \u201ca dining room, maybe,\u201d says <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thesleepworks.co.uk\">the sleep consultant Maryanne Taylor<\/a>. \u201cYou would be amazed at how significant that is for sleep. You\u2019re training to associate your bed with wakefulness.\u201d For that reason, if you do struggle to fall back asleep on waking up during the night, the advice is to get up for a bit. \u201cDon\u2019t just lie there \u2013 it\u2019s counterproductive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, too, is looking at the clock, especially if it doubles as your phone. \u201cAs soon as your brain has registered that it\u2019s 2 a.m., you convince yourself that that\u2019s your lot,\u201d says Taylor. Such worry loops might be waking you up in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For many of us, bedtime might be our first opportunity of the day to be alone with our thoughts, she says. \u201cIt\u2019s connected to waking in the night because, if we haven\u2019t had any processing time during the day, it\u2019s the first time we stop and just be.\u201d Managing stress and anxiety during waking hours and learning how to relax body and mind are key to a good night\u2019s sleep \u2013 but ironically, fixating on getting your full eight hours can make it harder to achieve. \u201cYou get this awful self-fulfilling prophecy that\u2019s quite hard to break,\u201d says Fischer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A mindset change may be what\u2019s needed. \u201cPeople might have this belief that they are a \u2018bad sleeper\u2019 and there is nothing that they can do about it. Sometimes it\u2019s about changing people\u2019s perceptions of what good sleep looks like.\u201d Taylor says she \u201creally cannot bear\u201d fitness trackers, which monitor sleep, for focusing people\u2019s minds on often inaccurate data. It is wrong to assume that you must sleep through the night, every night, she says. \u201cWe all have blips in our sleep \u2013 it\u2019s never going to be that you sleep brilliantly all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But accepting that \u2013 even as you lie awake, hours before dawn \u2013 might be the first step towards it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You eschew caffeine after lunch, have stopped drinking alcohol and eat healthily. But you\u2019re still staring at the ceiling in the small hours. Here\u2019s why. The Guardian Elle Hunt \u2018If you find yourself waking regularly during the night, flag it with your GP so they can consider any possible underlying causes.\u2019 Photo by amenic181 \/<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link\">\n\t\t\t\t <a href=\"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/07\/shuteye-and-sleep-hygiene-the-truth-about-why-you-keep-waking-up-at-3-a-m\/\" class=\"theme-btn theme-btn-line hvr-bounce-to-right\">Read more<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74,73,88,89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness","category-mental-health","category-obesity","category-sleep"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2393"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2394,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393\/revisions\/2394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}