Waking Up in the Middle of the Night? Here's Why and What to Do About It.

Written by Leslie K. Hughes

Have you ever had those nights where you drift off to sleep with no problem and are in a world of peaceful slumber, then all of a sudden wake up, and it’s 3 a.m.? You feel wide awake for some unknown reason, but certainly don’t want to be awake at this time. 

This happens to more people than you’d think. In fact, according to a study, about 33% of American adults wake up in the middle of the night at least three times a week. And once you’re awake, falling back asleep can be a challenge, and a frustrating challenge at that. 

Few things feel worse than staring at the clock and realizing you only have 3 hours before you need to get up but can’t get back to sleep.

If any of this sounds like you, then chances are good you’re wondering what’s causing you to wake up in the middle of the night, and how you can put a stop to it.  

Read on to find out some of the top reasons you may be waking up mid-slumber, and what you can do about it.

6 reasons you’re waking up

1. You’re anxious

Anxiety can kill your sleep schedule quicker than almost anything else. And it can strike at the most inopportune times, like the middle of the night. 

Issues with sleeping is one of the most common symptoms experienced by those suffering from an anxiety disorder. 

To help combat this issue, you can try a few different things:

• Meditate before bed. This may help you get to sleep easier and stay asleep. Meditating before bed allows you to focus on positive thoughts and drift off to sleep in a positive mindset. 

• Listen to calming music or sounds. Some people find that listening to meditative music, or white noise calms them when sleeping. Try adding this to your sleep routine and see if it helps you stay asleep through the night. 

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy. You may need to turn to therapy if your anxiety continues to wake you up after trying the above. A professional can help you work through some of your anxiety that may be causing your sleep issues. 

• Anti-anxiety medication. If none of the above seem to work, then you may want to consider turning to medication to help you combat your anxiety. 

2. Your bladder is full

You know those times when you lay down to go to bed, get perfectly comfortable, and then realize you need to go to the bathroom? Those nights are almost as bad as the nights where you wake up in the middle of the night and need to use the restroom. 

You may have just had too many fluids before hitting the sack, or you may have an overactive bladder or a UTI. 

Before you jump to any conclusions of health issues you may have related to your bladder, try cutting off drinking any more fluids at least a couple of hours before bedtime so your bladder can get rid of whatever is in there before you head to bed.

If you don’t find a solution with that approach, then you want to connect with a Sameday Health doctor who can help you determine the cause of the problem. 

3. Your room doesn’t have the right sleeping conditions

Have you ever noticed that sometimes you’re in such a deep sleep that it seems as if nothing could possibly wake you up, and other times even the slightest breeze can awake you?

That’s because as we sleep, we go through 4 or 5 different cycles (depending on who you’re talking to). The first cycle is the lightest sleep and is when you’re at risk for waking up from the slightest noises such as a door slamming. 

Other things that can affect you when you’re in this sleep cycle include how much light is in your room and the temperature of your room. 

The further you get into the cycles, the deeper your sleep is. The final cycle is REM sleep (rapid eye movement) and this tends to happen about 90 minutes after you fall asleep.

Before you reach REM sleep and are in the other lighter cycles, you may find that all sorts of external things can cause you to wake up. That’s why it’s important that before falling asleep, you do all you can to create the ideal sleeping environment. 

That looks like:

• A dark room

• A cool temperature (but not too cold)

• Quiet

If quiet is something that feels impossible to achieve, consider sleeping with earplugs. 

4. You ate too close to your bedtime

So you had a late dinner and finished it up shortly before going to bed. While you may feel that your food coma will help you have a good night’s sleep, the opposite is true.

Eating food right before bed may lead to problems with acid reflux, which can wake you up thanks to the painful heartburn. Or, you may find that the food you ate before bed made you gassy, which can easily wake you up from a peaceful slumber. 

5. You haven’t eaten in too long

On the other side of the coin, if you go too long without eating before your bedtime, you may also find yourself waking up. 

This is thanks to a couple of potential things. For one, your stomach may be growling and that can wake you up. Another is that you may have low blood sugar that can cause you issues with sleep.

So, as you can see, finding the sweet spot of when to eat dinner is important to a good night’s sleep. 

6. You may have sleep apnea

If you wake up in the middle of the night regularly and feel like you are struggling to breathe, chances are good you have sleep apnea.

This disorder causes your breathing to slow down, and in some cases stop, while sleeping. It can result from the muscles in your throat relaxing too much and restricting your airway, or it can result from your brain failing to send signals to your muscles to keep you breathing. 

Regardless of the cause of your sleep apnea, you must get this issue sorted as soon as possible. Treatment typically starts with an overnight sleep study performed by a doctor to determine whether the diagnosis is sleep apnea. If it is, then doctors most commonly treat this by having patients use a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine to help keep airways open.