Did you know that nighttime awakenings are a very common symptom of sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea? But, many other factors can contribute as well, including medical conditions, worrisome thoughts, alcohol consumption, unhealthy sleep environment, going to bed too early, etc.

Surprisingly, but true, 20% of Americans face this issue. And, whether or not you have a sleep disorder, waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep is very challenging and frustrating. So, how to finally get a good night’s sleep? Read on to find out.

How to Deal with Nighttime Awakenings?

First and foremost, you have to address the main causes of waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to fall back to sleep. In other words, you have to:

• check your health and see if you have a medical condition.
• set a strategy to deal with stress and anxiety.
• avoid alcohol, as well as caffeine, consumption.
• create a sleep-conducive sleep environment.
• follow a consistent sleep schedule.

Once you are finished with these, you should be able to get quality sleep. However, if your issue continues, here’s what you should do:

Get Out of Bed                    

Although most people think they should stay in bed and try to sleep harder when they abruptly wake up in the middle of the night, this strategy is completely counterproductive. They start to think about not being able to fall back to sleep, count the hours until wake-up time, worry and stress about life, etc. And, of course, this will only keep you up longer.

Instead, if you haven’t been able to fall back to sleep even after half an hour, get out of bed. And, choose an activity from this list of the top tips to help you fall back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.

1. 1. Read a Book

Once you’re out of bed, get yourself comfortable in a chair, dim the lights, and start reading a book. But, read an actual book, not an eBook emitting blue light which further disturbs sleep. As a bonus tip, avoid using any electronics like mobile phones, tablets, TVs, etc. Plus, you may even get cozier by getting yourself a robe or blanket or simply putting it next to you so you can reach it in need.

2. 2. Meditate

Another thing that can help you doze off after waking up at night is meditation. Luckily, there are plenty of apps now designed to help you with this specific issue, i.e. to go back to sleep and stay asleep. Hence, ensure you have an app downloaded and choose your meditation session in advance so that you don’t have to be exposed to the blue light while choosing meditations in the middle of the night.

3. 3. Wait Until You Feel Sleepy

Finally, don’t return to bed too early. In other words, wait until you start to feel sleepy again and then go to bed. Otherwise, if you go back to bed without feeling sleepy, the chance that you go back to not being able to fall asleep again is pretty high. So, whatever activity you choose to do, do it for long enough to make you sleepy again before returning to bed.

To conclude, getting out of bed is the best thing to do after waking up in the middle of the night. But, the activity you choose to do plays a huge role when it comes to being able to continue sleeping. Fortunately, the above-listed tips can help make a wise choice and help you get a good night’s sleep.