Here’s How to Fall Back Asleep After Waking Up in the Middle of the Night

It's the middle of the night and suddenly, you're wide awake, unable to go back to sleep. Try these tricks from regular folks who managed to conquer their sleeplessness.

woman reading a smart phone in bed at night
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Put the phone away

When you wake up in the middle of the night, try to resist the urge to check email or hop on Facebook; the blue light emitted by electronics interferes with your sleep, according to Harvard research. If you find it impossible to skip your screen time, either before bed or at 3 a.m., try this trick from Nadine Hemens, a middle-school assistant principal. “Middle of the night insomnia is a big one for me, and I used to make it way worse by checking email,” she says. “Now, I simply tell myself that whatever it is, it can wait, and I listen to a meditation app on my phone instead. I usually fall back asleep without even realizing it.” If your computer, iPad or phone is a bedtime staple you can’t do without, make sure to at least dim the screen down at night. This may help you stay asleep until morning.

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Transform your bedroom into a quiet, dark sanctuary

“Middle of the night insomnia is often caused by emotional distress, anxiety or a busy mind. Throughout the night, we go into sleep cycles. As we go into each cycle, we wake up a little, but typically don’t remember, and fall back asleep. If you are stressed out, those wake-ups can become a full awakening, and your mind gets very busy,” explains Rachel Ross, a certified sleep consultant with the Family Sleep Institute. If you’re frequently waking up in the middle of the night, Ross recommends making your bedroom soothing and dark. “Even if you’re a shift worker, keep it quiet and comfortable. You have to work with what you have. If you live in a noisy city, and can’t sleep through it, white noise is helpful. A fan works just fine, or you can try a white noise machine that includes nature sounds. You can also try earplugs, and an eye mask, if there is too much ambient light in the middle of the night,” she adds.

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One, two, three, sleep! Not

If waking up in the middle of the night feels a lot like your brain has a mind of its own, you’re right. According to the National Sleep Foundation, insomnia is the inability of the brain to stop being awake. Wondering how to fall back asleep? Don’t just lie there; do something soothing, suggests Ross. “Try deep breathing, relaxation exercises or soothing music. If you have a snoring partner, place a white noise machine on your side of the bed. And never, ever, have an alarm clock facing you while you’re trying to sleep,” she says. If it’s really hard to get your brain to rest, go to a chair and read, but do not turn on all the lights. And absolutely do not start an activity that will wake you up even more, like watching the news on TV, she says.

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Eliminate your after-dinner drink

Alcohol is a depressant known for making people fall asleep quickly, but it may also be the reason you’re up during the second half of the night when your sleep should be its deepest, according to the NSF. “I always thought that having a late-night drink would help me sleep, but I started to notice it backfiring,” says Suzanne Miller, a busy attorney and mom to two teens. “On nights when I had a few glasses of wine, I would find myself staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m. I started to replace alcohol with chamomile tea and found that I was calmer and better able to sleep. I also wake up feeling less dehydrated, and more refreshed,” she adds. If you wake up in the middle of the night, don’t use alcohol as a sleep aid. Try sipping some water, or have a cup of herbal tea instead.

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Need another reason to stop smoking? Here it is

You already know that smoking is bad for your health, but did you also know it may adversely affect your natural circadian rhythm, making it harder to stay asleep? Smokers have a greater risk of developing the heavy-snoring disorder of sleep apnea, they sleep more lightly than non-smokers and they wake up more frequently in the middle of the night, according to the NSF. Skimping on sleep has been linked to multiple diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, obesity and depression. If you’re looking for another reason to quit, consider it found. Talk to your doctor about strategies to help you quit, and remember that it may briefly get worse before it gets better: temporary insomnia is a common side effect of nicotine withdrawal.

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Bore yourself sleepy

If you can’t fall back asleep for 20 minutes or more, try reciting poems you memorized as a kid, the multiplication times table or movie scenes from your favorite films. You can even sing songs to yourself in your head, suggests the NSF. If this sounds a little bit like counting sheep, it’s because the principle behind it is the same. Repetition can be soothing, allowing your brain to relax, slowly gentling you back into sleep. There are also apps and podcasts that tell nonsensical and/or boring bedtime stories.

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Try progressive muscle relaxation

Use your body to relax your brain and reduce stress by using relaxation techniques, the NSF advises. Not sure how to do that? Try this progressive muscle relaxation: Work on one muscle group at a time, starting with your feet going up towards your head. Gently tense your muscles, count to five, and slowly let them relax. Do one extremity at a time, and make sure to keep breathing deeply during each contraction. Pay special attention to areas of your body which hold the most stress, such as your jaw, or neck. The 4-7-8 breathing technique follows a rhythm of breathing in for four seconds, holding for seven and exhaling for eight.

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Sources
Medically reviewed by Michael Spertus, MD, on August 09, 2019

Corey Whelan
Corey Whelan is a freelance writer with strong, core competency in health and wellness. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Whelan writes about mom-centric anything, pets, lifestyle and medical issues. She has written a wide range of fact sheets, articles and handbooks and creates and produces videos and webinars for non-profit organization, Path2Parenthood, where she serves as Program Director. She is a current contributor to CBS News, WebPsychology and Care.com. An adept, thorough researcher, Whelan is well-trained in SEO optimization and key word use. She uses her craft to further her own love of learning and spends her very few hours of free time on cooking, pilates and DIY crafting. She shares her life with two, all-grown-up children and two astonishingly kooky rescue dogs.
Miranda Manier
Miranda is the Associate Editor for TheHealthy.com and The Healthy section of Reader's Digest magazine. Previously, Miranda was a producer at WNIT, the PBS affiliate in South Bend, Indiana; and the producer in residence for Minneapolis TV news KARE 11, where she won an Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Award for producing gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Derek Chauvin trial. Miranda also interned at Chicago’s PBS station, WTTW, and worked as the managing editor at the Columbia Chronicle at Columbia College. Outside of work, Miranda enjoys acting, board games, and trying her hand at a good vegan dessert recipe. She also loves talking about TV—so tell her what you’re watching!