How to Handle Waking in the Night
By Sara Butler
It's a familiar scenario: You've been sleeping peacefully and then, for one reason or another, you wake up and look at the clock only to find that it's the middle of the night. Everyone has been there, but some people have an easier time going back to sleep after this disruption occurs. If you're not one of them, it's crucial that you train yourself to become someone who can get back to sleep, because how you handle waking up in the night can have a huge impact on your day. Here are some tips to help you handle waking up in the middle of the night like a pro.
Don't Pick Up the Phone
You may be tempted when you wake up to reach for your phone or your tablet until you're ready to fall asleep again -- but don't do that! Getting on your electronic device isn't going to help you fall back asleep. In fact, it can often have the opposite impact on your ability to lull back to dreamland.
So, as much as you might want to, avoid grabbing your phone to pass the time or you may never fall back asleep again.
Relax
If you're having trouble getting back to sleep, then you may want to practice some relaxation exercises. These are techniques that work to progressively relax your muscles and they're easy to do. First, start at your feet and tense the muscles in your toes to the count of five, then relax. Move up your body in the same fashion part by part until you get to your head and you may find that you're ready to fall back asleep somewhere around your stomach.
Get Up
This one may seem as if it'll be counterproductive to getting back to sleep, but if you've spent some time in bed and can't get back to sleep, then you need to reset. You can accomplish this by getting out of bed and going into the other room. Find a quiet activity such as reading a book to help you calm down and get ready to go back in the bedroom. Just make sure you don't turn on a bunch of lights in the process or you may only succeed in waking yourself up even more. You want your body to know it's still time to sleep, after all.
If you can train yourself to get back to sleep when you wake up, then it won't impact your sleep at night!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Englewood, Colo.