6 Reasons You Wake Up Yawning
By Sandy Schroeder
The sleep puzzle is still alive and unsolved for many people who fight sleeplessness every night. If you are one of them, you are probably not getting the 7 to 9 hours of sleep you need. But if you are getting enough sleep and still feel zonked out when you wake up, there are some good reasons, such as these from menshealth.com.
Too many toasts – A jolly evening can skid right into a dreary morning when alcohol cuts into deep sleep and drastically reduces our REM (dream sleep). Alcohol can also increase your need to go to the bathroom at night, and trigger heartburn and reflux.
Failure to cut off caffeine early – Sipping coffee in the afternoon or evening can keep you awake at night. The caffeine can also trigger more trips to the bathroom and dehydrate your system, robbing it of electrolytes and leaving you flattened in the morning
Sleep apnea – You may not realize it but you may stop breathing briefly during your sleep. The airway becomes unstable leading to a temporary collapse. You wake up with a jolt gasping for air. When this happens throughout the night your sleep is seriously compromised and you wake up exhausted. If you suspect this is happening, see your doctor to confirm and to find a solution.
Blue lights from electronics – Harvard Health says the blue lights from electronics muffles the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin twice as much as normal. If you can, leave all of the electronics outside of your bedroom, including the television, and create white noise with an air filter. You can also add blackout drapes to reduce bedroom light.
Evening exercise cuts into sleep – Exercising a few hours before bedtime can reduce melatonin and increase the stress hormone, cortisol, making sleep difficult. Workouts also raise the body temperature which may keep you awake. In contrast, exercise during the day may help you sleep more soundly at night.
TV show stimulus – You may doze off during a favorite show, but ultimately it will lead to poor sleep and sometimes create insomnia. The shows interfere with the body’s need to relax to transition to a sound sleep. Turn them off a few hours before bedtime, or move the TV out altogether and see what happens.
If you work on these issues and still have problems sleeping soundly, see your doctor to check for more issues.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Roseville, Minn.