Tips against insomnia at night

Getting enough restful sleep is one of the most important foundations for a healthy life. Insomnia, waking up frequently and lying awake prevent us from resting at night and are detrimental to our daily well-being and health. Here you can find out what you can do to prevent waking up at night and what simple tips you can use to help you fall asleep and sleep through the night better.

Table of contents

1. Insomnia – a widespread phenomenon
2. Common Causes of Insomnia
3. The best tips against insomnia at night

1. Insomnia – a widespread phenomenon

More than 80% of working people in Germany sleep poorly and one in ten suffers from serious sleep disorders. Having trouble falling asleep, waking up again and again and lying awake for long periods of time not only damages our daily form, performance and psyche, but can also lead to serious health problems such as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and depression. If we toss and turn at night and simply cannot get back to sleep, the important regeneration is missing and we suffer more from fatigue, exhaustion or difficulty concentrating.

Every night we go through several sleep cycles, which in turn consist of a fixed sequence of sleep phases Frequent waking phases and sleep interruptions disrupt this process and prevent a healthy sleep structure, which reduces the amount of deep sleep and prevents the recovery processes in the body and brain from running optimally. Because we usually still have to go to bed at a certain time and get up in the morning, the amount of sleep we get at night is also reduced and chronic lack of sleepl can arise.

2. Common causes of insomnia

An irregular sleep pattern, poor sleeping habits or the wrong diet – insomnia can be caused by numerous reasons. You can find out more about possible reasons why we wake up at night and just can’t get back to sleep at this Position in our sleep magazine.

Basically, of course, it is important to good sleep hygiene, a healthy diet and the right evening routines before going to bed create the best possible conditions for undisturbed sleep. But what can we do if we lie awake at night and just can't get back to sleep?

3. The best tips against insomnia at night

#1 Avoid light and brightness

Bright light signals the body to increase the production of sleep hormone melatonin and prepare for waking up. In order to avoid waking up early in the night, it is advisable to keep the bedroom dark and avoid disturbing light sources, for example by closing the curtains or blinds.

If you wake up during the night, you should definitely avoid bright lighting or screen light, for example by using your Smartphones. This way you remain in "sleep mode" as your body registers the persistent darkness and you can calm down and fall asleep more easily.

#2 Keep calm, avoid stress and promote relaxation

Chronic stress, emotional strain or worries and fears often lead to us thinking too much and having difficulty relaxing before we go to sleep. stress Increased cortisol levels inhibit melatonin production in the evening, which prevents deep sleep, causes us to wake up more often and, above all, makes it more difficult for us to get back to sleep.

If you wake up in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep, you should definitely not put yourself under additional pressure, as this will only increase the release of cortisol. The best thing is not to get angry, but to stay calm and accept the situation for the time being. Try to find a comfortable position to lie down in and to completely relax and calm down. Breathing exercises can be particularly helpful here. calming music, a short meditation or even certain fragrances and flavorings, for example essential oils in candles or pillow sprays. You can find more tips for falling asleep in this article.

Danger: Avoid looking at the clock when you wake up. This only leads to additional stress and worries, such as lying awake too long or only knowing that there are a few hours left before we have to get up.

#3 Stop the thought carousel

Our melatonin levels are highest at night. This versatile hormone promotes sleep, but can have a negative effect on our mood when we are awake. Therefore, it is better not to start thinking about problems or worries during this time.

In order to stop the famous carousel of thoughts from getting going, it can help to mentally close the day before going to bed and write down all your thoughts and feelings in a diary or a short note. You can also write down upcoming tasks and to-dos for the next day to record everything important and organize your memory. This way you can spend the night with a clear head and ensure less strain and tension in your brain when you wake up at night.

#4 Distract yourself & get up briefly

If you still can't fall asleep after a long time, it's sometimes better not to toss and turn in bed, but to get up for a moment. With the lights dimmed, you can then do something as quiet and monotonous as possible. This will prevent your body from becoming too active and, in fact, the consistent activity will ensure that you get tired again after a while and can fall asleep. For example, you can read a book, fold laundry or use the time to implement our third tip.

4. More tips for better sleep

It is not easy to sleep well in the long term, as our sleep is influenced by numerous different factors and is a very sensitive stage despite or precisely because of its importance for our health. With good sleep hygiene, a regular sleep-wake rhythm, the right diet and one or the other trick to promote relaxation Before going to bed, we cannot always prevent insomnia, but we can at least help create the best conditions for a restful sleep.

5thConclusion

• Insomnia and frequent sleep interruptions prevent restful sleep and can lead to sleep deprivation and health problems as well as tiredness, exhaustion or difficulty concentrating during the day.

• Avoid bright light sources or screen lights at night as these make it difficult to get back to sleep.

• If you lie awake at night, you should stay calm, avoid stress and promote relaxation with the help of breathing exercises, meditation, music or certain scents.

• Try to write down thoughts and worries in the evening or while you are awake and go back to bed with a clear head to reduce stress and cognitive load.

• Instead of lying awake for hours, you can get up and do something quiet so that your body tires out again, such as monotonous ironing or reading.