YOU drift off to sleep easily, then all of a sudden it’s 3am and you’re wide awake. The time you wake up during the night is no fluke, and with 74 per cent of women agreeing their sleep is often disturbed, we need to know why. Expert Sammy Margo says: “While we spend a third […]
YOU drift off to sleep easily, then all of a sudden it’s 3am and you’re wide awake.
The time you wake up during the night is no fluke, and with 74 per cent of women agreeing their sleep is often disturbed, we need to know why.
Expert Sammy Margo says: “While we spend a third of our lives asleep, two thirds of us struggle to get a decent night’s sleep.
“Lockdown and adjusting to our ‘new normal’ has meant sleep problems are on the rise.
“Usually if you wake up, roll over and go back to sleep that is fine. But if you struggle to drift back off, there might be something else at play.
“It varies from person to person but what time you wake could give you a clue as to why.”
Here, LYNSEY HOPE asks the experts what could be disturbing our slumber at each hour.
If you feel like an early night but struggle to get to sleep, it could mean you were not active enough during the day.
“Keeping fit will help you to sleep better,” explains celebrity personal trainer Lucy Wyndham-Read.
“People who don’t exercise enough often struggle to fall asleep at night, so you will be awake later at night and often you’ll still feel tired and sluggish when it’s time to jump out of bed in the morning.
“An active lifestyle will help you achieve better quality sleep.”
Research shows that what we eat affects how well we sleep.
“Eating less fibre and too much saturated fat has been linked with lighter and less restorative sleep,” explains naturopath Louise Westra.
“If your diet is poor, you’re likely to wake up more often.
“An old saying goes that we should eat breakfast like kings, lunch like a prince and dine like paupers.
“Lighter meals such as sardines on toast or an omelette are a better option in the evening.”
“If you wake up at this time, it might be you didn’t wind down very efficiently before going to bed,” explains sleep expert Sammy.
“Even if you were exhausted when you went to bed and fell off quickly into your first cycle of sleep, you might wake after 90 minutes.
“You crashed but you are still wired and you come out of the sleep cycle very quickly.
“Establish a good bedtime routine with a warm bath, book or a relaxing cup of cocoa.
“You should also make sure devices such as iPhones and tablets are turned off for some time before you go to bed to minimise blue light exposure which may suppress the release of your sleepy hormone melatonin.”
48% of UK adults say they don’t get the right amount of sleep
“Drinking alcohol is a great way of getting to sleep, but it’s not a great way of staying asleep,” says sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley.
“If you’ve had one too many in the evening, it’s common to wake between 1am and 3am.
“The body has been working hard to get the alcohol out of your system and once that is done, something in the brain signals you to wake up.
“Even if you go back off to sleep quite quickly, it’s likely you are in for a restless night.”
If you regularly wake between 2am and 3am, you could be eating too much sugar.
Louise Westra says: “If we get a rebound drop in blood sugar, it’s around now that the liver is required to release sugar stores into the bloodstream.
“Your body may wake you to get your attention.
“There are other signs which may suggest sugar is affecting sleep.
“You might wake with a headache or feeling sweaty, or you may feel groggy in the day and craving sweets.”
Depending on the time we fall asleep, between 2am and 5am is when we are most likely to be disturbed by external noises such as car engines, music or snoring.
“When we first go to sleep we are in our deeper restorative sleep and we are less likely to be disturbed,” explains Dr Stanley.
“Most people will wake around either three or five hours after they first go to sleep and it is in that latter part of the night that you may find other noises wake you up.
“If you have a regular bedtime, it will happen around the same time each night as that is when you enter a dreaming period and are in a lighter sleep.”
60 MIN: Women on average get an hour’s less shuteye a night than men
Between 3.30 and 4am is the most common time for people to wake.
Sammy says: “Sometimes this is related to stress or it could mean you are just too hot.
“Ideally, your bedroom should be around 16C to 18C. If it’s hotter, try opening a window or using a fan.
“Otherwise if you are feeling hot, this could be down to hormonal issues such as the menopause.
“Try to cool yourself a little before going to bed.”
“Waking early in the morning and not being able to get back to sleep can be a symptom of depression,” says GP Dr Philippa Kaye.
“If this happens regularly and your mood is low, see your doctor who will chat to you about your symptoms and can offer support.
“If you are anxious or stressed, you may also find it hard to go to sleep in the first instance.”
“Often people who wake between 4am and 5am report feeling uncomfortable,” Sammy explains.
“It might be that you are sleeping in an uncomfortable position, in which case try getting up and moving around a little bit before going back to bed.
“If your mattress is more than eight years old it might have deteriorated by 75 per cent and it could be time to get a new one. Investing in a mattress topper could also help.”
16M: Number of UK adults who suffer from sleepless nights
“Levels of cortisol, our stress hormone, start to rise between 5am and 6am,” Sammy says.
“If you regularly wake at this time and it’s before your alarm goes off, it may be that you are a little anxious or stressed about the day ahead.
“It’s not the end of the world. You could get up and get on with your day – but if you want an extra hour, try keeping a notepad by the bed so you can write down any thoughts and deal with them later when you get up.”
“The body uses water throughout the day and night in every cell and tissue, and as we do not drink through the nocturnal period, this is the time when dehydration may become apparent and the body wakes us as a way of letting us know,” Louise Westra explains.
“Try to drink more throughout the day. Don’t get to the end and play catch up or you’ll just end up getting up and down to go to the toilet.
“You can also eat more foods with a high water content.”
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