How to Stop Midnight Insomnia

You’ve been tossing and turning all night, but it’s been a while since you’ve had a good night’s sleep. You’re starting to feel the effects of not getting enough sleep: You’re groggy and can’t focus at work, and you’re starting to feel irritable and anxious. But what can you do? You can’t exactly go to bed earlier, and it seems like your insomnia is only getting worse.

Sick and tired of tossing, turning, and staring at the clock in the middle of the night? Read Dr. Cheng’s do’s and don’ts to sleep more soundly:

DON’T

1. Stay in bed. You might think spending more time in bed will boost your odds of catching extra shuteye. Actually, the opposite is true. You can’t will yourself to sleep (just like you can’t will yourself to be hungry). A better bet: Get up, go to a different room and do something calm and relaxing. Then, wait until you’re sleepy again before returning to bed.

2. Watch the clock. Counting how many hours you’ve slept—or how many more you have until you need to wake up—will only add to your stress. The more worked up you get, the more difficult it will be to fall back to sleep.

3. Turn on your devices. Once you are up and out of bed, it can be tempting to watch YouTube videos on your phone or catch up on work emails. However, using electronics near your eyes (e.g., phones, tablets, laptops) can interfere with your body’s natural clock, making sleep more difficult.

4. Work. Ideally, you don’t want to do anything that reinforces middle-of-the-night wakefulness. Avoid work, chores, or hobbies – anything that could serve as a reward for waking prematurely and become a habit.

5. Use caffeine in the late afternoon. Caffeine may help you wake up in the morning, but avoid taking a hit in the afternoon. Caffeine can linger in your system for up to 8 hours, making sleep more restless.

6. Use alcohol as a nightcap. Although alcohol can have a depressant effect and make you feel sleepy, it ultimately interferes with sleep. When alcohol is metabolized, it actually has an alerting effect that can lead to middle-of-the-night awakenings.

DO

1. Watch mindless TV. It may seem counterintuitive if you’ve heard the advice to shut down screens before bedtime, but if you can’t sleep, feel free to go to the living room and turn on the tube. Because the television screen is generally placed at a distance from your eyes, its effect on your circadian rhythms is much weaker. Spending a half-hour watching a mindless sitcom, even one you’ve seen previously can help you pass the time until you feel sleepy again.

2. Stick to a schedule. Our bodies function best when we maintain the same sleep and wake times—even on weekends. If you happen to wake up in the middle of the night, avoid napping the next day so you’re tired at bedtime.

3. Read a book. Paging through a pleasant--but not engrossing--novel can help lull you back to sleep. Just don’t turn on your tablet or e-reader or open up a heart-pounding thriller. The idea is to select something you enjoy but that you can easily put down, and that doesn’t emit bright light.

4. Create white noise. If you’re a light sleeper, unexpected noises—a furnace clicking on, a barking dog, a loud neighbor—can wake you up. Even a bird singing at dawn can rouse you prematurely. The solution: Amplify background noise. The low continuous hum of a fan or noise machine can help drown out disruptions.

5. Practice stress reduction techniques. Relaxation exercises before bedtime or when you find yourself wide awake in the wee hours can help your mind wind down. A few techniques to try: mindful meditation, yoga, deep breathing, and writing in a gratitude journal. Still, stressed out? Consider seeking help from a mental health professional.

What To Do If The Above Strategies Don't Work

The above strategies only apply to someone who is having a passing sleep disturbance. For example, maybe temporary stress at work or having the sniffles is waking you up at night. The idea is to prevent these now-and-then issues from developing into long-term sleep problems. Not sure whether you need to see a doctor? Consider the rule of threes:

Are you waking up three nights (or more) each week?

Does it take longer than 30 minutes for you to fall back to sleep?

Have you been waking in the middle of the night for at least 30 days?

If you answer yes to these questions, it may be time to see a sleep specialist. Together, you can devise a plan to ensure you get the sleep you need.