"I wake up at night very often!" - that's what some people say. Sleep is an extremely important ritual for a person. This is an integral part of life, which is needed not only for relaxation, but also for the normalization of the brain, to replenish the missing energy of the body. More and more people are experiencing a variety of sleep disorders. Either insomnia or constant awakenings. Is it normal? When is a regular night rise considered normal? Are there reasons for concern? How to deal with this situation? In fact, understanding all these issues is not as easy as it seems. After all, the human body is individual. To say exactly why a person says: "I wake up at night" is difficult. There are many options for the development of events. Therefore, it is often necessary to select a treatment method by "trying on" one or another reason for night awakening.
A bit of history
In order not to panic ahead of time, you should study the historical facts. The thing is that it used to be customary to go to bed with the onset of darkness and wake up with the first rays of the sun. This arrangement took place whenelectricity was a mystery. Many peasants could not afford candles and other lighting fixtures. Therefore, they slept in the dark, and as soon as dawn came, they woke up.
It should be noted that earlier 8 hours of sleep was not considered the norm. People slept much less. Therefore, complaining: “I wake up at night, I don’t know if this is normal” is not always worth it. Interrupted sleep may be due to the fact that this is how it was until about the 19th century.
How did you sleep before
How exactly did people sleep before? Quite often, it was intermittent sleep that was practiced. The fact is that in ancient times people slept until about midnight. Then they woke up. Due to the fact that it was dark, it was impossible to do the usual things. Therefore, after midnight, people usually prayed or thought about their actions. Whispered communication was also allowed.
After a while, people fell asleep again. Until the morning. And then, as a rule, they were engaged in ordinary, familiar to everyone, affairs. Therefore, waking up in the middle of the night was normal. Especially considering that it gets dark early in winter. And it was possible to sleep until midnight without any problems.
It is likely that if a person wakes up in the middle of the night, then his body works exactly the same as before. You usually fall asleep again after a while. The dream continues until morning.
Experiments
To prove that nighttime awakenings are sometimes the norm, some scientistsconducted various experiments on humans. For example, the psychiatrist Thomas Ver decided to study whether interrupted sleep is really so dangerous. He will offer to select some volunteers. Further, people were placed in pitch darkness from 18:00 to 8 in the morning inclusive. The behavior of the volunteers was carefully studied.
At first, all the members slept well for a full night. Awakening was only in the morning. Over time, the volunteers began to experience sleep disturbances. Or rather, people just woke up at a certain time. For example, at first it was possible to sleep for 2-3 hours, then the rise followed, after several hours of wakefulness, the rest time came again, which lasted until the morning.
Thus, Thomas Ver was able to prove that "waking up at night" complaints are not always dangerous. The brain simply does not need sleep. Once the body compensates for the lack of sleep, it does not allow a person to sleep for a long time. No need to panic. It is recommended to somehow be distracted and mind your own business. Or just think a little - soon you will be able to fall asleep again. You will have to get used to the fact that the brain does not need to rest throughout the night.
Settings
But it happens that a variety of factors affect sleep. Nighttime awakenings are not always the norm. After all, the majority of the world's population can now be diagnosed with chronic sleep deprivation. This is a state in which you want to sleep. This means that the body needs as much time as possible to rest.
In some cases, awakening abruptly, in a cold sweat. In thissituations, it is recommended to look at the environment in which a person falls asleep. It is likely that the body feels uncomfortable. For example, the room is stuffy, hot or cold. Having a blanket that is too thick or too thin for the season is another factor that can disrupt sleep.
This behavior of the body can be called normal. But for a person, this phenomenon is not the norm. After all, if a citizen complains: "I sleep badly, I wake up in a sweat at night," it is recommended to normalize the situation. It is better to air the room before going to bed, pick up a blanket according to the season. In general, do everything so that you can fall asleep comfortably. As soon as the situation returns to normal, interrupted sleep will go away.
Diseases
In some cases, the phenomenon under study becomes a clear indicator of illness. In fact, this is a rather rare situation. As a rule, waking up at night is not dangerous. Illness rarely manifests itself like this.
"I wake up in a cold sweat every night," is what people who suffer from a condition called hyperhidrosis might say. This is increased sweating. No explanation has yet been found for this phenomenon. In hyperhidrosis, the body produces sweat in large quantities for no reason.
Also, the phenomenon under study is a consequence of oncological diseases. A small clarification - it must be accompanied by a fever. For example, people with tuberculosis or AIDS sometimes wake up at night in a cold sweat. For diseasesbone tissue, a similar reaction is observed.
Hormones
The next reason is usually observed in women, but men are not immune from it either. The thing is that if a person says: "I often wake up at night in a sweat," you should pay attention to his hormonal background. It is recommended to take tests to make sure that the hormones are normal.
If not, don't be surprised. It is better to consult a doctor who will help normalize the hormonal background of the body. Then the interrupted sleep accompanied by the release of cold sweat will stop.
Bad habits
Sleep disturbance often affects people with bad habits. This is especially true for smokers. They, as doctors say, have a so-called nicotine starvation during a night's sleep. After all, he althy rest is 8 hours. So much the body cannot "stretch" without tobacco, so it wakes a person up to make up for the lack of one or another component.
How to deal with this phenomenon? There are not many options. Either smoke or quit bad habits. Sometimes you can go to the doctor for help, but he is unlikely to help. By the way, in smokers, awakening is also quite often accompanied by sweating.
Emotions
Why do you wake up at night? A frequent phenomenon in the modern world is the awakening from an overabundance of emotions. Or there are sleep disturbances in general. It does not matter what kind - positive or negative - emotions take place. The main thing is that the brain is not able to rest andhandle a strong flow of information.
If a person complains: "When I sleep, I wake up often at night," you should pay attention to his life. Any emotions, a busy day, or just a large amount of information perceived during the day - all this contributes to sleep disturbance. It is recommended to relax before going to bed, as well as to ventilate the room. Evening walks sometimes help too.
In some cases, you can contact a psychologist or neurologist. If the problem with sleep disturbance occurs frequently, doctors can prescribe either a sedative or sleeping pills. Not the best, but not a bad option to deal with the disease. When the emotional tension disappears, sleep returns to normal.
Fear and anxiety
"Wake up at night, cry, hysteria" - such words can be heard from some people. Sometimes the cause of restless sleep is fears and worries. Even on a subconscious level, a person may not think about them at all.
The only logical solution is a visit to the doctor. A therapist can help you discover your fears and overcome them. Only in this way will it be possible to return the body to a normal state.
Gender and age
It should be remembered - the older a person is, the more problems they have with sleep. This is the device of the body. It's no secret that old people are able to doze during the day, but at night they are awake. This fact must be taken into account. There is no need to panic. Nothing can be done anyway - except to take sleeping pills.
Women are susceptiblesleep disorders more often than men. And at any age. This may be a consequence of menopause or its approach. Also during pregnancy, a girl can wake up for numerous reasons: pain, uncomfortable position, internal unrest - all this affects sleep. During lactation, many wake up at night not at all because of the crying of the baby, but because of thirst. When breastfeeding, this is normal - the body is just trying to make up for the lack of fluid, albeit at night.
If you woke up at night
Many people think: "What should I do if I wake up at night?" There are some helpful tips to help you deal with the problem. Among the most common recommendations are the following points:
- Don't spend much time in bed. If a person wakes up at night, it is better to go to bed later. Spending more time in bed is the dumbest thing you can do.
- Don't nap during the day. Even when very tired. Then at night the body will need more time to sleep.
- Relinquish bad habits or limit them. It has already been said that smokers can be deficient in nicotine. The same goes for other bad habits.
- Control emotions and stress. A disturbed emotional state leads to sleep problems.
- It is also recommended not to look at the clock and count how much time is left for sleep.
