Quality sleep is, of course, essential to good physical and mental health. Waking up in the night means we get less of the essential recuperative slow wave sleep.
You might find that you can get to sleep initially, but find yourself waking up in the small hours of the night feeling quite alert and unable to get back to sleep again. Perhaps you worry or get agitated when this happens. Of course, worrying is a stimulant and makes it less likely that you will get back to sleep once you’ve woken up.
Interestingly, most people wake up at some point in the night. However, they never really become fully consciously awake and so don’t register the fact that they are awake and have no recollection of it the next day. These nocturnal awakenings may last only a few seconds, but they are actually a natural part of the sleep cycle.
Sleep is a creature that needs training if it is to serve you well
Waking up in the night can all too easily become a habit which happens purely because your subconscious mind and body now expect it to happen. There are also some simple things that you can do to help yourself if you do find yourself awake in the night:
Keep things dark. Switching on a bright light will activate light cells in your brain – which will wake you up even more.
Stay clear of brain stimulating activities such as watching TV or surfing the internet.
A warm milky drink may help – but avoid stimulants such as tea, coffee or colas.
Focus your mind on a relaxation technique (such as a guided meditation recording) so you can quickly let your body know it is time to relax and sleep again. Avoid worrying about the past or the future, as that will flood the body with adrenaline, which is not conducive to sleep.
Hypnotherapy will teach you how to slow things down mentally and physically while providing your subconscious mind with powerful suggestions to sleep through the night. It will also give your mind a method to use to get back to sleep even if you do wake up. Because if you train your brain and body to relax when you do wake up in the night, then very quickly your instincts learn that there is no reason or stimulating reward for waking up, and your subconscious mind stops bothering.
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