Do you often have trouble falling asleep or always wake up in the middle of the night? If the answer is yes, maybe this article can help you solve that problem.
Some people have a habit of going to bed early and getting up early. They feel refreshed and full of energy. In addition to being good for your body, “ early to bed, and early to rise” can also improve the efficiency of your work and study.
However, if you’re one of those people who constantly wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep or if you’re unable to concentrate and feel anxious during the day, maybe it’s time to pay attention to your body. Sleep disorders not only seriously affect your daily life, but also greatly deplete your health over time.
Humans have had a strong intrinsic connection to sunlight over thousands of years of evolution. Before the advent of electricity, human life was largely limited by sunlight.
Our sleep cycles are also affected by sunlight. Working at sunrise and resting at sunset, the regular rhythm of daily life allows our bodies to adapt to sleeping for hours at night.
However, with the development of electricity and technology, human activities are no longer limited to the daytime. Therefore, our minds and bodies can be more active after sunset. Although life has become more colorful, irregular work and rest time subtly affects our physical and mental health.
Many people feel insomnia is like being forced to stay up late. Whether it is tossing and turning after going to bed and being unable to fall asleep, or waking up several times during the night, not getting enough rest can seriously affect your daily activities the next day.
Not getting enough sleep for long periods of time can cause even more harm to your body, such as increasing the risk of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and Alzheimer’s. It can also contribute to emotional problems such as anxiety and depression.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the qi and blood in the body flow through different meridians at different times of the day. Every two hours, qi performs its strongest function in a specific organ.
Not only that, in Chinese medicine, body, mind and emotion are inseparable. That is, if your body is not in harmony, it can also cause mood swings and vice versa.
If you find yourself waking up at the same time every night, it may be because your body is trying to send you certain messages or warnings.
Let’s take a look at the relationship between different times of night and corresponding organs and emotions and how to improve sleep quality.
What does waking up at different times in the middle of the night mean?
1. Waking up between 9:00 and 11:00 pm (or waking up soon after falling asleep)
This time period is when the endocrine system adjusts. If you fall asleep at this time, your body can save energy and be prepared for the next day.
However, if you wake up quickly after falling asleep or between 9-11 pm, it’s likely because your body is under a lot of stress and your subconscious has been fighting that stress.
Not only that, but you may find that the more you try to calm yourself down, the more distracted you become. This makes it even harder to get back to sleep.
9-11 pm is also the best time of day to replenish your immune system. Therefore, if you are unwell, or have a cold and fever, you may feel more uncomfortable at this time.
To prolong the duration of deep sleep after falling asleep, you need to start with dinner. Don’t overeat at dinner, and try not to eat anything three hours before going to bed.
Meditation before going to bed is also a good idea. It can help you relax your nerves so that your body and mind can enter a state of sleep and rest as soon as possible.
2. Waking up between 11:00 pm and 1:00 am
If you want to stay energized and clear-headed the next day, you should be asleep by this time.
People with gallbladder problems such as gallstones experience more pain during this time. That’s because from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m, gallbladder function is most active.
Since the gallbladder is responsible for breaking down fat in your body, waking up at this time of the night may indicate that you need to adjust your dietary fat intake. Either eat less fat or focus on eating healthier fats and oils.
Emotionally, always waking up between 11:00 and 1:00 every night may mean that you have a lot of things on your mind that you can’t let go of, such as pain, worry, resentment, etc. If these problems are not resolved, they can affect your sleep and your overall health.
Taking measures as soon as possible for emotional counseling, communicating more with friends and family or seeking professional help can help release negative emotions that are blocking the energy of the system.
3. Waking up between 1 am and 3 am
From 1 am to 3 am, your liver has its strongest detoxification function. If you wake up frequently during this time, it may be a sign that your liver’s ability to detoxify has decreased.
The crowded environment, polluted air, chemical exposure, unhealthy diet and the stress of our fast-paced lives can accumulate more and more toxins in our bodies, which directly increase the burden on our liver.
If you also have frequent nighttime muscle cramps, it can also indicate an imbalance of energy in your liver.
The liver is directly linked to eye and vision health, so overuse (such as reading, watching TV, using a computer or staring at a phone screen for extended periods of time) can impair liver function.
In addition, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet (including high-fat foods) and excessive use of prescription drugs can increase the burden on your liver.
Drinking fewer alcoholic beverages and eating a healthy diet can help your liver detoxify smoothly.
4. Waking up between 3:00 am and 5:00 am
3 am to 5 am is the most active time for lung function. Therefore, deep sleep is required.
Always inexplicably waking up during this time and having difficulty falling back to sleep may mean that there is insufficient blood in your lungs. This prevents you from breathing smoothly and prevents your organs from getting enough blood and oxygen to nourish. During this time, your body will turn on self-healing mode and force you to wake up.
To solve this problem, you can do more abdominal breathing exercises (also known as diaphragmatic breathing), which can strengthen the diaphragm and increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of the lungs.
The specific method is very simple. Inhale through the nose until your belly bulges, and then slowly exhale all the air through the mouth at twice the speed until your abdomen is sunken inward.
Doing this creates back pressure in the alveoli, which is very helpful for improving lung compliance, as well as clearing and detoxifying the lungs. The greater the lung compliance, the more expandable (elastic) it is.
5. Waking up between 5:00-7:00 in the morning
Many people go to bed around 10 pm and wake up after 5 am the next morning. This is quite normal if your body does not feel any discomfort.
The early morning is when the colon is most active and ready to expel waste from your body. If you experience any digestive problems during this time, such as constipation or diarrhea, it can indicate a bowel dysfunction.
With 7 hours of sleep guaranteed, 5 am -7 am is the best time to get up and start your day.
However, if you are used to going to bed later at night and often wake up at 5 or 6 in the morning, you may need to pay close attention to certain signals from your body. Especially if you have cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, arrhythmia or heart attack, etc.
4 Tips To Help You Get A Good Night’s Sleep
1. Don’t swipe your phone before going to bed.
The light from your phone’s screen can stimulate your brain’s nerves. When you wake up in the middle of the night, swiping your phone may make you completely awake.
Your best bet is to turn it off or even better do not bring your phone into the bedroom.
2. Don’t turn on the light when you wake up in the middle of the night.
Turning on the lights in the middle of the night can quickly “activate” your body and brain, making it harder to fall back to sleep.
To help, you can put a dimmable LED night light in your bedroom. It automatically emits soft light at night or when the ambient light is low, making it easy for you to take care of children, go to the toilet, feed pets or drink water without disturbing someone who is sleeping.
3. Don’t check the time when you wake up in the middle of the night.
When you check the clock after you wake up naturally in the middle of the night, you usually start to calculate your remaining sleep time, which can easily cause you stress and anxiety. The more you force yourself to sleep, the harder it is for you to fall asleep
Therefore, don’t look at the time. As long as the alarm doesn’t go off, just calmly turn over. This can help you relax and get back to sleep easily.
4. Use deep sleep pillow spray.
If you have chronic insomnia, in addition to taking sleeping pills such as melatonin, you can also try to use some topical sleep aids.
For example, this deep sleep spray contains natural herbal extracts such as lavender, vetiver and chamomile to help calm your mind and body, reduce sleep anxiety and improve sleep quality. It’s easy to use. Just spray it a few times on your pillow before going to bed.
This spray has a high rating on Amazon and also received a lot of positive feedback. If you want to relieve insomnia as soon as possible, you can give it a try.
Some people say that the greatest happiness in life is eating well, sleeping well and thinking well. This is true. Although it sounds simple, it is actually not always easy to do.
Being successful with eating, sleeping and thinking well requires complete physical and mental health. Then you can have the ability to pursue everything you want.
