Waking up at the same time can leave you feeling exhausted and as if you’re not getting enough sleep, but there could be several reasons why your shuteye is interrupted all the time.
There are so many things in life that can hinder our sleeping pattern, and it’s not always because you had a cheeky coffee before bed.
When you fall asleep, a range of things are set into motion, and even before you recognise, you’re tired to begin with.
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If you knew about all of these things, you’d probably sleep like a baby for the rest of your life.
Not one to gatekeep, we’re telling you what’s causing your sleeping problem and how to get back on track so you can sleep like a pro.
Your Circadian Rhythm
If you don’t know what a circadian rhythm is, it’s basically your internal clock that keeps your sleep and wake cycle regulated.
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Just like we do, it operates on a 27-hour cycle, which influences when you wake up and when you feel tired, thanks to being regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus part of your brain.
While the circadian rhythm is mostly synced up to the dusk till dawn mode like everyone else, there are things that can disrupt it.
For example, sleeping in a room that allows light to shine in.
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This’ll trick your brain into thinking it’s time to get up to start the day.
Your sleep stage
Sleep has two categories and three different stages.
The first one is the NREM sleep, aka non-rapid eye movement that puts you to sleep. Then you’ll travel to stage 1 where you transition to Snooze Ville, before making a stop to stage 2 at your light sleep destination, and then to stage 3’s deep sleep.
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Then, there’s the more widely known REM, or rapid eye movement sleep where you’ll dream the night away.
Throughout the night, you’ll go through all of these stages multiple times, which means that when you hit your stage 1 NREM sleep again, you could be at risk of waking up until you go to stage 2 and 3.
Your Environment
Noise has a big impact on whether or not you can sleep through the night.
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Whether it’s traffic, a train, plane or flock of birds, something could be waking you up without you even registering there’s just been a loud sound.
Even your fan could be waking you up.
Or, the temperature could dip, making your little toes cold beneath the blanket or you could get too hot making you want to kick said blanket, to the floor.
Electronics
It's not just kids who have a strict no-TV rule before bed.
This is actually true for adults too as it can amp you up before bedtime.
If your phone is next to you, it’s notifications could wake you up, or your television in your room could be humming.
Whatever the case, electronics should be cast aside if you want to sleep through the night.
Stress
Stress can spike your blood pressure, causing you to get a rapid heartbeat, an urgent need to pee or even scary sleep apnoea.
All of these things can really mess with your ability to sleep at night.
Stress could also cause you to have scary nightmares.
If you’re really struggling and catering to this new information doesn’t help, speak to your GP.
Topics: Health, Sleep, Mental Health, Advice
Britt Jones