How to get back to sleep if you wake up during the night

If you often wake up in the middle of the night, try following the advice of a sleep specialist.

As you know, adequate sleep helps the human body to function properly and is divided into three phases.

• First stage. Sensitive sleep, mental and motor activity are controlled by the cerebral cortex.
• Second stage (shallow, or light, dream). Cortical activity is suppressed, so breathing rate, heart rate and muscle tone decrease.
• The third phase is “rapid eye movement” (REM – rapid eye movement), during which we dream. Against the background of weakening muscle tone, rapid movements of the eyeballs persist.

During the night, sleep phases alternate sequentially. According to Dr. Randolph Willis, medical director of the Les Alpes clinic, There are many factors that make it difficult for you to enter the first phase: “You may have eaten a large dinner, drank a lot of water, are stressed, or have some kind of organic imbalance. You may also be bothered by lights, your partner's snoring, or noise outside.”

But how can you fall asleep immediately if you wake up at night? Advice from a somnologist:

1. Control your breathing

If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night trying to get back to sleep, try following the 4-7-8 method, experts say. That is, inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds and exhale for eight. This method is especially beneficial because it not only helps focus your breathing and clear away attacking thoughts, but also helps the body remove unwanted carbon dioxide that is found in the lower part of the lungs. It also lowers your heart rate. A good heart rate during sleep is between 40 and 50 beats per minute.

2. Short nap method

If you wake up and cannot fall back to sleep, try putting yourself into a state of calm wakefulness (Power nap). Power – energetic and nap, napping – short sleep, nap – short sleep, helping to restore strength and reduce the negative impact of lack of sleep.

Instead of worrying about sleep, try to focus on vacation with eyes closed. It is believed that this approach can help eliminate stress. Closing your eyes for a while is a way restore balance between sympathetic nervous system, which occurs when you feel anxious or stressed, and parasympathetic nervous system, which is stimulated when you rest. If this still doesn't help and you're worried about how much sleep you'll get, rest assured that even a little sleep is better than no sleep at all. A 2023 study found that a 20-minute nap can improve performance, while just a six-minute nap can improve memory.

3. Smile, meditate or… sing

Although you may not feel particularly happy when you're awake, smiling releases feel-good hormonessuch as dopamine and serotonin, which play a key role in falling asleep. They also activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us feel calm.

Another approach is meditation. For example, you are lying in bed, try to count each inhalation and exhalation to four, then relax the muscles of your face, shoulders, elbows, pelvic area, palms, feet and finally the soles of your feet. As you mentally go through all these points, try to focus not on your thoughts, but on your breathing.

Another, not so pleasant way for your partner, is to sing. According to experts, singing is a good way to stimulate nervus vagus, which transmits signals between the brain and the heart, and passes through the larynx. Increased vagal tone is associated with a lower heart rate required to fall asleep. If you can't sing, try taking a deep breath and as you exhale, make a “mmmm” sound in your throat, similar to the buzzing of a bee. Notice the vibration created by this sound. This vibration has the same effect on the vagus nerve as singing, i.e. it reduces the heart rate.

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