“I wake up long before the alarm”: how to get a sound sleep back

Are you one of the millions who often wake up at dawn and struggle to get back to sleep? There are several possible reasons. Let’s take a look at 5 of the most common ones, as well as ways to deal with sleep problems.

you have insomnia

Many people think that this is the inability to fall asleep in the evening, but this is not the only form.

Insomnia has several symptoms:

• sleep problems;
• problems with sleep;
• experiencing restless, never-ending sleep;
• waking up too early.

People may experience several of the symptoms at once. This means that sometimes you may have problems falling asleep, and sometimes you may have unwanted early rises or restless sleep.

But for most insomniacs, the problems are related to the end of the night’s rest. Some people can’t get up early in the morning because they couldn’t sleep at night. Others, on the contrary, wake up too early. While sleep insomnia predominates in young adults, awakening insomnia is more common in middle-aged and older adults.

What can be done?

Waking up early that robs you of quality sleep affects everything you do. Practicing good sleep hygiene is important throughout life. This is especially true when you are suffering from insomnia symptoms. In addition to a consistent sleep schedule, regular exercise, and proper nutrition, here are some tips to help you manage early awakenings:

1. Sleep in a room protected from sound and light. This will help you wake up less often from external stimuli early in the morning.
2. Limit your alcohol intake. Alcohol acts as a depressant and stimulant. The stimulant effects of alcohol appear later in the metabolic process, so drinking hard drinks before bed can increase the chances of you falling asleep quickly but waking up early in the morning.
3. Avoid other stimulants. Caffeine (which is found not only in coffee, but also in tea, chocolate) consumed at the end of the day can disrupt the sleep cycle. Other stimulants, such as nicotine, can also prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep.
4. Don’t drink too much before bed. A large amount of liquid before bed increases the chances of an unplanned trip to the toilet at 3 a.m., after which it may not be possible to fall asleep again.

If early awakening or other symptoms of insomnia last for more than a month, it is best to see a specialist.

you have apnea

Apnea is a state of the body in which there is a violation of breathing during sleep, namely, its short-term stop. Sleep apnea has many symptoms, including loud and chronic snoring, morning headaches, high blood pressure, excessive daytime fatigue, and difficulty getting up early. But unwanted early morning awakenings can also be warning signs.

Sleep apnea can occur at every stage of sleep. The most unpleasant episodes are associated with a long phase, when the main muscle groups are temporarily immobilized and their tone is the weakest. Some people have sleep apnea only during REM sleep. Long sleep is concentrated more intensely in the last half of the night, which means that people are more likely to wake up very early due to disordered breathing.

What can be done?

Learn the symptoms of sleep apnea and inform your partner if you are not sleeping alone. Often, sleep partners who are able to recognize the signs of illness can help before you realize what’s going on.

Loud chronic snoring and other signs should also not be ignored. Talk to your doctor and ask for a sleep screening. If you’ve been diagnosed and given a treatment, use it every night! When people strictly follow the recommendations, sleep apnea is curable, and the symptoms and health risks are much lower.

You are stressed and worried

Stress is a state of arousal that has complex effects on sleep, including the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. When you are stressed or anxious, your heart rate increases, your mind races, and your body temperature rises. Stress activates parts of the brain that make you more alert. It also increases the production of hormones, including cortisol, which interfere with and disrupt normal sleep-wake cycles.

Both chronic and acute stress and anxiety can wake you up early in the morning. If you’ve had the experience of suddenly waking up early, feeling alert and your mind immediately shifting into high gear, this is a key sign of the body’s stress response.

Depression also often causes people to wake up early in the morning. It is closely related to circadian rhythm disturbances, which regulate the daily cycles of sleep and wakefulness. Such people are usually anxious and sleep only occasionally. Sometimes drowsiness increases, especially in those moments when vigilance and active action are required.

What can be done?

When it comes to stress and sleep management, it’s best to start early and spend the entire day addressing your night’s sleep problem. If you ignore stress, then it is unlikely that it will disappear in the evening, allowing you to sleep soundly until morning. Relaxation exercises, meditation, mindfulness will help reduce stress during the day and in the evenings. Many natural supplements that help sleep are also beneficial for people suffering from stress and anxiety. But here, of course, you must first consult with a specialist.

It is important to draw the doctor’s attention to the symptoms of anxiety and depression. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or in crisis, don’t try to do it alone. Tell a friend, family member, or contact support.

You go to bed too early

Our individual needs and preferences are largely determined by our genes and unique circadian biology. Most people need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, some a little more and others a little less. If the body needs 7 hours of sleep, and the head rests on the pillow at 9 pm, then this leads to a natural rise at 4 am.

What can be done?

If the schedule of early sleep and early awakening matches your rhythm of life, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nothing to worry about as long as you get as much sleep as you need and you don’t mind being awake for a few hours when most are still napping.

But if waking up early bothers you, if you’re missing out on things you want to do after sunset, start shifting your bedtime gradually. Go to bed 15 or 30 minutes later, then add another 15-30 minutes. And so on until you wake up at a time that suits you. The amount of sleep that you get should be enough for full and effective functioning during the day.

Sleep cycle changes with age

Although chronotypes tend to remain stable for a significant portion of life, they change imperceptibly. Most young owls become larks with age.

Older people face other sleep problems that can cause them to wake up early in the morning. From a certain age, we spend less and less time in the deeper stages of sleep, so we are easily awakened by light, noise and activity.

As we age, we are also at greater risk of sleep disorders, including insomnia and sleep apnea. Circadian sleep signaling (the messages the body sends to itself when it’s time to sleep and when to stay awake) weakens with age. This can lead to more fragmented, less consolidated sleep at night, early awakening, and daytime naps.

What can be done?

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia has been shown to be effective in treating symptoms of insomnia, including very early awakenings, in the elderly. It works in a way that brings awareness of thoughts, emotions and habits associated with sleep, and makes constructive changes in behavior associated with sleep. Carefully timed light therapy, often used in conjunction with CBT-I, can also help adjust sleep timing and improve sleep quality in the elderly.

If waking up too early interferes with proper rest and daily work, do not ignore the problem. Determine what is behind the tendency to wake up before the alarm to solve this problem and return to sound sleep throughout the night.

Source: psychologytoday.com