Sleeping disorders - why do we wake up at night?

One in four Germans has trouble sleeping through the night. Waking up repeatedly at night can have a variety of causes and can negatively impact our health and well-being. Here's why we wake up frequently at night and what you can do to improve your sleep.

Table of contents

1. Nighttime awakening
2. Why we wake up from sleepwake
3. Common reasons for sleep interruptions
4. Use waking phases correctly
5. Conclusion

1. Nighttime awakening

Good sleep is the foundation of a healthy and productive everyday life. However, according to a study by the Techniker Krankenkasse (technical health insurance company), almost one in four people in Germany suffers from trouble sleeping through the night and frequently waking up during the night. In fact, we all naturally awaken up to 30 times each night, completely independent of external stimuli. Experts believe this can be traced back to our ancestors and evolution, and that brief interruptions in our sleep at night served to protect us from potential dangers and to assess our surroundings for safety. However, we usually don't remember this, as our sleep is only interrupted for a short time.

Only longer periods of wakefulness lasting three to five minutes or more remain in our consciousness and disrupt our sleep, especially if we can't fall back asleep right away and consequently lie awake longer. Ultimately, this not only affects the duration of sleep, but also the quality of sleep, which is particularly important for our health, performance, and well-being during the day. But what are the possible reasons for waking up at night, and what can we do to avoid frequent sleep interruptions?

2. Why we wake up from sleep

During sleep, our body works at full speed and can be disturbed by internal or external stimuli. You will find out what exactly happens during sleep here. Every night we go through several sleep cycles, which in turn consist of different sleep phases.

During the REM sleep phase, toward the end of each sleep cycle, our brain is particularly active and reacts more easily to disruptive stimuli, as they are transmitted to the brain regions and processed directly. If the activation of the nervous system triggered in this way (also called arousal) is strong enough, the body becomes active and enters the waking state.

3. Common reasons for sleep interruptions

#1 Stress

Stress, Stress, fears and worries often lead to us thinking too much and finding it difficult to relax before going to sleep. Stress also leads to a high release of stress hormone cortisol, which wakes us up and inhibits the production of melatonin, which is important for sleep. Increased cortisol levels due to stress can disrupt sleep at night, causing us to wake up more often and, above all, making it harder to get back to sleep. Therefore, try to avoid stress and excitement during the day and in the evening and deliberately wind down and relax before going to bed. And even if you wake up at night or have trouble falling back asleep, don't put yourself under pressure, as this will further promote cortisol release and thus hinder sleep.

#2 Bright light

Light and darkness function as an external impulse that adjusts our internal rhythm to the natural daily routine. Bright light signals the body MelatoninReduce your production and prepare for waking up. To avoid waking up early in the night, it's advisable to keep your bedroom generally dark and avoid distracting light sources, such as by closing curtains or blinds. Avoid bright lighting or screen light during periods of wakefulness at night so your body can calm down and fall asleep.

#3 Noise & Sounds

A snoring partner, disturbing neighbors or nighttime street noise – loud or unusual Sounds can disrupt sleep and make it difficult to fall back asleep. Especially when a noise stands out in an otherwise quiet sleeping environment, our brain reacts quickly and wakes us up. Therefore, make sure to remove potential sources of noise from your sleeping environment before going to bed. For example, you can keep the window closed at night, set your phone to silent, or use earplugs.

#4 (Nightmares)

Due to increased brain activity, we wake up particularly frequently when we are in REM sleep. During this period, not only numerous processing processes take place in the brain, but also our dreams. Depending on the intensity of the dream, the processing and visual experiences during REM sleep can also disrupt sleep and lead to interruptions in our nighttime sleep. We are particularly familiar with this when we experience dangerous situations or states of anxiety in our dreams and the emotional experience triggers strong arousal. Unfortunately, it is generally not possible to influence our dreams. However, it is assumed that nightmares are caused by fear or severe stress and mental strain.

You can find more about dreaming in the article Why do we dream?

#5 Wrong diet

Heavy, heavy meals in the evening can negatively impact sleep quality and should be avoided, as the digestive process disrupts sleep and can prevent you from sleeping through the night. It is also recommended to avoid caffeinated drinks and foods in the last 3-4 hours before bedtime, as caffeine It has a stimulating effect and stimulates the nerves. Also, be careful not to drink too much fluid in the evening, as a strong urge to urinate at night can also disrupt sleep.

#6 Unfavorable indoor climate

At night, our body temperature initially drops, reaching its coldest around 3 a.m. before slowly rising again. Sleep experts generally recommend a moderate to cool room temperature between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius. However, studies have shown that, in addition to hypothermia, overheating is also a common cause of nighttime wakefulness. It's best to keep your bedroom cool and avoid overheating, for example, due to tight-fitting sleepwear or incorrectly adjusted radiators.

4. Use waking phases correctly

Ultimately, it's completely natural to wake up from time to time during the night, and these interrupted sleeps are usually due to quite trivial reasons, such as street noise or an overly large meal in the evening. To minimize the loss of quality of sleep, it's important to make the most of unavoidable waking phases so you can fall asleep again as quickly as possible and start the new day refreshed.

So if you wake up at night, you should first try to stay calm and relaxed. Don't put pressure on yourself and avoid looking at the clock or the Smartphone. Because the increased melatonin level at night also has a negative effect on Mood you should not try to think about problems or worries during this time.

If you can't fall asleep even after a while, it's better to get up for a while instead of tossing and turning in bed. With the lights dimmed, you can read a book or use the time to jot down your thoughts and clear your mind. This way, you can make the most of an unwanted sleep interruption and ensure a rested start to the day despite nightly waking phases.

5. Conclusion

• Even if we don't remember it, we wake up up to 30 times every night.

• The cause of frequent waking up at night can be external stimuli such as noise, lighting conditions or room climate as well as internal stimuli such as stress, poor diet or dream experience.

• Avoid stress before going to bed and don't put yourself under pressure during waking hours at night.

• Make sure you sleep in a dark environment and especially avoid bright screen light.

• Minimize potential sources of noise or sleep with protective earplugs.

• Eat light meals before going to bed, reduce fluid intake and avoid caffeinated foods for the last 3 to 4 hours.

• Prefer a cool room climate between 16 and 18 degrees and avoid overheating while sleeping.