Why do I keep waking up in the night?

Anxiety and worrying keeps the brain active at night. Your mind will remain busy thinking about the problems that are bothering you and it might not enable you to enter deep sleep. As a result, you might wake up many times during the night.

When your subconscious mind is afraid you will become extremely conscious of your surroundings, even while you are asleep. Not only will fear prevent you from sleeping well, but any sound you hear will wake you up easily. (See What are the body language signs of fear?)

Our ears work while we are asleep. If you sleep in a noisy place then there is a great chance that you will wake up in the middle of the night. Try to sleep in a calm place and keep the TV switched off.

A bad dream or a nightmare can wake you up in the middle of the night. Those dreams usually reflect your worries, fears and unsolved problems. By fixing your life when you are awake, you can make sure that your dreams are good during the night.

Any type of pain can wake you up in the middle of the night. If you have any physical condition that results in pain, make sure you get proper treatment in order to be able to sleep well at night.

While alcohol can help people fall asleep, it stimulates the brain later and wakes it up in the middle of the night. Avoid alcohol hours before you intend to sleep. (See What Alcohol does to your Brain?)

If you sleep feeling hungry or thirsty, there is a big chance you will wake in the middle of the night because you want to drink or eat. Make sure you meet those needs before going to sleep.

A heavy meal can keep your digestive system working for hours and can prevent you from sleeping well at night. While it’s not recommended to sleep without eating, it’s also not recommended to sleep after eating a heavy meal.

Worrying about what might happen the next day can wake you up in the middle of the night more than once. Being able to control your worries and handle them while you are awake can help you sleep well at night.

If you don’t go to the bathroom for a long period of time then go to sleep, there is a big possibility that you will wake up in the middle of the night because of that.

Are you too cold or too hot? The sleeping environment should make you comfortable enough that your mind only focuses on sleeping. The more distractions found, the more likely you are to wake up in the middle of the night.

If you sleep while you are expecting a message or a call, then most probably you will keep waking up in the middle of the night. Your mind will keep alerting you every now and then because it knows you are waiting for an important message.