Waking up in the middle of the night? Here’s what to do…

Helpful solutions to those annoying middle-of-the-night wake ups

1. Break the worry cycle

Tell yourself that waking during the night is not a problem – most of us do it anyway, although we’re not aware of it. Try not to clock watch, and if you have a book, knitting or a jigsaw set up in the next room and are still awake after 15-20 minutes, get up and occupy yourself until you feel sleepy.

2. Decamp to the spare room

Fidgeting, duvet hogging or snoring all play a part in night-time waking. In fact, a noisy bed partner is a common cause of disturbed sleep, with women more likely to be affected than men. It’s not ideal but, if all else fails, leave the snorer behind and sleep in another room.

3. Be prepared

Hormone changes and hot flushes around the menopause stage can play havoc with sleep. It’s thought that hormonal changes trick the body into thinking it is overheating – hence night-time flushes. Wear light cotton pyjamas and use light bedclothes, keep an extra pillowcase, towel and a cool facecloth, fan and glass of iced water near the bed.

4. Cut the nightcap

Alcohol is a great sedative to help you drop off, but the effects don’t last and it will interfere with your sleep, especially in the later part of the night, waking you up early. Limit your intake and keep it to the evening. Similarly, avoid coffee from early afternoon onwards. Research shows caffeine consumed up to six hours before bed can affect sleep.

And if you find yourself struggling to sleep, or waking up quite frequently, here are some things that are worth a try… 

1. Eat a kiwi

Scientists from Taiwan found that eating two kiwis an hour before bed helps people nod off faster and sleep better. The researchers measured the sleep quality of 24 volunteers with sleep problems, before and after a month of eating kiwis every night, and found that every aspect of their sleep improved.

People fell asleep more quickly, slept more soundly, their overall sleep time increased and their sleep efficiency (the amount of time spent sleeping compared with the total time spent
in bed) improved.

2. Have a hot bath

Studies show that warming your body with a hot bath or shower two hours before bed can help induce sleep – as long as there’s enough time to cool off afterwards. Body temperature plays an important role in regulating circadian rhythms, and heating your body up actually helps it cool down more quickly, preparing you for sleep.

3. Put lavender on your pillow

There are no guarantees but, when researchers monitored the brainwaves of sleepers exposed to lavender through sleep, they found they had more deep sleep and felt more energetic in the morning than those who weren’t.

4. Tweak your diet

More fibre and less saturated fat and sugar could help. A study at New York’s Columbia University found that people who ate more fibre spent longer in deep sleep, while higher intakes of fat were associated with less restorative sleep. A high sugar intake was also associated with more interrupted sleep.

Volunteers who ate low-fat, high-protein meals provided by a nutritionist fell asleep after just 17 minutes, compared with those who fed themselves taking, on average, 29 minutes to drop off. There’s mounting evidence that your gut health may affect your sleep.

The sleep hormone melatonin is found in the gut as well as the pineal gland in the brain, and gut bacteria plays a role in producing melatonin and serotonin (which is also involved in sleep). It may be that eating for a healthy gut could also improve your sleep.