Waking up at 3am isn’t the problem. What you do next is.
Ever caught yourself forcing yourself to fall back asleep as quickly as possible because you have an important meeting in the morning?
You know how important sleep is? Your anxiety increases and that only keeps you awake even longer.
Most people do things that spike alertness instead of supporting rest. Here’s what to stop doing (and what to try instead):
- Don’t read or watch something exciting
Guess what your brain thinks if you read a thrilling crime novel and want to know who the murderer is? Your brain doesn’t know that it is “just reading.” It reactivates your alert-mode.
✅ Do this instead: Avoid stimulating content. Read or listen to something boring or familiar — something your brain has heard before and doesn’t need to stay alert for. - Don’t switch on overhead lights
Bright light coming from above signals your brain to wake up. It suppresses your natural melatonin instantly.
✅ Do this instead: Dim your lights and keep ithem at floor level. A red or amber night light would be best. - Don’t check the time on your phone
That ignites your anxiety level even more. Like: “Oh no it’s 3am and I only have 3 more hours to sleep…” Plus the brightness interrupts your sleep (see point 2).
✅ Do this instead: Leave your phone outside the bedroom an. Knowing the time will not help you, it just stresses you more. - Don’t Lie in bed wide awake for more than 15 minutes
You don’t need a watch for this. Lying awake too long trains your brain to associate bed with wakefulness.
✅ Do this instead: Get up and relax in a different area of you house, do some calming exercises and when you get this sleepy feeling, go back to bed. - Don’t count sheep
Science shows this method isn’t actually very effective.
✅ Do this instead: One of my favorite techniques came from a yoga teacher I never went back to (I didn’t really like his teaching haha…): Count backwards from 70. If you lose track or skip a number, start over. I’ve never made it to 0. - Don’t eat sweets.
Sugar spikes your blood sugar, which disrupts your hormones and can wake you up again later.
✅ Do this instead: Combine a small amount of something sweet with fat and salt, like one scoop of high-quality ice cream with a sprinkle of salt. - Don’t go train
Intense workouts trigger your sympathetic nervous system and therefore make you even more alert.
✅ Do this instead: Try gentle yoga or somatic movements that are more downregulating for your nervous system.
Middle-of-the-night wakeups aren’t always avoidable. But rest is trainable. The key is to stop confusing your brain with wake-up signals and to start giving it what it actually needs: safety, quiet, rhythm.
What helps you fall back asleep?
Drop it in the comments below.
– Michi