The scientific community has repeatedly demonstrated the significance of sleep. A restful night’s sleep is irreplaceable, therefore if we’re having trouble falling asleep, we should investigate and attempt to resolve the issue. A frequent scenario is awakening in the middle of the night. There are several reasons why this could occur, such as the need to urinate or being restless.
You’re stressed out or feeling anxious
While a small amount of stress is acceptable and even helpful, too much stress can negatively affect your sleep. The primary cause of this is the production of the stress hormone cortisol, which makes you hypervigilant.
When you wake up, cortisol is automatically released, which does in fact help you become more awake. However, it isn’t useful when it’s time to go to bed!
It might be your gut bacteria
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It’s true that an imbalance in your gut microbiota might cause sleep problems. Usually, this is associated with high cortisol levels, which might impact the beneficial bacteria in your stomach.
Tryptophan, an amino acid, is difficult for an unbalanced microbiota to convert into serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects sleep.
Your blood sugar levels might be to blame
Your blood sugar levels vary a little bit over the day, but if they sharply decline right before bed, it may affect how well you sleep.
Dietary variables are among the many factors that can contribute to low glucose levels during sleep. Your adrenal glands will release cortisol in response to low blood sugar, which will impair the quality of your sleep.
Smoking
Regardless of how it’s taken, nicotine can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night. This is so because, in reality, nicotine is a stimulant—exactly the opposite of what you need for a good night’s sleep.
Your hormones might be to blame
You may find yourself waking up in the middle of the night due to a hormone imbalance. For example, menopausal women may have hormonal changes that impact their ability to sleep.