Contents:
- Medical Video: Do You Often Wake Up Between 3 AM and 5 AM? Here Is What It Means
- The cause of waking up at night
- 1. urinate
- 2. Sweating
- 3. Stress
- 4. Leg cramps
- 5. Coughing
- 6. Difficulty breathing
Medical Video: Do You Often Wake Up Between 3 AM and 5 AM? Here Is What It Means
Waking up at night without remembering it is natural. But, getting up from deep sleep so you feel restless can be a sign of a particular problem. "Most of us wake up regularly at night. However, if you are fully awake, this should not be ignored, "said Dr. Neil Stanley of the British Sleep Society. So, what causes us to wake up at night?
The cause of waking up at night
1. urinate
Nocturia (nocturnal urination) has many triggers. However, if you find yourself waking up two to four times at night to urinate, even when you limit drinking at night, you might want to try reducing water intake before going to bed. According to Jonathan Steele, RN, an executive director of WaterCures.org, our bodies try to maintain the internal balance of water and electrolytes. Because there is too much water without enough salt, your body tries to get rid of some H2O, which might explain why you are built in the middle of the night just to urinate.
2. Sweating
Alcohol can cause your skin's blood vessels to widen, so you feel warmer. Sweating can also be a side effect of antidepressants, which can increase levels of stress hormones like noradrenaline, according to Dr. Ramlakhan. And in women, sweat can be a result of low estrogen levels, which usually occur before or during the period, or after menopause. If a man sweats at night, even if the temperature is not warm, he can have low testosterone. Night sweats can indicate problems such as cancer or heart disease. So, if it happens continuously, consult a doctor immediately.
3. Stress
Whether it's because of work or family problems, stress can hijack your deep sleep. "Meditation and relaxation have shown some effectiveness to overcome sleep disorders, including frequent awakening of stress," said Lekeisha A. Sumner, PhD, a certified clinical psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. Sumner said that meditation practices and the like can help reduce anxiety and improve mood, which supports healthy sleep.
4. Leg cramps
Exercise too much can reduce calcium and magnesium levels, which are needed to help develop and contract muscle, according to John Scurr, a surgical vascular consultant at Middlesex Hospital. In addition, another trigger for cramping is when the peripheral arteries that supply the legs, are damaged by fat deposits from the food you eat, or from high blood sugar levels in diabetics.
Your heart may thank you for taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, but one study in the United States found that this drug increased the risk of cramping by 20%. And don't forget the alias restless leg syndrome restless leg syndromeThis can also trigger leg cramps due to low dopamine levels that control muscle movement.
5. Coughing
This occurs when the valve that closes the esophagus from the stomach does not work, allowing stomach acid to escape. Lying flat makes you vulnerable to stomach acid reflux. Without gravity, acid can move up through the chest, thus irritating the throat which causes coughing. "This is more common in excess fat people around their abdomen and chest," said Dr. David Forecast, a gastroenterologist at the London Clinic and St Mark’s Hospital, Middlesex. This takes more time to be digested in the digestive tract.
6. Difficulty breathing
If you suffer from asthma, sleep can make you feel worse, because lying down can make mucus accumulate in the airways, creating pressure on the lungs. In fact, many people only realize that they have difficulty breathing after it wakes them up at night. However, even more worrying is when you wake up while panting, because it can indicate a serious heart problem.
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