Why can’t I stay asleep?

+54 votes
asked Apr 19, 2019 in Health & Wellness by ShaniceDeari (260 points)
edited Jun 28, 2019
Lately I have trouble staying asleep. I fall asleep for a while and the second I know it, I would be wide awake at 3 a.m. in the morning. I tried turning off all the lights. I tried counting sheep. I tried chucking away my phone so there shouldn’t be anything that can wake me up randomly. Nothing works. I can’t stay asleep when I’m supposed to still be sleeping. It’s starting to get to my daily life. I get cranky, I drank more coffee than I ever should just to keep me awake during the day, I can’t concentrate on my work. Anyone has an idea why can’t I stay asleep? Is this a medical condition I should be worried about? Is there any way I can fix this?

2 Answers

+24 votes
answered Aug 8, 2019 by ZPXMei449538 (360 points)
edited Aug 11, 2019
Waking up when you are trying to stay asleep is called middle insomnia. This means you have difficulty maintaining sleep. Often you wake up, roll around to the other side and go back to sleep. Common enough, unless the problem goes on every night and you can’t go back to sleep immediately. If you already suffer from insomnia, then you are more prone to this problem as well. Sleep apnea could also disrupt your sleep since you are forced to wake up from the lack of proper breathing. Sleep apnea is difficult to detect since you can’t personally notice it and needs another person to check up on your breathing while you are asleep. Stress can lead to a sleep disorder, so if you have a hectic lifestyle, you are more likely to have trouble staying asleep. Stress may lead to anxiety attack which could wake you up in the middle of the night. So try to relieve your stress and relax. If you can’t point out the source of your problem, then I do recommend you going to your GP.
commented Sep 19, 2015 by Travis (970 points)
Yeah, stress is only part of why can’t I stay asleep. Any other reason?
+9 votes
answered Jun 26, 2019 by EstherRoehl0 (380 points)
edited Jul 3, 2019
Environment is important to keep yourself asleep. Good sleeping hygiene and maintaining the perfect sleeping environment, while not necessary, could keep you comfortable through the night. This not only helps you sleep but also keep you asleep. Then make sure everything stays consistent through the nights. Lights leaking through the curtain from windows when a car drives pass your room could be a problem. Even the alarm clock or phone beside your bed, just turn it around away from you.

Noises too should be minimized. You can’t really avoid the occasional ambulance, but you can try to reduce it. Get some white noise in your room, a soft consistent noise should help you remain asleep (e.g. leaving a fan on). The noise should have a minimal amount of volume and pitch variation. Or just give ear plugs a try. Practice a sleeping habit. No huge meal, no exercising, no alcohol, no heavy activity before you go to sleep. Avoid taking naps just so you feel more tired at night. Once you get into a good routine, the body might feel better as well and take comfort in staying asleep. There you have it. The key to staying asleep might be to keep yourself sleeping at ease.
commented Aug 21, 2015 by Emmarie (980 points)
Thanks for all your tips, but do you have any idea why can’t I stay asleep as I asked?
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