What Makes You Wake Up in the Middle of the Night?

Constantly waking up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason can be immensely frustrating. If you find yourself roused frequently at odd times during the night, it could be the underlying health issues such as sleep apnea, night-time urination, restless legs syndrome, GERD, or stress that cause frequent nighttime waking. If this is the case, them get yourself checked with a doctor.

Here are some more health conditions that are doing the same to. Have a look at the 6 reasons that may be causing you to wake up in the middle of the night.

Nocturia or Nighttime Urination

Don’t drink too much fluid just before bed, such as tea or coffee that act as diuretics. If that doesn’t fix the problem, it may be due to an underlying health condition such as UTI, kidney trouble, pregnancy, or even diabetes.

This is one of the most common reasons that cause you to wake up in the middle of the night. For most people, urine production is lower when you sleep, allowing you to get that precious 6 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Whereas, nocturia or nighttime urination causes you to wake up multiple times throughout the night and causes an immediate urge to pee.

Hidden Cough

Just because you are not coughing does not mean there is no mucus hiding in your throat and lungs. If you are sure you do not suffer from any health condition, but feel a little itch in your throat, that’s a sign you probably have a hidden cough that’s making you wake up at the middle of the night.

Aging

Your nighttime waking may also be the result of you growing older. With passing years, it may become more difficult to fall asleep and you may also wake up often at night.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

GERD may also cause you to have a bad taste in the mouth, bad breath, nausea, pain in swallowing, heartburn, sore throat and chronic coughs. Eat light meals before bedtime and avoid caffeine up to 8 hours before sleep.

GERD is a chronic disorder that causes acid reflux or heartburn. This occurs when stomach acid goes the wrong way up into your esophagus. People with GERD have nighttime symptoms and most of them experience interrupted sleep due to these issues and can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Disruptive sleep apnea can cause your airways to be blocked when you are sleeping. Every time this happens, your body wakes you up when your blood oxygen levels drop.

Anxiety or Depression

Anxiety or depression could cause sleeping trouble and may cause you to wake up at night with panic attacks and nightmares or a feeling of uneasiness.

Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis is scary. It’s when your body feels so heavy that you can’t move. But you’re wide awake. It’s like something really heavy is on top of you, but it’s only your muscles that’s feeling this heavy thing. Therefore, sleep paralysis can disturb your sleep and make you wake up in the middle of the night.