(bright guitar music)
(writing utensils scratching) (ding) – [Amanda] Hey to Psych2Goers, and welcome back to another video. Are you having trouble
getting a full night’s rest? Do you go to bed at 11:00 pm hoping for a good night’s
sleep but wind up waking somewhere between 3:00
am and 5:00 am instead? (yawns) Do you feel tired, foggy, and sluggish when you don’t get enough sleep? A good night’s sleep is very
important for your health. Are you struggling to get enough sleep at night because of this? If so, let’s find out
what may be interfering with your natural sleep patterns. Number one, your lifestyle choices. How much of your daily and nightly routine do you build around ensuring
a good night’s sleep? Your daily and nightly routines are what will help determine how
well you sleep at night. These five things can
disturb your sleep patterns. Drinking caffeine or
alcohol before going to bed. Eating food right before bedtime.
Staying up late on your
phone or your computer. Taking a nap too late
in the day and smoking. Though we all wanna stay up to date on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. When you stay up late checking your feed and scrolling through your phone, it’ll only make getting to
sleep that much harder for you. And with the business of your day, you might start to feel
run down and droopy-eyed. But if you lie down and take a nap in the late afternoon or early
evening, you’ll be too alert and awake by bedtime to
even be able to go to sleep. If you struggle with waking
up in the middle of the night, think about your daily
and nightly routines and try to weed out some bad habits that may be hindering you from getting proper sleep at night. If you make the changes you
need for a good night’s rest then you’ll be well on your way to sleeping through the night. Number two, your emotional state. Can you recall a period when you slept well every single night? Did you have better
sleep during a lighter, happier time in your life? Your emotional state
has a significant effect on how you sleep and
your quality of sleep.
Your emotional state
can be left in turmoil if you’re experiencing a
time of heightened stress or anxiety, and this can
lead to sleep disturbances. Stress and anxiety trigger your ingrained fighter flight feeling. This will elevate your heart rate, quicken your breathing, and increase the stress
hormones in your body. All of which makes it more difficult for you to sleep peacefully. If you’re struggling with
sleep and anxiety in your life, try a guided meditation before bedtime. Deep breathing exercises will also help you relax enough for sleep. Taking a hot shower or bath will help distress you enough to wind down properly for bedtime. These tips can help you
with your stress or anxiety and in turn, help you fall
asleep and stay asleep.
Number three, low blood sugar. Did you know that low
blood sugar can cause your brain to wake you up
in the middle of the night? Your brain is very active during the night as it regenerates, repairs, and converts your short-term memories into long-term memories while you sleep. However, since it’s so
active during the night, it also uses up a lot
of your energy reserves. If you suffer from low blood sugar levels, your brain will consume
most of your energy reserves and think that you’ve run out of fuel. As a result, your brain
will release cortisol to make you hungry and wake you up so you can go get something to eat. If you find yourself routinely waking up and going to the kitchen to root around for a midnight snack, you may have low blood sugar levels and this might be the cause
of your sleep disturbances.
If you’re having trouble
sleeping through the night and waking up at odd hours do you now have a better sense of why this is happening to you? What are other reasons
you think could be waking you up at 3:00 am and 5:00 am? Share your thoughts with
us in the comments below. Please like and share this
video if it helped you and you think it could
help someone else too.
The studies and references used are listed in the description below. Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button for more Psych2go videos
and thank you for watching. We’ll see you next time.