If you wake up at night, try these tricks to get back to sleep

Breathing exercises, listening to music, and other sleep strategies can help you get back to sleep if you wake up in the middle of the night. But repeated awakenings may require the help of a specialist.

It can be difficult to get enough sleep each night, especially if you have a form of insomnia that keeps you awake or prevents you from falling asleep. This is called sleep maintenance insomnia.

Implementing some sleep strategies can help.

How to get back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night:

Get out of bed.

Try moving to another room if you haven't fallen asleep within 15 minutes.

Then do something relaxing to distract your mind for a few minutes. This may make it easier to fall asleep when you get back to bed.

Avoid looking at the clock.

Constantly looking at the clock can make you feel anxious about not sleeping. You might even consider removing the clock from your room altogether.

Research published in 2019 shows that there is a link between anxiety and difficulty sleeping.

People who experience anxiety often worry about sleep, and those who can't sleep often feel anxious.

Avoid screens.

Turn off all electronic devices. Notification sounds can wake you up. Devices like phones and tablets emit blue light that can inhibit the body's production of melatonin.

Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate sleep rhythm.

Blue light-blocking glasses are an inexpensive option that may improve sleep, according to a 2021 review of studies, but the results are mixed.

Meditate or do breathing exercises.

A 2018 research review on the effect of meditation shows that breathing exercises or meditation can help treat some aspects of sleep disorders and improve sleep quality.

However, more scientific research is needed.

One of the exercises you can use is the 4-7-8 breathing technique.

Sleep with the lights off.

Don't turn on the lights even if you get out of bed.

Like phone screens, bright light can interfere with melatonin production and make you more awake.

Focus on something boring.

A 2018 study showed that many people feel sleepy when they are bored.

The classic “counting sheep” technique — or any boring task that engages your mind — can help distract her and make it easier to fall asleep.

Listen to relaxing music

Relaxing music can help calm your mind and help you fall asleep. Like white noise, it can block out noises that can disrupt sleep.

A 2018 study showed that personal preference plays a big role in determining the type of music that is most helpful for sleep.

You can experiment with several types of music until you find what suits you best.