Most people hate the sound of the unfortunate alarm clock in the morning, and many even fear it. But there is a category of people who wake up long before the alarm clock – and that’s a problem, too.
Sleep experts insist that waking up before the alarm clock is not new and causes discomfort and tension in people. CNN writes about it.
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than a third of Americans sleep less than seven hours a night. Data from the National Institutes of Health show that between 10% and 30% of the world’s population struggles with insomnia.
According to a 2009 study by the Stanford Research Center for Sleep Epidemiology, people with insomnia may have a combination of “difficulty falling asleep”, “night wakings” and “non-improving sleep” or early morning awakenings.
Treatment for insomnia includes cognitive behavioral therapy and medication, but you can avoid waking up early by changing some of your habits. However, acute sleep disorder sometimes occurs in people who do not suffer from chronic insomnia, but who experience waking early.
Waking up before the alarm is fraught with great disappointment and, as a result, stress. And then stress can have a negative impact on the body and offset its root cause.
D., associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. “You start thinking about it and then you do things that make your insomnia worse,” said Rajkumar Dasgupta. “Don’t tell yourself… ‘I’m going to lie until I fall asleep,'” she states.
You can try to change some of your habits and deal with this annoying problem.
don’t look at the clock
If you wake up suddenly and it still seems too early, don’t look at the clock. Knowing that it’s 3 am and the alarm goes off at 7 can make you worry about how much time you have left to “sleep”.
“Anxiety and frustration are on the rise,” says sleep expert Wendy Troxel, a senior researcher at Rand Corp. “Looking at the clock becomes a habit, and this habitual response of frustration and anxiety creates stress.”
When anxiety and worry prevail, cortisol levels rise and the body goes into a tense state. Because the brain is overworked, this process is incompatible with sleep.
“You look at the clock – 3 a.m. And you start grinding your teeth, thinking about all the problems with the fact that you’re not getting enough sleep,” Troxel says. “All this mental processing and arousal contradicts the state of sleep. Rather than sending a signal to your brain to relax… it makes you more alert and alert.”
If you use an alarm clock on your phone, checking the time can be an even stronger trigger. Consider getting a classic alarm clock that won’t connect to your phone.
“Our phone is the strongest wake-up signal,” Troxel said. “The light from your phone can directly stimulate your circadian rhythm. Whether it’s surfing social media or reading the news, the content we consume on our phones can be very active. All of these can trigger emotional states that are more energizing than relaxing.”
get out of bed
Paradoxically, experts recommend getting out of bed after waking up. And it doesn’t matter when, even at 3 in the morning
“Give up the idea of going back to sleep,” Troxel says. “When you do that, when you let go of that pressure, sleep is more likely to come back.”
With the Stimulus Control Technique, you can keep your brain busy with a routine task, bringing your sleepiness back faster than when you were lying in bed.
Everything from reading books to knitting to listening to quiet music (not on your phone) can help distract your brain and restore sleep. When you are sleepy again, go back to bed.
Tick what works and what doesn’t
Dasgupta recommends keeping track of not only when you go to bed on a given night, but also calming techniques, environmental factors, and even diet and exercise that seem to help you sleep that day.
“Perfect sleep is like a puzzle, and you have to get all the pieces right,” Dasgupta said. Said. “People suffering from insomnia lack one of the elements of sleep hygiene. There may be muscle relaxation, maybe noises are the key factor, or maybe just a heavy blanket is needed.
Sleep is also directly linked to our biological clock. According to Dasgupta, if any environmental factor changes, such as travel, work schedules, or lighting, the body clock may reset, signaling the inconvenience of waking up early before the alarm clock. In this case, changing the lighting in the room or using alternative lighting can help.
A relaxing massage can also help – start with your toes, tense these muscles for three seconds and relax. Watch your breath. According to Dasgupta, 4-7-8 breathing exercises combined with muscle relaxation can be very successful. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds.
Yoga, meditation, or reading can also help in the fight against waking up before the alarm. The same methods won’t work for everyone, but applying different strategies that can affect sleep is crucial and will ultimately help manage the problem.
If this happens more than three times a week for three months, experts recommend seeing a sleep specialist. In this case, more than a simple change in habits may be required.
Previously, Focus wrote that eating disorders have become a fairly common problem and can affect anyone, regardless of age and gender.
Important! This article is based on and does not contradict the latest scientific and medical research. The text is for informational purposes only and does not contain medical advice. Be sure to see a doctor for a diagnosis.
Source: Focus
Mary Moore is an accomplished author and journalist known for her engaging and informative writing on trending topics. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a keen interest in current events and a talent for finding the human angle in stories, Mary’s writing is always engaging, insightful and informative.