How to fall back asleep when waking up in the middle of the night?

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To fall back asleep when you wake up in the middle of the night, you can try several techniques and tools based on the advice from :

  1. Use long exhale breathing to calm yourself.
  2. Relax your face, which tends to relax the jaw.
  3. Do a progressive body relaxation.
  4. Use hypnosis apps like Reverie that offer hypnosis for falling back asleep; this is particularly effective if you practice it during the day and then apply it at night when needed 1.

Other recommendations include:

  • If you are woken up by your phone, keep it in black and white mode to minimize sleep disruption from blue light.
  • Ingest inositol supplements (900 milligrams of myoinositol) to help fall back asleep more easily after waking up in the middle of the night 2.

Furthermore, suggests:

  • Going to bed earlier if you're consistently waking up in the early morning hours and cannot fall back asleep. More bright light in the early evening might delay the melatonin pulse if going to bed early is not an option 3.

    Tools for Better Sleep

    Andrew shares three tools he uses to fall back asleep when waking up in the middle of the night, including long exhale breathing, relaxing the face, and utilizing a hypnosis app called Reverie. He explains the benefits of self-directed hypnosis and how it can improve relaxation and sleep quality.

    Huberman Lab

    AMA #14: 2023 Philanthropy, Evening Routine, Light Therapy, Health Metrics & More
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  • Using minimal light if you need to get up during the night, to avoid disrupting melatonin and making it harder to fall back asleep 4.
  • Employing non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocols for relaxation if you're anxious or have looping thoughts in the middle of the night 5.
  • Monitoring overall sleep hygiene, such as not using bright light or engaging with electronic devices if you wake and ensuring good practices to promote sleep health 6.
  • Considering the possibility of sleep misalignment with your natural circadian rhythm and light-dark cycle. Adjusting your sleep schedule to better align with these cycles could improve sleep maintenance 7.
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