5 Tips to Fall Back Asleep in the Middle of the Night

If you have ever experienced waking up from a deep sleep and not be able to get back into a slumber, you know how annoying it can be. Lying there, stuck, wide awake, with only a few hours left before you have to go to work is a real bummer. Not to mention the repercussions you will feel the following afternoon when you begin to crash from exhaustion and guzzle caffeine just to keep your eyes open. Then the caffeine puts you on a jittery roller coaster only to make you more exhausted in the end. It is a ruthless cycle and taking pharmaceutical sleeping pills only leads to side effects such as grogginess, confusion, and in some cases even sleep walking.

Try this 5 tips to fall back asleep in the middle of the night so exhaustion doesn’t haunt your next day.

Acupressure

The ancient modalities of acupuncture and Shiatsu (she-aht-soo) are practices that involve  needling or pressing certain points on the body to manipulate energy. Energy is a loaded word as it is not really recognized by science however, in these treatments, it has proven over and over again to be beneficial for many physical and mental ailments.

When it comes to falling back asleep, you can try some acupressure points. These are locations taken from acupuncture and Shiatsu for simple, useful applications.

Good points to try if you wake up in the middle of the night include:

• Bladder 38 (B38) – Located in your back at the level of your heart, this point will address and soothe emotional anxiety. Use a tennis or hard ball and lie on this point between the spine and scapula (shoulder) bone.
• Pericardium 6 (P6) – This point is in the middle of your inner wrist. Pressing, holding, releasing and pressing this point again, several times, has been linked to relieving insomnia, reducing indigestion, and heart palpitations.
• Liver 3 (L3) – On the top of the foot is Liver 3 a point that can be easily worked. Place a finger between the first toe and the second toe and slowly, gently push toward your ankle. Repeat.

Try An App

Meditation apps are all the rage and for good reason. These various tools offer a variety of options that could have you sleeping before you know it. The app Aura is known for its success in getting you back into dreamland. The site describes its service as:

“Whenever you’re stressed & anxious or having trouble sleeping, Aura will find mindfulness meditations, life coaching, stories, and music, created by the best therapists and coaches, personalized just for you. It takes just 3 minutes to feel better, and Aura will continuously learn about what helps you and improve the recommendations.”

Mediation apps offer soothing sounds and calming techniques that tap into your inner zen.

Go “O”

Naturally occurring oxytocin aka the “love hormone” is produced in abundance after an orgasm. This hormone is responsible for reversing the effects of stress hormones that often wake you up at night. In addition, endorphins are also released. These are natural pain killers that can quell inflammation and other discomforts which may annoy an otherwise perfect sleep.

Health reported on a study that showed beneficial results,

“The findings come from a study conducted at CQ University in Australia. Researchers polled 460 adults between ages 18 and 70, and they reported that 64% of the respondents said sex helped them sleep better. It wasn’t just any kind of sex that did the trick but sex that resulted in an orgasm.”

PMR for R&R

Get some much needed, middle of the night, go back to sleep rest and relaxation with Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). This is a technique that is easy and often effective. It involves concentrating on quadrants of your body.

WebMD describes how to perform PMR,

• While inhaling, contract one muscle group (for example your upper thighs) for 5 seconds to 10 seconds, then exhale and suddenly release the tension in that muscle group.
• Give yourself 10 seconds to 20 seconds to relax, and then move on to the next muscle group (for example your buttocks).
• While releasing the tension, try to focus on the changes you feel when the muscle group is relaxed. Imagery may be helpful in conjunction with the release of tension, such as imagining that stressful feelings are flowing out of your body as you relax each muscle group.
• Gradually work your way up the body contracting and relaxing muscle groups.

Reach for the Oil

Keep specific sleep inducing essential oils near your bed or spray your room with them before sleep. If you wake, dab a little on your ears, wrists and carefully on your temples to calm your CNS (central nervous system) and fall back into REM (rapid eye movement or deep sleep).

Best essential oils to induce sleep include:

• Lavender
• Valerian
• Clary sage
• Sweet marjoram
• Bergamot
• Ylang ylang
• Sandalwood
• Rose

 

Don’t let your mind takeover your precious shuteye and give these 5 tips to fall back asleep in the middle of the night a try. Use one or combine a few to get the best results to use any time disturbances occur. These are easy and best of all, totally natural.