Waking up during the night? 12 tips to fix interrupted sleep

Sleep

Nov 18

Written By Calm Editorial Team

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA

Interrupted sleep can leave you feeling physically and mentally depleted. Explore the top causes and 12 tips to calm your nights, fix midnight wake-ups, and sleep soundly again.

You’re awake in the middle of the night — again. The world is quiet, but your thoughts are anything but. Maybe it’s stress, hormones, a sound outside, or nothing obvious at all. Whatever the reason, those 3am wake-ups can leave you wondering what’s wrong with your sleep. The truth? Probably nothing.

Brief awakenings are a normal part of the sleep cycle. Most of the time, you drift in and out of them without ever noticing. However, when they occur more frequently or last longer, the ripple effects can begin to take hold: grogginess, low mood, and the feeling of never quite being rested.

Understanding what’s happening when you wake can make those moments less frustrating and easier to recover from. Which is why, with a few small shifts, such as how you unwind and prepare for rest, you can soften the edges of the night and wake up feeling more restored.

What is interrupted sleep?

Interrupted sleep, sometimes called fragmented or broken sleep, happens when your natural sleep cycles are repeatedly cut short by awakenings during the night. These awakenings can last seconds or even minutes.

Often, you won’t remember these moments. But each time you wake up in the middle of the night, your brain resets out of deeper sleep stages. As a result, this interrupts the repair, memory, and mood-regulation processes that happen in these stages.

In a typical night of sleep, you move through light, deep, and REM stages, each serving a distinct role in restoration. And when that rhythm is disrupted by stress, discomfort, or changes in your environment, you spend less time in those deeper, more restorative stages. This is why you can technically get enough hours of sleep but still wake up foggy or unrested.

8 common causes of interrupted sleep

Frequent wake-ups rarely come from a single cause. More often, it’s a mix of small disruptions that add up over time. Here are eight common reasons why people often experience disrupted sleep.

1. Bathroom visits (nocturia)

Waking to use the bathroom occasionally is normal. But frequent trips can disrupt your sleep cycle. Nocturia typically increases with age and can be linked to fluid intake, caffeine, alcohol, certain medications, or health issues like diabetes or an overactive bladder.

2. Stress and anxiety

Stress hormones like cortisol can rise overnight and can keep your brain alert. As a result, your sleep can become lighter and more fragile.

3. Environmental disruptions

Sudden noise, shifting light, or a warm room can pull you out of deeper stages without you realizing it. Even minor disturbances can leave you groggy or unrested in the morning.

4. Pain or physical discomfort

Discomfort, from sore joints, muscle tension, or even an awkward pillow, can trigger micro-awakenings throughout the night.

5. Alcohol, caffeine, and late-night eating

Alcohol, caffeine, and heavy meals all interfere with sleep regulation. Alcohol fragments rest once its sedative effects fade, caffeine blocks natural sleep pressure, and late-night meals can cause indigestion that wakes you.

6. Hormonal or age-related changes

With age, sleep naturally becomes lighter and more fragmented. Additionally, hormonal shifts, especially during menopause or perimenopause, can cause night sweats or temperature swings that make it harder to stay asleep.

7. Sleep disorders

Sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome are common culprits of chronic awakenings. Apnea causes breathing pauses that jolt your body awake, and restless legs create uncomfortable sensations that make it hard to stay still.

8. Medications and health conditions

Some medications, like those for blood pressure, asthma, or depression, can alter sleep patterns. Conditions like reflux, thyroid imbalance, or chronic pain can also cause frequent awakenings.

How to fix interrupted sleep: 12 tips to stop waking up during the night

Improving interrupted sleep is about creating more stable conditions for rest and supporting your body and mind in the right ways. Here are 12 tips to help you create those steadier conditions.

1. Keep your sleep and wake times consistent

Your body clock relies on regularity. So keeping a sleep schedule that includes a consistent bedtime and a stable wake-up time can help your brain know when to expect rest. Aim to go to sleep and wake up around the same time, even on the weekends.

2. Build a gentle wind-down window

Give yourself 60 to 90 minutes to ease into sleep mode by doing something relaxing and soothing. Be sure to avoid screens, bright light, and tense conversations during your wind-down routine, as these can send mixed signals to your brain, keeping you up.

For a calming wind-down routine, try dimming the lights, taking a shower, making tea, stretching, or reading something light an hour or so before bed.

3. Move your body earlier in the day

Exercise helps with deeper, more continuous sleep, but the timing matters. Morning or afternoon movement works best, as intense workouts right before bed can keep your system revved up.

Consider morning gym classes, going for a walk during your lunch break, or taking a stroll after dinner.

4. Time your fluids and bathroom habits

We all love our beverages, but being smart with them matters. If you tend to wake to use the bathroom, try tapering down your fluids in the two or so hours before bed. This might mean hydrating in the early part of your day, and sipping beverages more slowly as the day wanes. If you’re getting up multiple times nightly, check in with your doctor to see if you might have nocturia.

5. Be mindful of caffeine, alcohol, and late meals

Caffeine can linger in the bloodstream for hours after you drink it, so even that early afternoon coffee can keep your brain alert well into the evening. Alcohol, on the other hand, might make you drowsy, but it fragments sleep once the sedative effect wears off.

Additionally, late, heavy, or spicy meals might trigger reflux, which can wake you up. Timing with these treats is key. Try cutting caffeine after lunchtime, limiting alcohol within three hours of bedtime, and having a heavier or spicy meal for breakfast or lunch.

6. Keep your room cool and comfortable

Keeping your room cool can help you sleep better and temperature often plays a bigger role in sleep quality than most people realize. If possible keep your room to around 60–68°F. Use breathable bedding, a fan, or separate blankets if you and your partner run at different temps.

7. Simplify your sleep space

Keeping your room cool and quiet are also important factors in sleeping well. Try to optimize your sleep environment so that it’s dark and quiet.

Use blackout curtains, white noise, or an eye mask if light or sound are triggers for you. Also clear clutter from around the bed as visual chaos can signal alertness to your brain even when the room is dark.

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8. If you wake in the night, don’t fight it

If you find yourself wide awake and restless, don’t fight your bed. Instead, get up and move to a quiet spot.

Then do something dull but gentle like reading a few pages of a book, doing a puzzle, or practicing slow breathing until your body feels sleepy again. Over time, this retrains your brain to link your bed with rest.

💙 If you wake in the night, listen to Dr. Eric Lopez’s Falling Back to Sleep with Ease in the Calm app.

9. Ease nighttime stress loops

If racing thoughts or tension pull you awake, keep a notebook by your bed for quick mental offloading.

You could write down what’s making your mind swirl, then remind yourself it’s handled for now. You could also try slow breathing by inhaling for four and exhaling for six. This activates your body’s calming system.

10. Try a middle-of-the-night plan

Remind yourself that waking isn’t failure. It’s part of how your brain processes the day. Instead of panicking when you wake in the night, have a simple routine ready. Stay in dim light, stretch your limbs, and try some breathwork. And if at all possible, avoid your phone.

12. Rule out sleep disorders and medical causes

Persistent awakenings can signal conditions like sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, reflux, thyroid imbalance, or hormonal shifts.

If you wake up gasping, snore loudly, or feel exhausted despite getting enough hours, talk to a healthcare provider. Treating an underlying condition often transforms sleep more than any lifestyle tweak can. Doctors and specialists can also help you discover if cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia might be right for you.

Interrupted sleep FAQs

Why am I waking up in the middle of the night?

Nighttime awakenings are common and usually harmless. Many times, people wake up from external factors, like noise, temperature changes, or light. It’s also common to wake up due to internal factors, such as pain, stress, hormonal fluctuations, and digestive issues.

If you wake up around the same time every night, it could be due to habit, stress, or even subtle changes in your blood sugar.

Is interrupted sleep bad for your health long-term?

Occasional wake-ups are normal. With that said, if you’re waking multiple times most nights or struggling to fall back asleep, then reach out to your healthcare provider to see if anything else is going on.

If you’re experiencing chronic sleep fragmentation, this may lead to higher stress, lower focus, and changes in mood and metabolism. And over time, it might also raise your risks for blood pressure and immune issues.

Can interrupted sleep be a sign of anxiety or stress?

Oftentimes, waking is a sign of anxiety or stress. Stress hormones, like cortisol, keep your brain alert and make it harder to stay asleep or return to sleep after waking up.

But calming routines before bed, like journaling, stretching, or dimming the lights, can help. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based approaches can also be effective if your worries or racing thoughts persist.

What’s the best interrupted sleep solution?

There isn’t one single fix for interrupted sleep. But the most effective approach typically combines steady habits, like consistent sleep and wake times, a cool and dark bedroom, and limited caffeine and alcohol.

Another good option is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), as this helps to retrain both your thought patterns and your body rhythms over time.

Can interrupted sleep be a symptom of something more serious?

Sometimes, frequent awakenings can point to conditions like sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, reflux, thyroid imbalance, or hormonal changes.

Keep an eye out for loud snoring, gasping, morning headaches, and ongoing exhaustion despite getting enough hours in bed.

If any of these symptoms sound familiar, check in with a healthcare provider, as treating the root cause usually brings the biggest improvement.

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Calm Editorial Team