JAKARTA - Waking up before the alarm goes off is often annoying, especially if there is still time to sleep. Many people are tempted to use the extra time by closing their eyes for a moment. But which is better, just wake up or try to sleep again?
According to sleep experts, the answer is not always the same for everyone. This decision depends on when you wake up and the condition of your body at that time.
"During healthy sleep, the brain goes through a cycle of non-REM sleep (physical repair, immune system activity, growth hormone release) and REM sleep (memory processing, emotional regulation, brain recovery)," explained Dr. Lamees Hamdan, an integrative medicine doctor, quoted from the Real Simple page.
When you wake up in the middle of the night and try to sleep again, your body actually comes out for a while from its normal sleep pattern and has to adjust again. This can trigger a temporary increase in stress hormones, heart rate, and alertness.
Even so, waking up briefly at night is normal. What needs to be watched out for is if you wake up too often or too long, because it can interfere with overall sleep quality.
Experts emphasize that the answer depends on the situation. If you wake up in the middle of the night or early morning, it's better to try to sleep again. If you wake up about an hour before the alarm, you can try to go back to sleep, but there's no need to force it.
"If you wake up for a while and still feel calm or sleepy, the best option is to stay in bed and let yourself fall asleep again. Extra sleep is still beneficial for memory, mood, and physical recovery," said Mike Gradisar, PhD, clinical psychologist and head of sleep science specialist at Sleep Cycle.
However, there is an important exception. If you have been awake for more than 20 minutes, forcing yourself to stay in bed can actually have a negative impact.
"If you stay in bed too long when you're awake, the brain can start to associate the bed as a place to think, not sleep," Gradisar added.
If you don't feel sleepy, you can do the following things:
- Get up from the bed for a while
- Do light activities such as reading or meditation
- Use dim lighting
- Go back to bed when you start to feel sleepy.
This approach is known as stimulus control techniques, which help keep the relationship between bed and sleep strong.
How to Reduce the Habit of Waking Up at Night
Waking up at night is actually normal, but if it's too frequent it can be a sign of problems such as excessive stress, hormonal changes, alcohol consumption, sleep disorders, and anxiety. To help you sleep better, you can try some of the following habits.
1. Create a comfortable sleeping environment
Reduce light at night and keep the room temperature cool.
2. Avoid alcohol before going to bed
"Alcohol can make you sleepy at first, but then stimulates the nervous system and interferes with deep and REM sleep," explains Dr. Hamdan.
3. Manage stress from the afternoon
A calmer nervous system will help you sleep deeper.
4. Wake up at the same time every day
Consistency helps the body build a natural sleep rhythm.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
