Lack of sleep has become a habit for most people since the pandemic began. The inability to fall asleep at bedtime, and waking up before the alarm goes off or in the middle of the night, are typical of these times.

How do we go back to sleep in the middle of the night? If you are one of those who frequently suffer from this problem, we offer you 7 tips to get back to sleep and have a healthier and more productive day.

1 – Breathe

Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a professor at the University of Southern California who specializes in sleep, explains that the first thing to do is “breathe slowly and deeply. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth using our main respiratory muscle, the diaphragm. It can help relax the body and mind.” “.

2- Do not look at the watch

This will only make us more anxious, so the teacher notes, “It is important not to worry about a bad night because anxiety itself makes it difficult to sleep.”

Another problem the clock can cause is that it makes us think about the time we have left for sleep, causing the brain to stimulate itself and ending up activating the process to fall asleep again.

3- Meditation

For her part, Dr. Cynthia Acrell, of The American Institute of Stress, is committed to meditation and muscle relaxation. But if you’re not an expert at this, he recommends guided sleep apps, because “some of them involve delta waves of sleep. Put them in a loop so that you don’t wake up and lie down and listen and slow your breathing. Direct and blow.”

4- Take short breaks during the day

Dr. Akrell also notes guilt: “There is an entire channel in your brain dedicated to judging your inability to sleep, and she likes to play the” blame and shame “game.

The reason is that the brain begins to think about its problems and concerns, and it is usual for a person to judge himself. Therefore, a good trick for good sleep is to take a 2-3 minute break throughout the day and dedicate it to breathing work.

5- Do not drink alcohol before bed

According to Pano Cola, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine expert at Mayo Clinic, “When alcohol is metabolized, it forms acetaldehyde, which is a stimulant. So if you drink a lot of alcohol right before bed, within about 4 hours it becomes in the aldehyde that can break down. Sleep and wake you up. ” Additionally, it can also increase bathroom visits.

6- Stay away from mobile devices

It is the blue light emitted by these devices that many sleep experts have warned against: That is why they recommend against using electronic devices in bed or one hour before bed. And of course, don’t use it in case we wake up in the middle of the night, as they could end up spoiling our evening.

7 – If there is no other, then go.

The seventh and final advice to go back to sleep in the middle of the night is to wake up if 20 minutes have passed since we woke up. Moving into another room to read a book or solve a Sudoku puzzle is a good way to get it to sleep in our minds after a few minutes. But, as we said in the previous point, don’t be tempted to turn on the TV or take your cell phone or tablet.

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By Aileen Morales