How to solve “the phenomenon of waking up in the middle of the night and being filled with anxiety and worries?”

I am sure many of you have had the experience of trying to sleep but having trouble falling asleep, and waking up in the middle of the night after finally getting to sleep and feeling “overwhelmed with worries and anxiety about the future.

Hello, this is Santoshi.

Have you ever woken up suddenly in the middle of the night and regretted it?

Don’t worry. I have had the same experience.

After all, you stay up doing nothing until you feel sleepy.

But when I am tormented by anxiety, it is hard to sleep.

What should I do?

Professor Greg Murray, who studies mental health care at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, explains the causes and effects of this “late night thinking.

Why do we wake around 3am and dwell on our fears and shortcomings?
https://theconversation.com/why-do-we-wake-around-3am-and-dwell-on-our-fears-and-shortcomings-169635

Professor Greg Murray says he routinely experiences the phenomenon of “waking up around 3:00 a.m. and indulging his thoughts.

Rhys Nicholson, a popular Australian comedian, said on Twitter

said on Twitter.

「Is everyone else waking up at at about 3 or 4am every single morning to do a quick mental round up of all their fears for 45 minutes then falling back asleep?」

Is everyone else waking up at at about 3 or 4am every single morning to do a quick mental round up of all their fears for 45 minutes then falling back asleep?

— Rhys Nicholson (@rhysnicholson) October 9, 2021

Given the large number of supportive comments on this tweet, Professor Greg Murray argues that “late-night thinking” is a phenomenon experienced by many people.

Professor Greg Murray states.

Neurobiologically, the time around 3:00 am to 4:00 am is the tipping point of sleep.

During this time, our deep body temperature rises and the secretion of sleep hormones reaches its peak.

As a result we produce more stress hormones to wake us up in the morning, so even though we say we are asleep, we are actually lightly awakened many times.

If we are having a good night’s sleep, we do not notice the light awakenings, but if we are feeling stressed, the light awakenings can be the trigger for a state of wakefulness.

In addition, the realization that they are awake at a time when they should be asleep increases anxiety and causes them to start thinking about their worries, according to Professor Greg Murray.

However, around 3:00 a.m., the body’s energy is devoted to physical and mental recovery, and cognitive levels are at a very low level.

Therefore, waking up at 3:00 a.m. to do some thinking rarely leads to problem solving, said Professor Greg Murray.

He added, “The mind is not looking for solutions at 3:00 AM. It just deepens the ‘worry.

If you wake up in the middle of the night as described above, starting to think about things will not get you anywhere, but will instead cause you to worry more.

Therefore, Professor Greg Murray recommends that when you wake up in the middle of the night, you should make an effort to go back to sleep, for example, “concentrate on the sound of your breathing to achieve a state of mindfulness” or “read a book under dim light.

Satoshi