Why Do I Have Trouble Sleeping Through The Night?

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 12% of adults in the United States have been diagnosed with chronic insomnia. Trouble sleeping through the night can significantly affect a person’s physical and mental health and their ability to function during the day, which can affect their relationships and their performance at school or work too. Trouble sleeping at night can stem from numerous causes, including stress, medical problems, sleep disorders, and more. Here, we’ll discuss various reasons why people may have trouble sleeping through the night and strategies that may help you get a better night’s sleep.  

Common causes of trouble sleeping soundly: sleep apnea and insomnia

Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders experienced by adults today. The term “apnea” comes from Greek and can be translated as “without breath.” Sleep apnea causes people to temporarily stop breathing during sleep due to collapsed airways, which often wakes them up numerous times throughout the night. The most common type of this condition is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which happens when the throat muscles relax and prevent air from entering the lungs. 

The following are some common symptoms of sleep apnea:

• Snoring loudly
• Gasping for air
• Waking up numerous times at night
• Experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness
• Waking up with a dry mouth 

Insomnia is another common culprit for trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. While chronic insomnia can be a diagnosis on its own, insomnia can also often result from or be exacerbated by some of the causes we’ll explore below, including medications, stress, and certain lifestyle factors.

Exploring other sleep disorders

Another disorder that can disrupt sleep during the night is restless legs syndrome (RLS). People living with RLS experience the urge to move their legs at night, sometimes as a result of a prickling sensation, itching, or throbbing in their legs. When people with RLS move their legs, they often feel a temporary relief of symptoms, but continually fidgeting this way can make it difficult to fall or stay asleep.

Medications that might keep a person up

Some people may experience difficulty sleeping throughout the night as a result of certain medications they take. According to Harvard Medical School, some beta blockers (often used for high blood pressure), antidepressants, corticosteroids, and cold medications may cause people to wake up during the night. 

People who believe their medication may be affecting their sleep might consider consulting with their prescribing physician about it. They might ask if there’s a better time of day to take their medication or if there’s a different medication they could try that won’t affect their sleep cycle. 

Lifestyle factors that could affect sleep

In some cases, people may have difficulty sleeping as a result of certain lifestyle choices. For example, consuming caffeine in the afternoon or evening may keep some people up at night. Also, while some people feel a sedative effect from alcohol that puts them to sleep, it can lead them to wake up in the middle of the night. Alcohol can also reduce the deep sleep that helps a person feel rested the next day. Not keeping a regular sleeping schedule and having a sedentary lifestyle during the day could affect rest quality, too.

How stress could affect your rest

Another common cause of difficulty sleeping at night is stress. Concerns about work, school, or relationships, for example, may prevent people from getting restful sleep during the night. Stress activates the body's fight-or-flight response, which triggers physiological changes like increased blood flow and muscle tension. Falling asleep while this response is engaged can be difficult. 

Tips that may help you fall asleep and sleep through the night

If you're experiencing persistent sleep problems, meeting with a doctor or sleep specialist may be an advisable next step. They can evaluate your symptoms and determine whether a diagnosis of a sleep disorder may be necessary.

A person may also be able to improve their rest in some cases by practicing good sleep hygiene. The following are some such tips that may help people get a good night’s sleep:

• Get regular exercise—just not within four hours of bedtime, which may actually make it harder to fall asleep. Research suggests that exercising often may lead to “improved sleep quality, reduced sleep latency, and better overall sleep quality.”
• Avoid screens before going to bed. Many screens—such as TVs, tablets, computers, and phones—emit blue light. According to Harvard Medical School, blue light may affect a person’s circadian rhythm, also known as the sleep-wake cycle. By avoiding screens for at least two to three hours before going to bed, some individuals may find that their body is better prepared for going to sleep and staying asleep. 
• Prepare your environment for sleep. In some cases, trouble sleeping may be related to a poor sleep environment, so making small changes to the environment may lead to better sleep throughout the night. For example, some people may sleep better if they lower the temperature in their bedroom and make the space as dark as possible. Wearing earplugs or using a white noise machine to drown out distracting sounds could also be helpful. 
• Reduce stress. Managing your daytime stress levels could help you stay asleep. One strategy that may help you reduce stress before bedtime is progressive muscle relaxation. This exercise entails tensing and then relaxing various muscle groups one by one. Another strategy that may help is deep breathing, such as using the 4–7–8 technique to sleep. This technique involves a few rounds of inhaling for four seconds, holding the breath for seven seconds, and then exhaling for eight seconds. 

Getting mental health support for trouble sleeping through the night

In addition to considering the above strategies, people experiencing trouble staying asleep may benefit from speaking with a mental health professional. A licensed therapist may be able to help address any mental health conditions that can affect sleep, such as anxiety and depression. Also, therapy may help a person learn to better manage the stress that may be keeping them from sleeping through the night. 

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Online therapy for sleep support

People who experience trouble sleeping through the night often feel drowsy during the daytime, and low energy levels can make it hard to travel to and from in-person therapy appointments. In such cases, online therapy may be a more convenient option for receiving care. With a platform like BetterHelp, individuals experiencing sleep problems can connect with a therapist from home at a time of day when they tend to feel more alert. They can also reach out to their therapist between sessions through in-app messaging, and the therapist will reply when they are available. Some people may find this option helpful if they wake up in the middle of the night and want to share what they’re experiencing. 

In addition to offering flexible scheduling, numerous studies suggest that online therapy can often be effective for treating various mental health conditions and related challenges. In one study published in the journal Sleep, for example, researchers indicate that online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia may be just as effective as the same treatment delivered in person.