A person who often "wakes up early" should be alert to 4 diseases

Many people can't wake up when they are young, and can't fall asleep when they grow up. As they grow older, they wake up more and more frequently in the middle of the night. What's worse is that after waking up, they toss and turn and can't fall asleep again.

What causes "early awakening"? Is frequent early awakening related to illness? What can be done to alleviate this situation?

What time is considered "early"?

"Early awakening" means that after going to bed for a while, you suddenly wake up, as if you get up in the morning, and it is difficult to fall asleep again. It is a common symptom of insomnia among middle-aged and elderly people. What time is considered early awakening? In clinical medicine, waking up between 2 and 4 in the morning and not being able to fall asleep again is called early awakening. Most people who wake up early do not get enough sleep, feel tired the next day, lack concentration, and are inefficient. Long-term early awakening may also cause some physical discomfort, such as palpitations, chest tightness, diarrhea, etc. In addition, Jan Bowen, professor of behavioral neurology at the University of Tübingen in Germany, explained that if you have an expectation for something, your body will release a stress-related hormone - adrenocorticotropic hormone, which will prompt you to do something at a specific time, which may cause early awakening. Genes also play a role. A study by the University of Kansas in the United States found that the human body has an alarm gene (KDM5A), which can be called a "wake-up control switch." Researchers said that this specific gene is part of a gene network and functions similarly to a clock.

Waking up early may mean you are sick.

If you wake up too often or your sleep quality is affected, you should pay attention to it, as it may be related to the following diseases:

Depression and anxiety

A characteristic of typical depression and insomnia is early awakening. At least one hour earlier than usual, more often two hours or more earlier. If the level of the neurochemical transmitter serotonin in a certain area of ​​the brain decreases, people will become depressed. At the same time, if the level of serotonin is insufficient, the sleep time will become shorter, which manifests as early awakening.

Thyroid disease

An overactive thyroid gland can cause an accelerated heart rate and a surge in adrenaline secretion, leading to insomnia and anxiety; an underactive thyroid gland can increase the likelihood of developing sleep apnea by 35%.

Acid Reflux

The discomfort of heartburn can keep you awake, and even if you don’t feel the heartburn, the acid in your esophagus can trigger a reflex that disrupts your sleep.

Breathing problems

Seasonal allergies and colds can cause you to toss and turn at night or wake up early. Other factors can also narrow the airway, such as a deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps, and enlarged tonsils. In addition to disease, aging and bad lifestyle habits can also cause you to wake up early:

Hormonal changes

As we age, the secretion of melatonin and growth hormone decreases, resulting in a decrease in the quality of both deep and light sleep, and early awakening.

Vitamin D deficiency

Harvard University researchers found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor sleep quality, and it directly affects the part of the brain that plays a role in sleep.

Always looking at the phone

If you browse social media, watch TV shows, or play games for a long time before going to bed, the blue light from the screen will prevent your body from producing melatonin.

Drinking before bed

In the first few hours after falling asleep, the body metabolizes alcohol, affecting the rapid eye movement phase of sleep. This can make people restless in the second half of the night, affecting sleep quality and causing early awakening. In addition, going to bed too early or taking a long nap can also cause early awakening.

Do 6 things to relieve "early awakening"

You can evaluate your sleep quality by the following three points:

Sleep time: Whether you can start to feel drowsy and fall asleep between 10-11pm.

Sleep duration: Whether you can sleep for 7 to 8 hours every night and wake up naturally.

How you feel after waking up: refreshed or listless.

If any of these conditions are not met, you should be alert. If it is caused by illness, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. You can start from the following aspects in your life to adjust your habits and avoid waking up early.

01

Try to go to bed on time

Adjust your bedtime. It is recommended that you go to bed no later than 11pm. Sleeping time should account for more than 90% of the time spent in bed. The sleeping environment should be quiet and comfortable. Do not watch electronic devices before going to bed and turn off the lights in time.

02

Practice abdominal breathing

When you inhale, actively expand your abdominal muscles slowly, and when you exhale, actively retract your abdominal muscles slowly. This will reduce your breathing rate, make you relax, and reduce anxiety.

03

Reduce the number of alarms

Just set an alarm and get up when it rings. You can set a 15-minute "on time" for your body to gradually wake up your body and cerebral cortex.

The normal sleep cycle of a person is about 90 minutes. If the alarm clock keeps interrupting the sleep cycle, the sleep cycle will also be disrupted. If you want to set multiple alarm clocks, the interval between the two alarm clocks should be within one sleep cycle, which is about one and a half hours.

04

Exercise during the day

Increasing sunlight exposure during the day will accumulate more natural melatonin in the brain, which helps you sleep at night. Doing more exercise, even just walking for half an hour, will also help you sleep. Naps should be limited to about 20 to 30 minutes, and you should not take naps after 3 pm.

05

Keep a positive mood

Both objective things and one's own mentality can affect emotions. If there is no way to change objective things, try to change your perspective on things and then change your mentality.

06

Avoid substance abuse

Some people ignore their own conditions and abuse melatonin and sleeping pills, which are not only useless for improving sleep, but may also have other side effects. It is important to remind you that if you are troubled by early awakening for a long time, you should seek help from a professional doctor in time. ▲