It is usual for people to wake up a few times during the night. Older people often get up to go to the bathroom. Waking at night usually is not a problem.

But what about some other people? If it happens a few times a week, there may be a troublesome reason. Stress and anxiety are some of the reasons people have sleep difficulties. Such sleep difficulties are called insomnia.

You may wake up, look at the clock and worry about your work. How about bills to be paid? There may be stressful things on your mind.

These feelings may activate a stress hormone in your body. Your body’s levels of adrenaline will rise. Your heart rate will increase. It will be harder to get back to sleep. If you worry about not sleeping, it may make it harder to fall asleep.

What to do

If you are awake 25 minutes or more, get out of bed and do something quiet. Gentle stretches or breathing exercises might help. may work.

You may sit on a couch and read a book or magazine in dim light. Do not read on a smartphone or tablet. Use those devices to go to or . These sites help with sleep and meditation.

Try to go back to sleep.

Limit your drinking of alcohol. n that alcohol before bed can lead to poor quality sleep. Small amounts may help you fall asleep, but it can also cause you to wake up in the middle of the night.

Avoid coffee after 2 p.m. Coffee can stay in your digestive system well into the evening.

Napping lowers your drive to fall asleep in the evening. Avoid napping late in the day. Nap no later than early afternoon. And do not nap anytime longer than 30 minutes.

Try to keep to a routine schedule for sleep. There is a problem when you go to bed and wake up at different times. n that irregular bedtimes may lead to insomnia. The problem has to do with the natural rhythms of your body, called circadian rhythms. They work on 24-hour cycles.

If you get up during the night to go to the bathroom, limit how much water or liquids you drink a few hours before bedtime.

Does nothing work? Go see a sleep specialist. You may have problems called sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome.

Behavioral therapy may also help you identify the reasons for your chronic insomnia.

Source: The New York Times