8 Reasons You Keep Waking Up in the Middle of the Night

Ever tell someone you're having sleep issues only to be advised to just "relax?" After a night of restlessness, the last thing you probably want to hear is that five-letter word.

Lucky for you, there's a number of actionable things you can do tonight to bring an end to your late-night wake-up calls. Read on to learn the eight reasons why you're waking up in the middle of the night and how to get better sleep.

Your phone and TV screens emit blue light, a spectrum of light that's beneficial during the day, as it promotes wakefulness, but disruptive in the evening, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

At night, staring at blue light can suppress your body's sleep hormone production (aka melatonin), affecting your sleep cycle and ability to stay asleep. Even more simply, though, late-night text messages or phone calls may be the reason you're stirring after bedtime.

Being told to drink ‌less‌ water on a health website sounds like an oxymoron, but in this case, it's not. While you don't want to minimize how much you're drinking in total, try not to sip too much right before you hit the hay, says sleep disorder specialist Sonja Gabriele Schuetz, MD, or you might find yourself making frequent trips to the bathroom during the night.

For people assigned male at birth, waking up night after night to use the bathroom could be a sign of potential prostate issues, says sleep specialist Michael Breus, PhD, author of ​‌The Power of When.‌

An enlarged prostate can weaken the bladder over time, making it more difficult to push back trips to the bathroom even while you're asleep, per the Simon Foundation for Continence.

You're probably aware that you shouldn't drink a cup of coffee before bed. But actually, you should avoid any kind of caffeine at least 10 hours before bedtime, according to the Mayo Clinic. Caffeine not only makes it harder to fall asleep, but it can also make your sleep inconsistent.

Caffeine is at its strongest about an hour after your cup of coffee, per Harvard Health Publishing. After that, about 50 percent is eliminated every four to six hours. So, if you drink a full cup of coffee six hours before bedtime, you'll still have about half the caffeine in your body when your head hits the pillow.

Smoking cigarettes may be another reason you're struggling to sleep. Like caffeine, nicotine is a stimulant that can make it harder to stay asleep, according to You Can Quit 2, an educational Defense Department platform.

While a late-night dinner is OK every now and again, eating right before bed isn't doing your sleep any favors, Dr. Schuetz says. A big meal before bed is taxing on the digestive system, making it harder to get some quality rest.

When it comes to waking up in the middle of the night, the specific foods you eat matter, too. Avoid spicy ingredients at least three hours before bedtime, as these can cause heartburn throughout the night, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Spicy foods can even worsen sleep apnea symptoms (more on that below).

High-fat and high-protein foods are harder for your body to break down as well, so a plate of steak and fries may be a recipe for late-night wakings.

You can add alcohol to the list of foods and beverages to avoid before bed, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Alcohol may help you fall asleep more quickly at first, but it can wake you up in the most important sleep stages as you sober up.

Alongside your TV or smartphone, there are a few things in your bedroom that may cause you to wake up in the middle of the night.

For one, the temperature of your bedroom may not be cool enough for sleep. A bedroom that's too warm (above 67 degrees Fahrenheit) may be the reason you're waking throughout the night, as it can disrupt your rapid eye movement (REM) cycle, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Also, try your best to keep your bed or bedroom for sleep only, even when you wake up in the middle of the night, says Dr. Schuetz. Avoid bringing your work laptop into the bedroom and keep your reading in the living room. In general, aim to reduce the presence of clutter in your bedroom, since it isn't conducive to rest. You'll sleep better if you make the bed and tidy up dirty laundry, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.

"It's important that your mind associates your bed with sleep," she says. "Take a look around your bedroom: You want it to be quiet, comfortable, dark and not too warm or too cold."

"A common cause of waking up in the middle of the night is undiagnosed sleep apnea," Dr. Schuetz says. "If you wake up snoring, choking, gasping or short of breath, you should tell your doctor because you may have sleep apnea." Since your bed partner has a good window into your nighttime behavior, mention any symptoms they observe to your health care provider as well.

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder in which your breathing repeatedly starts and stops, causing snoring, daytime fatigue and difficulty staying asleep, according to the Mayo Clinic. This condition is caused by the muscles in the back of your throat, which make it difficult to breathe once they relax.

If you know you snore and have tried snoring remedies with little success, you should get checked for sleep apnea.

Often, people living with obesity, people who smoke and those with a family history of sleep issues are at higher risk of developing sleep apnea, per the Mayo Clinic. Nasal congestion and pre-existing health conditions are common causes as well.