"Insomnia is a kind of revenge for all those thoughts that you refuse to have in the day that are coming back to bite you." - Alain de Botton
Suppressed thoughts and unresolved problems absolutely do have immense negative impacts on sleep. For this, I recommend seeking the support of a psychotherapist, who can help you untie all of these tangled psychological knots. Beyond this, there is a great deal that we should know about sleep that will support us to get the sweet slumber that we so desperately need. Knowledge is power, and in this case, the power is in understanding the science of sleep, so as not to exacerbate our own insomnia with anxiety about the unknowns.
Here are 3 questions that I have found helpful to dispel the haunts unique to the night and gain peace of mind that everything is in fact alright:
What is the physiological science behind the witching hour?
The term "witching hour" traditionally refers to the early morning hours, often between 3-4 AM, when people may experience wakefulness. Scientifically, this relates to:
- Circadian rhythm fluctuations - our body temperature drops to its lowest point around 3-4 AM
- Sleep cycle architecture - we experience more REM sleep and lighter sleep stages in the early morning hours
- The brain's sleep homeostatic pressure decreases after several hours of sleep, making it easier to wake up
Why do I catastrophise in the wee hours of the night?
When we sleep our pre-frontal cortex, the reasoning part of our brain, is far less active than during waking hours. So much so, that when we wake at night or in the wee hours of the morning, we feel residual emotions from dreams or from psychological processing but we are unable to rationalise our way through them. Therefore, it is much easier to catastrophise and spiral into worst case scenario’s, as well as feel a greater sense of doom and dread. This is why having a meditation practise can be a lifesaver because we are more aware of our thoughts and therefore have more agency, even within the witching hour, to rationalise our way back to safety, and sleep.
Why can't I get back to sleep once I've woken up?
It can be incredibly helpful to know that it is OK, and normal to wake during the night. Sometimes it is our expectation that we should not wake that prevents us from getting back to sleep. We worry that we are not getting a good night’s sleep and this worry is a self-fulfilling prophesy. Sleep and circadian rhythm experts, like Professor Russell Foster and Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, tell us that it is normal and not pathological to wake periodically throughout the night. Bi-phasic and poly-phasic sleep is normal! It’s ok to wake up once or multiple times, the key is not to feel anxious about it so that you can naturally fall back to sleep again.
To ease your anxiety with knowledge, let’s understand why it’s normal to experience bi-phasic or poly-phasic sleep patterns and how we can support this rhythm:
- REM sleep flows in 90 minute rhythms, meaning that we become more wakeful every 90 minutes
- Adrenalin interrupts our sleep-wake rhythms, so minimizing the negative impacts of stress and supporting adrenal gland function helps regulate sleep patterns
- Train your mind with a short daily meditation practise to overcome catastrophising habits in wakeful parts of your sleep cycle
- Reduce hyperarousal that prevents normal sleep onset, avoid the temptation to do work, check emails, or do any demanding cognitive activity before bed
- Neurotransmitter imbalances, especially involving GABA, serotonin, and melatonin can affect sleep cycles, so talk to your GP and/or Naturopath for support
- Disrupted circadian rhythm signaling, such as with shift work, is inherently disruptive to sleep-wake cycles, that is why morning exposure to light is so important for resetting the internal clock and syncing our energy with the day.
- Stimulants and relaxants are ultimately messing with the whole sleep system; the more we drink coffee for energy during the day, the more we rely on alcohol to relax at night. Both need to be reduced or eliminated.
The good news is that a lot of these are within our control, we may have simply slipped into bad habits over the years. Take note of one thing that stood out to you while you were reading this, perhaps something you’re in denial about (it’s ok, none of us are good with change). Give yourself some grace and make that change.