How to fall back asleep after waking up in the night

To fall back asleep after waking in the night, keep the lights low, don't check the clock, and give yourself about 15 to 20 minutes. If you're still awake after that, get out of bed and do something calm until you feel sleepy, then go back. This get-up rule comes from stimulus control, a core part of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). It also helps to fix whatever woke you, which is often a full bladder, noise, light, or a dry mouth and stuffy nose.

Why do you wake up in the middle of the night?

You wake up in the middle of the night because sleep gets lighter in the early morning hours, so small things are more likely to wake you. Cleveland Clinic sleep specialist Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer says that for adults who go to bed around 10pm, 3am is typically when they're in REM sleep, which Cleveland Clinic describes as the lightest stage. Outside disturbances are more likely to wake you as you come out of it.

The usual triggers are ordinary ones. Cleveland Clinic lists needing the bathroom, light, noise, stress, pain, napping, alcohol and age-related changes. Waking up briefly isn't a problem. The trouble starts when you can't get back to sleep. Our article on why you wake up at 3am covers the causes in detail, so this guide focuses on what to do once you're awake.

What should you do first when you wake up?

The first thing to do when you wake up is very little. Stay lying down with your eyes closed, keep the room dark and resist the urge to check the time or your phone. Cleveland Clinic suggests giving yourself 15 to 20 minutes to drift back off before doing anything else.

If something obvious woke you, deal with it quickly and quietly. Use a dim light if you need the bathroom, sip water if your mouth is dry, or adjust the covers if you're too hot or cold. Then get back into bed and let yourself settle.

Should you get out of bed if you can't sleep?

Yes, you should get out of bed if you've been lying awake for a while. Cleveland Clinic says that if you're awake longer than 15 to 20 minutes, it's best to get up rather than keep lying there frustrated. Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer explains that bed should be a pleasant place to be, and it doesn't feel that way when your brain is wide awake and worrying.

This is the core of stimulus control. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) describes it as part of CBT-I that helps you link being in bed with being asleep. It involves going to bed only when you're sleepy, getting out of bed if you can't sleep and using your bed only for sleep and sex.

The research behind it is solid. In its 2021 guideline, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine strongly recommends multicomponent CBT-I for chronic insomnia in adults, and suggests stimulus control and relaxation therapy as standalone treatments too.

When you get up, Cleveland Clinic suggests something calm, such as meditating, reading something boring, drinking decaffeinated tea, listening to calm music or deep breathing. When you feel sleepy again, go back to bed. If you're still awake after another stretch, repeat the cycle. It can feel slow at first, but the point is to teach your brain that bed means sleep.

Why does light matter at night?

Light matters because it tells your brain it's daytime. Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer explains that light at night is absorbed through the eyes, and the brain starts to think it's daytime because you're in a well-lit environment. Cleveland Clinic suggests blackout curtains or a sleep mask to make the room as dark as possible.

The same goes for screens. Cleveland Clinic advises against using your phone, checking email or using other devices when you're awake at night, because blue light signals to your brain that it's time to wake up. If you need to get up, use the dimmest lamp that lets you see and keep the overhead lights off.

Why shouldn't you watch the clock?

You shouldn't watch the clock because counting the minutes tends to feed frustration, and frustration keeps you awake. In a 2023 study of 4,886 patients at a sleep medical center, people filled in questionnaires about their insomnia, how often they monitored the time at night and their use of sleep aids. Clock-watching, and especially the frustration that came with it, appeared to make insomnia worse, which was in turn linked to more use of sleep aids.

It was a questionnaire study, so it can't prove that hiding the clock fixes anything, and the authors called for trials to test exactly that. But it's an easy change to make. Turn the clock to face away from the bed, leave your phone across the room and use an alarm so you don't need to check.

Can breathing exercises help you fall back asleep?

Breathing exercises can help you fall back asleep by calming you down. Cleveland Clinic lists deep breathing among the things to do when you can't sleep, and says activities like these help switch off your fight-or-flight response and activate a rest-and-digest response instead. The NHLBI lists relaxation or meditation therapy, which teaches you how to relax and fall asleep faster, as one part of CBT-I.

A simple version works well in the dark. Breathe in slowly through your nose, let the breath out a little more slowly, and keep your attention on the air moving in and out. Don't force it or count the minutes. Our guides to 4-7-8 breathing and slow breathing for sleep give more step-by-step options.

Can a dry mouth or stuffy nose wake you up?

A dry mouth or stuffy nose can wake you up, and both are easy to overlook. The NHS lists breathing through your mouth at night, which can happen if you have a blocked nose or sleep with your mouth open, among the main causes of dry mouth. It suggests keeping water by your bed at night, and says a pharmacist may suggest decongestants if a blocked nose is behind it.

Snoring often comes from the same places. The NHS links snoring from blocked or narrow airways in the nose with nasal dilators or strips, and snoring from a mouth that falls open with devices that hold the mouth closed or help you breathe through your nose. If you often wake with a parched mouth or a blocked nose, our guides to waking up thirsty at night and why your nose gets stuffy at night explain more.

Some adults with a clear nose who wake up dry-mouthed like to add a nose-breathing routine. The Titan Sleep System pairs a nasal strip with mouth tape in one nightly routine. It isn't a treatment for night waking or insomnia. Take our nose test before trying tape.

We don't recommend mouth tape for children.

When should you see a doctor about waking up at night?

See a doctor if night waking is regular and affecting your days. The NHS lists waking several times a night, and waking early without being able to get back to sleep, among the symptoms of insomnia. It calls insomnia long-term when it lasts 3 months or more, and suggests seeing a GP if changing your habits hasn't helped, you've had trouble sleeping for months, or it's making daily life hard to cope with.

The NHLBI says CBT-I is usually recommended as the first treatment for long-term insomnia and takes 6 to 8 weeks. Our guide to CBT for insomnia explains what it involves.

Sleep apnea can also be behind repeated waking. The NHS lists waking up a lot among its symptoms, along with breathing that stops and starts, gasping, snorting or choking noises, and loud snoring. If you have these signs or feel very tired during the day, see a GP rather than trying tape or strips. Our article on sleep apnea and insomnia covers the overlap.

See a doctor too if your nose is blocked most nights or your mouth stays dry after a few weeks of home remedies. If you're pregnant, ask your clinician before trying any new sleep product. This article is general information, not medical advice.

Our pick (paid partner): Titan Sleep System

For people who wake up with a dry mouth, a stuffy nose or their own snoring, our pick is the Titan Sleep System. We haven't tested or ranked sleep products ourselves; this is our recommendation.

Titan says the system pairs TitanAir Nasal Strips with Titan Bamboo Silk Mouth Tape as one nightly routine. Titan describes the strips as drug-free external nasal dilators with flexible spring-loaded bands, placed just above the flare of the nostrils on the soft part of the nose, not the bony bridge. It describes the tape as a soft, breathable bamboo silk strip worn horizontally across the lips, and suggests 20 to 30 minutes of daytime practice before the first night.

Titan says its products are third-party tested and certified PFAS-free, and its 30-night guarantee refunds you if your sleep isn't better after 30 nights.

Read next

• Why do I wake up at 3am?
• How to fall asleep faster
• CBT for insomnia

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.