Nocturnal awakenings: what is the best natural treatment for getting a good night's sleep?

What are nocturnal awakenings?

Definition of nocturnal awakening

Nocturnal awakening is characterised by an interruption in sleep once or several times a night.

This episode may be very brief (micro-awakening) or last for several hours, giving the brain ample time to replay its thoughts.

In many cases, this can make it difficult or impossible to get back to sleep. That's why it's one of the various forms of insomnia (1).

The main causes of waking up at night

In some cases, waking up at night simply coincides with a normal physiological phenomenon.

Remember that sleep is structured as a succession of 90-minute cycles. At the end of each cycle, our sleep becomes lighter until we enter a phase of wakefulness. This awakening is perceived to a greater or lesser extent depending on personal sensitivities, age and the time of day (we are more prone to this at the end of the night, when there is less deep sleep).

The psychological component is also a factor. It is well known that stress and anxiety increase the frequency and severity of nocturnal awakenings. An excessive mental workload, emotional difficulties or a traumatic event (bereavement, divorce, unemployment...) fuel ruminations and keep us in a form of hypervigilance which makes it difficult to fall back asleep (2).

Finally, there are the "organic" causes that impair sleep quality. Examples include hot flushes during menopause, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (which causes regurgitation or coughing fits that wake the sleeper),sleep apnoea, restless legs syndrome, or benign prostatic hypertrophy in men (which forces them to get up several times a night to urinate) (3-7).

Nocturnal awakenings: when should you seek help?

Nocturnal awakenings become problematic when they are frequent, numerous, and affect the quality of sleep (which no longer fulfils its recuperative role).

When they are accompanied by intense tiredness, episodes of daytime sleepiness, difficulty concentrating or mood disorders, it is strongly advised to consult a health professional to understand their cause and find appropriate solutions.

Nocturnal awakenings: what 'natural treatment' should you adopt?

Here's a list of natural solutions that can be combined to reduce the frequency and duration of your nocturnal awakenings.

Above all, don't obsess about it

As with problems falling asleep, you need to play the situation down and not put too much pressure on yourself. Start by avoiding to look at the clock on your bedside table every time you wake up!

You should also be wary of connected devices that scrutinise your nights: while they certainly provide useful data, they insidiously perpetuate this idea of "sleep performance", which is more anxiety-provoking than anything else. Obviously, negative mantras such as "I must absolutely go back to sleep" should also be avoided...

Adopt a regular sleep rhythm

The same basic advice applies to all sleep disorders, including nocturnal awakenings.

These include getting up at regular times (even on weekends), exposing yourself to daylight early in the morning (to resynchronise your biological clock), banishing screens in the evening (smartphones, tablets...) and relying on sleep signals (yawning, shivering...) to go to bed at the right time (8).

Avoid foods that can cause inflammation at dinner

If you suffer from acid reflux, eliminate anything that could irritate the mucous membranes or slow down digestion at dinner: spicy or sauced dishes, fried foods, pastries, acidic foods (vinegar, citrus fruit), chocolate, coffee, alcohol (9)...

Visualise a "ritual circuit" to go back to sleep more quickly

To fall back into Morpheus' arms when you wake up at night, you absolutely must let go.

Visualisation techniques are useful here, as they help to short-circuit distracting thoughts. A good trick to condition your mind back to sleep is to have a "ritual circuit", always the same one (a train journey, a walk in the woods, etc.). When you can't get back to sleep, play back the images in your head. The only thing you risk is dozing off before the film is over!

Getting out of bed when you can't get back to sleep

If you toss and turn under the sheets but can't get back to sleep, don't insist: get up and sit down in a quiet, dim room, and distract yourself with a magazine, a good novel or some other low-intensity activity. Only go back to bed when you feel clear signs of tiredness.

Relax with valerian

Certain plants can also help, such as valerian (Valeriana officinalis).

A medicinal plant that has been used since ancient times, which helps to maintain normal sleep quality, particularly during periods of anxiety, as it also supports mental well-being in the event of tension and stress, and contributes to optimal relaxation (10).

Some supplements combine valerian with other plant extracts (such as Natural Sleep Formula, which boosts its effectiveness with hops, to help with difficulty falling asleep when the nervous system is excited, California poppy, used to reduce nervous tension and agitation, and rhodiola, a well-known adaptogen) (11-13).

Tend to your magnesium needs

Magnesium is a mineral found in brown rice, dark chocolate and oleaginous fruit, which contributes to normal psychological function and reduces daytime fatigue (14).

Several studies suggest that it may play a key role in regulating sleep as a GABA agonist, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, and an NMDA antagonist, an amino acid derivative that mimics the excitatory effects of glutamate (15).

Optimising magnesium intake through highly bioassimilable supplements (for example with OptiMag, which combines no less than 8 exceptional forms of magnesium) is a serious avenue worth exploring.

Consider taking melatonin

Known as the 'sleep hormone', melatonin is directly synthesised by the pineal gland in the brain in response to a dimming light.

Because it helps to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, it is mainly offered as a supplement to people who have difficulty falling asleep at night (16).

It does, however, help to get the sleep-wake cycle back on track, which is a welcome bonus if you're having a restless night (the sublingual form of Melatonin Spray is undeniably practical and can be absorbed almost immediately).

Synergistic supplements for better sleep?

In the case of fragmented sleep, some all-in-one formulas combine the benefits of melatonin with those of relaxing plants, in particular valerian and California poppy (described earlier), as well as the renowned passionflower, which promotes restful sleep, induces a state of calm and increases the body's resistance to stress (this is the case with the cutting-edge Advanced Sleep Formula synergy) (17).

An assortment of 'good night' ingredients can also be found in chewing gums, which are as practical as they are enjoyable (with their great passion fruit flavour, Sleep Gummies combines melatonin, valerian and passionflower with powerful CBD) (18).