It is normal and natural to wake in the early hours – but it can feel disastrous. Follow these simple steps to help you drift off
Time moves differently in the middle of the night. Hours can drag one moment, then race by the next, catapulting you between chronic boredom and violent panic that morning is clawing at the curtains. Yet, though it may not feel like it in the moment, it is entirely normal to wake up. “The natural human sleep pattern is not a consolidated eight hours,” says Russell Foster, professor of circadian neuroscience at Oxford University, and author of Life Time: The new science of the body clock, and how it can revolutionise your sleep and health. Still, it’s not pleasant to lie awake in the early hours worrying about everything from climate catastrophe to whether that was an inappropriate joke to put on that group chat, or whether you’ll ever sleep again – especially if it happens regularly. Here is some expert advice on how to stay calm plus what to do so that – hopefully – sleep will follow.
About Author
More Stories
Switch on those glutes! Suddenly it’s all about the bass, and for good reason
What about fitness tips for those of us aged 90 and above? | Letters
My sister is unhappy with her life but does nothing to change it. What can I do? | Leading questions