"Why can’t I sleep through the night?" 6 causes (and how to deal)
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
Tired but wide awake at 3am? Learn why you can’t sleep through the night, what might be waking you up, and 9 practical tips to help you rest more easily.
Sometimes, you win the sleep lottery and get a full, uninterrupted eight hours of rest. Other times, it can be a struggle to fall asleep, or you find yourself awake in the middle of the night, feeling alert and unable to fall back to sleep.
Dealing with insomnia in the middle of the night can be deeply frustrating (to say the least). You might find yourself baffled as to why it’s happening, while also panicking that you won’t get enough rest and will wake up exhausted.
If this sounds familiar, know that you’re not the only one. There are many reasons for these uninvited wake-up calls—from stress to hormonal shifts and everything in between—but there are also many ways to take your rest back into your own hands.
If you’re exhausted and ready to try anything to get better quality sleep, here’s what you need to know.
Why can’t I sleep through the night?
To set the record straight, waking up during the night is not automatically indicative of a problem. Sleep happens in cycles. You naturally move through light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep several times a night, so if you wake up in the middle of the night from time to time, it could be because you’re in between one of those cycles.
What matters more is whether you can fall back asleep easily after waking up. If you consistently have night wakings that leave you drained the next day, this could mean you have an underlying sleep issue, and your body is trying to tell you something.
6 common reasons you keep waking up at night
Unfortunately, tossing and turning in the night can happen for a variety of reasons. Here are six of the most common ones:
1. Stress and anxiety: Your body may be at rest, but your brain is still in overdrive. Worry, tension, and stress can keep your nervous system stuck in alert mode and lead you to wake up at 3am.
2. Hormonal shifts: Cortisol naturally rises in the early morning, but if it spikes too soon, it can wake you up. Perimenopause and menopause, menstruation, and thyroid issues can also cause restlessness or overheating at night.
3. Aging: As you age, you spend less time in deep sleep and more in lighter stages, making you more sensitive to noise, temperature, and urges to use the bathroom. Melatonin levels also drop, which can disrupt your sleep.
4. Sleep disorders: Conditions like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and chronic insomnia can disrupt your sleep. If you’re waking up frequently and feeling exhausted, it’s worth talking to a doctor.
5. Lifestyle habits: Late caffeine, alcohol before bed, heavy meals, and irregular sleep schedules can throw off your body’s internal clock. Screen time, especially at night, can also contribute to keeping you awake and causing you to wake up prematurely.
6. Environmental factors: A room that’s too hot, noisy neighbors, light trickling into your room, or even an uncomfortable mattress can sabotage your sleep. Your surroundings matter more than you think.
Read more: 6 tips you need to create the best sleep environment
Insomnia and aging: How your body and brain change over time
Sleep changes with age because your body and brain evolve as you get older. The good news is that just because aging impacts sleep doesn’t mean you’re doomed to restless nights forever. It simply means you may need to be a little more intentional about maintaining good sleep hygiene and caring for your nervous system.
Here’s how your body and brain can change over time:
Melatonin levels drop: Melatonin is your body’s natural sleep signal. As you get older, you produce less of it, which can then make it harder to fall (and stay) asleep.
Sleep becomes lighter: Older adults spend less time in deep, restorative sleep. This means you’re more likely to wake up from minor disturbances like a creaky floorboard or a dog barking.
Circadian rhythms shift: Your internal clock starts to skew earlier. You might get sleepy at 8pm and wake up at 4am. This shift is known as the “advanced sleep phase.”
Medical issues can interfere: Chronic pain, medication side effects, and conditions like arthritis, sleep apnea, and acid reflux are more common as you age, and all of these can disrupt your sleep.
Stress might look different, but it still impacts you: Even if your stressors change, your body still responds the same way with cortisol, tension, and wakefulness.
How to sleep through the night: 9 tips to get better rest
Trying to sleep through the night when your brain is running on overdrive can make you feel out of control. But there are low-stress ways to outsmart your mind and get better rest.
1. Build a wind-down routine
Your body needs signals that it’s time to slow down. Every night before bed, dim the lights, change into soft clothes, and do one consistent thing like stretching (we recommend these seven stretches) or listening to a calming Sleep Story.
You could also put your phone away 30 minutes before bed and swap it out for a physical book instead.
💙 Learn to use your phone less by listening to Dr. Aditi Nerurkar's Build Better Phone Habits series.
2. Go to bed and wake up at the same time
A consistent sleep-wake schedule helps regulate your circadian rhythm. When your body knows what to expect, it’s less likely to wake at 3am in a state of panic.
To remind you to start winding down, set a bedtime alarm in the evening about an hour before sleep.
3. Rethink your relationship with caffeine and alcohol
Caffeine has an average half-life of 5–6 hours, which means you’re less likely to fall asleep at a reasonable hour if you consume too much. Alcohol can cause you to wake up early in the morning, or wake in the middle of the night, even when you’ve gone to bed at a reasonable time.
To get the best night’s sleep, aim to cut off caffeine by 2pm and consider avoiding alcohol within three hours of bedtime.
4. Cool down your sleep environment
Your body temperature naturally dips at night, so a slightly cooler room (around 60–67°F) can help give you a deeper sleep.
Consider swapping out heavy bedding or using a fan if your room is too hot. You could also switch your sheets to a more breathable cotton to help regulate your body temperature as it inevitably fluctuates in the middle of the night.
Take your sleep environment up a notch by opting for calming bedroom colors for your walls, bedding, and decor.
5. Address any light problems
Light can signal your brain that it’s morning, whereas darkness can support melatonin production, which can make you sleepy. To get quality sleep, use blackout curtains, cover your glowing electronics, and consider wearing a sleep mask.
6. Practice calming your nervous system during the day
Sleep problems often begin with a wired nervous system that never gets a chance to unwind. Practicing breathwork or going on a walk in nature can help you respond to stress in healthier ways.
You could even do a two-minute breathing practice to help reset your stress levels. To try it, inhale for four seconds and then exhale for six seconds.
Read more: 10 types of breathing exercises (and how to practice them)
7. Don’t stay in bed tossing and turning
If you’re awake for more than 15–20 minutes, get up and do something peaceful in another room, keeping the lights low. Staying in bed while frustrated may teach your brain to associate your bed with wakefulness.
To help you wind down again, consider listening to a body scan meditation.
💙 Tune into physical sensations by listening to Body Scan with Tamara Levitt.
8. Manage nighttime anxiety with solid tools
If your brain tends to spiral once the lights go out, add a “worry download” to your evening routine. Write down anything that’s been weighing on you. Then tell yourself that you’ll deal with it tomorrow.
Also, consider keeping a pen and pad by your bed for middle-of-the-night brain dumps.
Read more: How to stop spiraling: 10 ways to manage negative thinking
9. Know when it’s time to get support
Remind yourself that it’s okay to ask for help if you’re still struggling. Waking up in the middle of the night isn’t a personal failure. It’s a health issue, and you deserve professional care and not shame.
Why can't I sleep through the night? FAQs
What causes sleep disruptions?
Sleep disruptions can come from a tangled mix of physical, mental, and environmental factors. Sometimes it’s obvious, like stress or caffeine too late in the day. At other times, it can be more subtle, coming from fluctuating hormones or slight shifts in your internal clock.
A good way to approach your sleep is to look at it like a system and not a single event. Ask yourself what might be keeping your body alert, and then look at your patterns with gentle curiosity.
Is waking up in the night a sign of insomnia?
It can be. Insomnia can wake you up during the night, and it can wake you up too early in the morning, leaving you unable to fall back asleep.
If this is happening at least three nights a week, you could be dealing with insomnia. This condition is common and also treatable with sleep hygiene (here are 10 strategies to help) and medical evaluation, if needed.
How do I fall back asleep quickly after waking up?
A good way to fall back asleep quickly after waking up is to find ways to make it easier for sleep to return. That means reducing mental and physical stimulation.
To make falling back to sleep easier, avoid turning on bright lights and keep your room dimly lit. You could also try a calming breathing technique (these are eight of our go-tos) or silently repeat a comforting phrase to shift focus away from spiraling thoughts.
Also, if you’re wide awake after 15–20 minutes, it’s usually better to get out of bed and do something non-stimulating, like stretching or reading, until you feel sleepy again.
Can aging cause sleep disruptions?
Aging can cause sleep disruptions. In fact, it’s one of the most common reasons for increased night wakings. As we age, we tend to sleep more lightly, wake more often, and fall back asleep more slowly.
On top of this, melatonin production decreases, circadian rhythms shift earlier, and physical discomfort becomes more likely. Nighttime bathroom trips also become more frequent with age, especially for men.
What’s the best routine to help me manage night wakings?
To help manage your night wakings, here are a few things you can try:
Go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day.
Wind down before bed with calming activities like reading (and no screens!).
Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet.
Avoid large meals, alcohol, or highly stimulating content.
If you do wake up, have a gentle plan like sipping water and doing one grounding breath.
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