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

Waking up in the middle of the night whether to urinate or for some other reason can be discomforting, especially if you can’t get back to sleep. Normally, the human body should be able to sleep through the night.

Cause #1: High blood sugar / high insulin

Diabetes, pre-diabetes and even insulin resistance are tightly connected to having high blood sugar. Consuming carbs and sweets will increase blood sugar. As a result of having high blood sugar you can wake up to urinate at night.

Insulin is a hormone that lowers your blood sugar levels. This hormone also has a connection to your ability to hold the bladder.

The solution to this is to reduce the intake of carbs.

(Note: if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, consult with your doctor prior to applying the above remedies.)

Cause #2: High cortisol

Cortisol is a stress-regulating hormone. If you don’t feel rested after sleeping or you wake up in the middle of night and are not able to go back to sleep this could be due to being exposed to long-term stress.

Cause #3: Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulator which can keep you up at night and cause you to have poor sleep. It takes time for the liver to detoxify such stimulants. Too much caffeine from coffee and tea will prevent the body from fully relaxing.

Cause #4: Too much artificial light

If you are sitting at a computer all day, staring at the LED screen is not good for the activation of certain hormones that help you sleep at night.

Cause #5: Vitamin B1 deficiency

B1 is directly involved in breathing. If you’re deficient in B1, you’re going to have a hard time breathing at night. The solution would be to increase the B1 intake and to get rid of reasons why you’re deficient in B1. In many cases, people are depleted of B1 because of a high-carb diet.

Cause #6: Altered pH (too-acid or too-alkaline body)

Your body may be too alkaline or too acidic. Let’s look at the symptoms of being too alkaline (alkalosis) or being too acidic (acidosis) as both of them can potentially cause sleep problems.

Alkalosis: If you’re too alkaline, your muscles are going to be tense and tight, which can cause cramping at night and in general.