The somnologist explained why often you can not fall asleep after waking up at night

Wake up in the middle of the night and then turn for hours, vainly trying to fall asleep again? This state is familiar to many, but behind it can be not just restless thoughts, but quite specific physiological and psychological mechanisms. Russian somnologist Roman Buzunov told why after a night awakening for a long time it is not possible to fall asleep.

According to Roman Buzunov, nocturnal awakenings are not just “bad sleep”:

- Early awakening with the inability to fall asleep again is considered a serious symptom. As a rule, this is a protracted stressful situation with no apparent end. The brain first reacts actively: worried, thinking, looking for a way out. But at some point, it overloads and begins to turn off the channels of incoming information. Memory deteriorates, attention dissipates, concentration drops, emotions flatten - no joy, no anger, just emotional stupidity. Working capacity is declining. This is a classic picture of emotional burnout.

Roman Buzunov explained that in a dream the cerebral cortex is inhibited, and the subcortex is inhibited. In the second half of the night, there are many dreams, and in sleep the brain analyzes information. Therefore, there is the effect of a ricochet: a person begins to think up at night what during the day did not have time or could not. Hence early awakening and inability to fall asleep again.

- The condition usually requires professional help. One effective approach is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which works with stress, anxiety, burnout, depression, and insomnia. The main directions: relaxation techniques; increasing stress resistance; meditation practices; normalization of lifestyle; regular physical activity, the specialist noted.

Roman Buzunov warned that this is not a quick process. You need to practice systematically - about 5 times a week. But you can handle it.

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