Good Sleep Habits: The Foundation of a Restful Night

It’s a scenario many are familiar with: you wake up in the middle of the night, perhaps after a dream or a noise in the room, and instinctively reach for your phone or glance at your clock to check the time. This action, while seemingly harmless, is flagged by sleep specialists as a significant disruptor to successful sleep.

According to leading sleep experts, checking the time when you awaken at night can actually sabotage your ability to return to sleep. “Turn your alarm clock to face the wall and resist the temptation to check the time on your smartphone,” recommends Dr. Rachel Salas, a sleep neurologist. “Counting the minutes of missed sleep increases stress and anxiety, which could delay your return to slumber.”

By looking at the clock, you begin to calculate the sleep you have lost and the time remaining until you need to wake up. This tendency to track minutes contributes to cognitive arousal—and, commonly, anxiety about potential fatigue the next day. Furthermore, using electronic devices to check the time exposes your eyes to blue and green light. Research published in peer-reviewed journals has repeatedly shown that this kind of light suppresses melatonin production and signals the brain to become more alert, making it even harder to drift back to sleep.

As sleep researcher Dr. Charles Czeisler notes: “Exposure to blue and green light from your clock, phone, tablet, or computer can make you feel more alert.” Even small doses of such light at night can shift your natural sleep cycle and delay sleep onset, especially if you struggle with insomnia. In short, one of the best things you can do in the middle of the night is resist the temptation to check the time.

What Happens When You Wake Up at Night?

Nighttime awakenings are a natural part of human sleep architecture, and understanding why they occur can help you respond appropriately. Scientific findings show that adults typically wake up between 10 and 12 times per night. The vast majority of these awakenings are so brief—usually less than three minutes—that you rarely remember them when you rise in the morning.

According to renowned sleep scientists from institutions like the National Sleep Foundation, these micro-arousals are tied to evolutionary survival mechanisms and shifts in sleep phases. However, the waking experience is different depending on when in the night it occurs. During the second half of the night, as you cycle through lighter stages of sleep more frequently, your brain is more susceptible to stress reactions.

Importantly, your brain’s frontal lobe—the area responsible for logic and emotional self-regulation—isn’t fully activated during these awakenings. Instead, the limbic system, which orchestrates emotional responses like fear and anxiety, becomes more dominant. That’s why waking up at 3 a.m. can make small worries seem overwhelming, and why it’s challenging to regain your composure enough to fall back to sleep. Understanding these changes can help you approach sleep disruptions more compassionately and avoid self-blame.

What You Should Do Instead