Doctor Reveals the One Thing You Must Absolutely Avoid if You Wake Up in the Middle of the Night

Waking up in the middle of the night can be frustrating, especially when you can’t fall back asleep. While many people instinctively reach for their phones, a sleep expert warns that this common habit can make things worse. Dr. Biquan Luo, CEO of LumosTech, explains that checking the time—or scrolling through your phone—can increase stress and disrupt your sleep further. Instead of reaching for your device, experts recommend a better strategy to get back to sleep. Here’s what you should do instead.

Why Checking the Time on Your Phone is a Big Mistake

Dr. Biquan Luo, CEO of LumosTech, explains that checking the time during a night waking can cause unnecessary stress and make it more difficult to fall back asleep. Not only does looking at the time increase anxiety, but the content on your phone—whether it’s social media, news updates, or even emails—can be highly stimulating. This stimulation, in turn, further disrupts your ability to relax and fall back to sleep. The following represents the principal risks associated with checking one’s mobile telephone at night.

• Increased stress: The act of checking the time can cause anxiety, making it harder to relax.
• Stimulating content: Scrolling through social media or emails can make it more difficult to wind down.

What to Do Instead: A More Effective Strategy for Better Sleep

Dr. Luo advises that if you find yourself unable to fall asleep after 10–15 minutes of tossing and turning, the best course of action is to get out of bed. The expert suggests moving to a quiet and comfortable area of your home—such as the couch—and engaging in a quiet, low-stimulation activity like reading or listening to calming music.

Once you begin to feel sleepy again, return to your bed. This approach minimizes frustration and helps re-establish positive sleep habits.

Helpful Tips for Managing Middle-of-the-Night Wakefulness:

• Leave the bed: When unable to fall back asleep, exit the bed to avoid associating it with wakefulness.
• Engage in low-stimulation activities: Reading a book or listening to calming music can help you relax.
• Return to bed when sleepy: Only return to bed once you feel truly ready to sleep again.

The Importance of Creating a Positive Sleep Association with Your Bed

Dr. Fiona Barwick, director of the Sleep & Circadian Health Program at Stanford University, further emphasizes that focusing on your inability to sleep can actually make things worse. The mental stress from thinking about sleep deprivation can increase anxiety. Instead, Barwick suggests accepting your wakefulness without resistance and redirecting your focus to something calming or neutral.

Another sleep expert, Dr. Luis F. Buenaver from Johns Hopkins Medicine, shares a similar perspective, warning that lying in bed while awake can train your brain to associate your bed with wakefulness, rather than rest.

To counter this, Dr. Buenaver recommends getting out of bed and sitting in a comfortable chair in another room. This practice will help your brain make a stronger association between the bed and sleep, rather than the frustration of being awake.