Free Shipping with Orders Over $150 (excludes orders with D8 products)
SHOP
INFO
BLOG
$0.00
Account options
My AccountMy OrdersMy Subscriptions
Connect with us
my cart
Secure checkout
Account options
My AccountMy OrdersMy Subscriptions
Connect with us
〈  BACK TO BLOG

How to Stay Asleep at Night: Why You Keep Waking Up & What Can Help

No trouble falling asleep? Really nice. Waking up at 3 am? Really frustrating.

Not being able to stay asleep is its own problem, and advice aimed at those who cannot fall asleep won’t cut it.

If you wake up in the middle of the night and the only thing that stops you from thinking about that one embarrassing thing you did in 2017 is Googling how to stay asleep at night, this one’s for you.

Why Do You Keep Waking Up?

Waking up in the middle of the night isn't technically abnormal.

Your sleep isn't one long block of unconsciousness. It's a series of 90-minute cycles, each moving through light, deep, and REM sleep. At the end of each cycle, you briefly come to the surface.

Most people just roll over and continue. But if things like stress, temperature, blood sugar, or a full bladder are in the way, that moment can become a full wake-up.

The Most Common Reasons You're Not Staying Asleep

  • Stress and anxiety: Cortisol, your stress hormone, can spike in the early morning hours (between 2-4 am), which is why so many people wake at almost exactly the same time every night.
  • Blood sugar: If you had a light dinner or ate earlier than usual, a blood sugar drop can signal your body to wake up.
  • Alcohol: It helps you fall asleep, then disrupts your REM sleep throughout the night.
  • Temperature: Your core body temperature drops during sleep. So, if your room is too warm, you may struggle to stay in a deep sleep.
  • Noise or light: Noise or light can keep pulling you into lighter sleep stages.
  • Restlessness and body tension

Sometimes you wake up because your body never fully settles. Even if you fall asleep easily, stress, muscle tension, or general nighttime unease can keep pulling you back into lighter sleep.

How to Stay Asleep at Night: Sleep Hygiene

Look, if you've been trying to figure out how to stay asleep throughout the night, you've probably already read about sleep hygiene. But there's a difference between knowing something and getting it right consistently.

Improving these is the key to staying asleep:

Sleep hygiene habitWhy it’s important
Consistent sleep/wake timeTrains your circadian rhythm
Dark roomMelatonin suppression by light
Cool room (16-19°C)Core body temperature needs to be lower
No screens 1 hour before bedBlue light delays melatonin
No caffeine after 2 pmCaffeine's half-life is 5-6 hours
No alcohol close to bedtimeREM disruption
The bed is only for sleepingYour brain starts to associate bed with sleep

Neither of these should be underestimated. Sometimes your body needs all of these in order to get proper rest.

A Good Wind-Down Routine To Help You Stay Asleep

Two hours before bed:

  • Dim your lights
  • Avoid big meals or heavy snacks
  • Start winding down screens

One hour before bed:

  • No browsing or social media
  • Try reading (physical book ideally), light stretching, or a warm shower
  • Take your supplements (if you use some for sleep)

30 minutes before bed:

  • Keep your environment quiet and cool
  • Write down tomorrow's to-do list so your brain can let go of it
  • Avoid any stimulating conversations or stressful media

By doing all of this consistently, you can avoid the stressors that keep pulling you out of sleep. And it gives your body a better chance to settle and stay relaxed, so you can sleep through the night without waking up.

How to Stay Asleep During the Night: Middle-of-the-Night Solutions

So you've woken up. It's dark, it's quiet, and your brain is already composing a list of everything you need to worry about. What now?

Don't Look at the Clock

The moment you see the time, your brain starts calculating: I've been asleep X hours, I have Y hours left, if I fall asleep right now... None of that helps. Turn your clock away and don't check your phone.

Don't Try Too Hard

Trying hard to sleep activates your nervous system. Instead, try what sleep researchers call paradoxical intention. Tell yourself you'll just lie there quietly without trying to sleep. This removes the performance anxiety that keeps you awake.

Try the Body Scan

Start at your feet. Consciously relax each part of your body, moving upward. Feet, calves, knees, thighs. By the time you get to your shoulders, you should be asleep. The scan gives your brain something boring to do other than catastrophise.

Imagine Surreal Scenarios

Imagine moving through grass from a cat’s point of view, passing over land like a storm, or floating in a bubble through a forest. Low-stakes, surreal scenarios let your mind wander and mimic impossible things you can only see in dreams. You should slip into real dreams easily; just don’t make the scenarios too interesting.

Get Up

If you can’t sleep, get up and do something calm in low light. Reading is perfect. Go back when you feel sleepy. You're training your brain that bed equals sleep, not anxiety.

How to Stay Asleep Throughout the Night: Natural Supplements

Good practices are good practices, but sometimes, following them doesn’t help. Here are some natural supplements that can help you stay asleep at night.

CBD (Cannabidiol)

CBD has been used in wellness for a while now, and for a good reason. It’s a non-psychoactive substance found in the cannabis plant. It’s often used in the evening to help the body and mind wind down.

It can support restlessness, physical tension, and that wired-but-tired feeling that makes going back to sleep hard.

Taking CBD oil in the evening may support a sense of calm and body relaxation that makes staying asleep more natural. It’s a useful addition to your wind-down routine if your sleep issues stem from restlessness or unease.

Magnesium Glycinate

Magnesium can help with nervous system regulation and muscle relaxation. Glycinate is the form most recommended for aiding sleep due to its high absorption rate.

Valerian Root

Mixed evidence, but it has a long history of traditional use for anxiety and sleep.

Melatonin

Melatonin is like a sleep-timing signal. It works better for things like jet lag and shift-work disruption rather than staying asleep, but it may help you establish a routine.

Final Thoughts

Staying asleep at night is the result of a bunch of small decisions. What you eat, how you manage stress, what your evening looks like, and how consistently you practice good sleep hygiene habits.

The good news? There is much you can do on your own, and if you’ve tried it all, natural supplementation can often help.

If that sounds like the kind of support your sleep routine is missing, our CBD products are easy to add to your evening wind-down and may help make staying asleep feel a little less like a nightly battle.


The Food and Drug Administration does not evaluate the products sold on this Website. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any medical conditions. Individual results may vary. Always consult with a medical health professional before using any product on this Website.
lock