Doctor reveals method to get back to sleep if you keep waking up at 3am

A cure has finally been revealed

According to doctor Amir Khan, many people actually wake up at 3am for a specific purpose.

Khan says that this occurrence is a lot more common than you may realise, but there’s a simple method with which you can easily get back to sleeping if it happens to you.

ITV’s doctor felt compelled to share the expert advice as so many people took interest in his video, explaining just why so many of us wake up at the same time each night.

“Guys, I shared a reel about why people wake up at 3am in the morning, and hundreds of thousands of people have watched it, but lots of people have asked 'well, what do you do when you wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning? How do you get back off to sleep?’”, doctor Khan said in a video posted on Instagram.

“Let's talk about a technique called cognitive shuffling. You know that I've talked at length about the health benefits of sleep”, he explained in the clip.

“But what if you just can't get off to sleep because your brain won't let you? Imagine it. Everyone else is asleep, the house is quiet, you're lying there in bed, but your mind won't stop churning out stressful thoughts.”

“Work, money, kids, planning, scheduling, problem solving. Your brain is too active to let you sleep. In fact, the stress of all these thoughts tells the brain it's not safe to sleep, and you have to stay on high alert”, he explained.

“So, how do we fix this? Well, rather than counting sheep, there's now an alternative technique you can try. It's called cognitive shuffling, and the idea is it interrupts your racing mind, and instead scrambles your thoughts, inviting your brain to go into sleep mode, and assuring it that it is safe to sleep.”

What is cognitive shuffling?

According to Doctor Khan, it's fairly easy to do.

He explained that you need to start off by lying down in bed. Then, think of a word that has no emotional connection to you.

The word should be neutral, such as “bed”. He explained that you should then take each letter of the word, and then think of as many words as you can beginning with that letter.

Once you do this, you should also picture these objects in your mind. As you're finished with one letter, you simply need to move on to the next and complete the same process.

You should start again by using another word, if you’re still awake once you've completed the word. Eventually, the doctor says, you should fall asleep.

According to the GP, it's really worth a try, and it can be a super successful technique. However, there are instances where you may need further help.

A vicious cycle of anxiety and sleep loss can come as a result of worrying by waking up at night, and it can have a negative impact on your health.

While this “sleep-specific anxiety” occurs, it makes your body release stress hormones, which increases your heart rate and alertness.

Getting back to sleep becomes more difficult as a result, as it leads to poor health and chronic insomnia.