Why do I wake up when I go to bed after falling asleep on the sofa?

Many people have the experience of watching TV on the sofa and dozing off, and when they crawl into bed and try to continue their dream, their eyes are already clear. An expert explained the cause of the phenomenon that you can sleep on the sofa, but you can't get back to sleep on the bed.

Why do I fall asleep on the sofa but am wide awake when I get to bed?

According to Madeleine Splacer and Sally Ferguson of the University of Central Queensland, Australia, one of the reasons people fall asleep on the couch is related to 'sleep pressure,' or the strength of our biological need for sleep. About.

Sleep pressure increases the longer you are awake, so at the end of a long day, sleep pressure is at its peak. Combined with the biological clock and circadian rhythm that tells the body to go to sleep when the sun goes down, a comfortable sofa and dim lighting in the room, the optimal environment for people to fall asleep is in place. Masu.

However, it is a different story after being woken up by a family member saying, 'Why don't you go to bed?' If you just doze off for about 5 minutes, when you wake up after sleeping for an hour, your sleep pressure has dropped considerably, so even if you go to bed after that, you won't be able to fall asleep.

Depending on when you wake up, your sleep cycle will also work against you. In most cases, the sleep cycle is about 90 minutes long, during which a person goes from light sleep to deep sleep and back to light sleep. If sleep is interrupted during deep sleep, it is easy to fall asleep again, but if you wake up during light sleep, it is difficult to fall asleep.

In addition, the act of getting up from the sofa, the act of turning on the lights in the room or brushing your teeth in order to prepare for sleep in earnest can also increase the sense of arousal and interfere with sleep after going to bed.

In addition, going to bed with my eyes wide open makes me worried about whether I will be able to sleep properly and whether I will be able to fall asleep quickly. That's what I mean.

The best way to avoid this problem is to avoid sleeping on the couch in the first place.

However, as advice when heading to bed after accidentally falling asleep on the sofa even if you know it, Mr. Sprayer and others raised the following points.
・Keep the room dark, quiet and comfortable. In the summer, it is effective to use an air conditioner or a fan to cool down, and in the winter, to create a warm environment by turning on the heater or using a hot water bottle or warmer before entering the futon.
If you find it easy to fall asleep with the TV on, play white noise in your bedroom so that you don't hear any noise that disturbs your sleep.
・Do not look at your smartphone when you go to bed. In addition to stimulating information that can interfere with sleep, the blue light emitted from screens is also a natural enemy of healthy sleep.

What hinders your sleep may be a smartphone that you play with before going to bed - GIGAZINE

by «davemc»