How to Handle Night-Time Wake-Ups with NSDR Techniques
Night-time wake-ups can be incredibly frustrating, especially when all you want is a full night of rest. Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) offers an effective, long-term approach to improving sleep quality and managing these middle-of-the-night disruptions. In this article, we'll explore how practicing NSDR can gradually reduce the frequency and intensity of night-time wake-ups and also provide some immediate strategies for handling them when they occur.
Why You Shouldn’t Use NSDR Only for Night-Time Wake-Ups
If you’re new to NSDR, it’s natural to hope that practicing it right before bed or during night-time wake-ups will immediately help you fall asleep. However, this can make the practice less effective due to the pressure and expectation this can put on you. If you have trouble sleeping, NSDR will be most beneficial to you when practiced consistently and proactively during the day, outside of your bedroom — to avoid the tendency of associating NSDR directly with an expectation of relaxation or sleep. Over time, you’ll find that the calming and stress-reducing benefits of NSDR accumulate, gradually leading to more stable sleep patterns and fewer night-time awakenings.
What to Do If You Wake Up in the Middle of the Night
While NSDR is most helpful in reducing night wake-ups over time, there are strategies you can use to better handle wake-ups in the short term for more immediate relief. Our suggestions here combine best practices of CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) with NSDR techniques.
Get Out of Bed
If you find yourself tossing and turning for 20–30 minutes, it’s time to get up. Although it might seem counterintuitive, leaving the bed prevents your mind from associating your bed with sleeplessness. Find a comfortable spot, even outside your bedroom if at all possible.Create a Relaxing Environment
Keep the lights dim and avoid doing anything too stimulating. This quiet, semi-dark space should be relaxing, and not so engaging that it keeps you awake. Avoid screen time (if you must use one, enable Night Shift or a blue light filter).Engage in a Calming Activity
Now, approach this time as an opportunity to unwind and relax with a calming activity, the same way you might during a midday work break. As much as possible, let go of the pressure to quickly feel sleepy and get back to bed. Avoid looking at the clock and just allow your body and mind to take the time they need to find calm.
Building a Night-Time Wake-Up Protocol
For many people, having a specific “wake-up protocol” can be immensely helpful. Write down a checklist of relaxing activities you can follow if you wake up at night, so you don’t have to decide what to do in the moment. Your list could include:
Reading: A calm, non-stimulating book
Breathing Exercises: Simple breathwork techniques
Stretching & Yoga: Gentle stretches or yoga poses to release tension
Music: Listening to calming music, soundscapes, or white noise
NSDR: A brief NSDR practice session from the Som NSDR app
Each time you wake up, just refer to your checklist without stressing about sleep. Engage in one or more of these activities until you naturally begin to feel sleepy again. Only when you’ve reached that point, go back to bed and allow yourself to drift off to sleep. If another 20-30 minutes go by without being able to sleep, get back out of bed and simply repeat this process.
We actually don’t include mindfulness meditation in our activities list, which might come as a surprise. Unless you’re quite advanced in meditation practice, it’s not likely to be helpful in this situation. The best activities for your checklist are mildly engaging and distracting, allowing you to shift your focus away from any sense of frustration, stress, and the passing of the time — and beginner meditators can struggle with this when all you’re asked to do is sit in silence with your thoughts.
However, notice that we have included NSDR in this list. Because NSDR is active and guided, it’s a practice that’s much better suited to night-time wake-ups than meditation. However, remember that it’s still important to think about it as just one of several options for a soothing activity to pass the time as part of your overall protocol, rather than a “magic” technique that will immediately put you back to sleep.
The Som app is particularly well-suited to night-time wake-ups due to the flexible practice feature, which can generate a unique session as short as 10 or 15 minutes long, using only skills you’re already familiar with. In practice mode, your NSDR session won’t introduce new skills or techniques, which can be a little challenging the first time you try them — so a frustrating midnight awakening is not the best time for that!
Instead, the session will feel comfortable and familiar, but will also be slightly different each time you practice, avoiding the sense of memorization and boredom that can happen if you listen to the same session over and over.
The Long-Term Benefits of Practicing NSDR
As you continue practicing NSDR during the day, you’ll likely notice gradual improvements in your sleep. Night-time wake-ups may become less disruptive and stressful. Over time, this routine can lead to longer stretches of uninterrupted sleep, reduced anxiety around waking up at night, and an overall better relationship with sleep.
Final Thoughts: Stay Patient with Your Progress
Sleep improvement doesn’t happen overnight, but with regular NSDR practice, patience, and a structured night-time wake-up protocol, you’re setting yourself up for long-term success. If you do practice NSDR at night when you can’t sleep, just remember the key is to reduce pressure and expectation on yourself. Stay consistent, and you'll soon experience the benefits in your daily life.
