Doctor reveals the one thing you should never do if you wake up in the middle of the night
If you want a good night's sleep, don't make this common mistake
There's nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep.
You find yourself tossing and turning desperately to fall back into slumber.
But the more frustrated you get, the harder getting some shut-eye becomes.
People all have their own little hacks for heading back to the land of nod, whether it be counting sheep or reading a book.
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But one sleep expert has spoken out about the thing you must never do if you want a chance at getting some rest.
Dr Biquan Luo, CEO of LumosTech, spoke to The New York Post about the biggest mistake a weary-eyed person can do in the late hours.
And yes, it involves that pesky thing we're all addicted to - our phones.
Dr Luo said: "Checking the time can increase stress and make it harder to sleep. Additionally, if you check the time on your phone, the contents of the phone may be too stimulating, which further prevents you from relaxing and falling asleep."
We've all been there - there's nothing more stressful than realizing you only have a few precious hours to catch up on sleep.
That 6am alarm is looming and seconds are ticking by - and you're still awake!
And if you catch a glimpse of a late night message from an ex or a friend, forget about it.
You're drawn back into a conversation you really shouldn't be having at 3am, and you can kiss a good night's kip goodbye.
The blue light from smartphones can also wreck havoc on our sleep patterns. There's a reason why most sleeping experts advise that they are put away before hitting the hay.
So, what should we do if we find ourselves with open eyes at 2am?
The first bit of advice is to stay put and try to relax, in order to test whether you can get back to sleep naturally.
If that doesn't work after 10 or 15 minutes, it's time to get out of bed.
Head off to a quiet part of the house - like a sofa - and try a quiet activity like reading.
This should soon having yawning and heading back to the bedroom in no time.
If you find that sleeplessness is a constant woe for you, it might be time to pay your doctor a visit. It's estimated that one in three people in the UK struggle with getting to sleep.
Ben Thompson