If You Can't Sleep at Night — Night Shift 3/3

Brief recap of the previous two parts: in the first blog post I wrote about why it’s worth “resting up” for the night and which preparations help make staying up less hard. In the second part I listed concrete, during-the-night techniques for how to stay awake and alert throughout the night. In this final part I go over what to do after the night shift — how to restore (or at least spare) our body and brain when it’s finally time to go to bed.

Morning light is one of the main disruptive factors

As the sun rises, daytime light causes the body to stop producing melatonin — the hormone that helps you fall asleep and deepens sleep. If you try to sleep after an all-nighter while it’s still light, your body receives two opposing signals at once: on the one hand you’re tired, on the other the light entering your eyes is “telling” you it’s time to wake up. Light has a wake-up effect on the body, so reducing light exposure is very important.

What should you do about that?

• Darken the room: blinds, curtains, blackout if necessary.

• Use a sleep mask — simple and effective.

• Turn off all small lights (phone, LED, alarm display).

The “biological morning”, cortisol and the body’s automatic waking

Even if you are physically tired, your body’s circadian program schedules the regular morning wake-up: a rise in cortisol is part of the body’s “preparing” for the day. We can’t switch off this internal program completely, so light suppression and melatonin supplementation can be practical tools. Research shows that light exposure can influence cortisol and melatonin levels.

Melatonin supplementation: when and why it’s worth it

If you’ve stayed up all night and finally go to bed during the day, even if you feel tired it’s worth taking melatonin or another sleep-promoting agent before sleep, because this can help the body “re-tune” wakefulness signals and counteract the alerting effect of morning cortisol.

How long should we sleep?

A common question: after how much sleep is it best to wake so that the rhythm is restored?

If you will need to skip further nights in the near future, a full ~7.5-hour sleep may be advantageous — in that case you’ll be fully rested for the next night.

If, however, the goal is to restore your rhythm as soon as possible, it’s wise to sleep neither too much nor too little. A 4.5–6 hour sleep is a practical compromise for many: enough to reduce tiredness, but not so much that you won’t be sleepy at night. (This approach is based on considering sleep cycles and timing of awakenings.) Why exactly this amount is recommended I explain in more detail in my books together with many other interesting facts and theories about sleep. My books can be ordered on this website.

This decision is individual: if you’re unsure, choose the shorter 4.5–6 hour option and see how your willingness to sleep returns by evening.

Practical steps summarized (step by step):

1. As soon as you get home and it’s time to sleep: darken the room completely. Combined with a sleep mask this works quickly.

2. Turn off electronic light sources, use “night” mode or physically cover screens.

3. Because morning cortisol can make it hard to fall asleep, use some sleep aid, e.g. melatonin.

4. Set your alarm so you wake after the chosen sleep length (4.5 hours, 6 hours or 7.5 hours); try to keep your normal evening bedtime the following night.

Closing thoughts

After an all-nighter, sleep isn’t always as simple as “lie down and sleep.” Morning light and the body’s internal wake signals make it harder. The most effective combination: light correction (darkening, sleep mask) and a small dose of a sleep aid, plus a sensible choice of sleep duration (usually 4.5–6 hours unless a full 7.5 hours is warranted). It’s always wise to be cautious with supplements and to discuss regular use with a doctor.