Q: I fall asleep easily but wake up two to three times during the night and feel exhausted in the morning. What should I do?
A. The solution depends on why you're waking up. One common culprit is sleep apnea, a disorder marked by snoring or gasping during sleep, waking up in a sweat, or waking up with a headache. If you think you might have it, your doctor can order a sleep study and, if the diagnosis is confirmed, prescribe treatments.
Other possible causes of nighttime awakenings include drinking alcohol or caffeine within a few hours of bedtime, excessive liquid intake in the evening, and watching TV or using the computer close to bedtime. Correcting those factors may be enough to help you sleep through the night.
Learn more about how to treat insomnia, which sleeping pills work best, and how to find the right mattress for you.
This article also appeared in the September 2014 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.
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