Waking up in the Middle of the Night

Source: Halachipedia: Waking up in the Middle of the Night

Link: https://halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Waking_up_in_the_Middle_of_the_Night

Categories: Morning Routine, Orach Chaim

Exported: 2025-12-30

Someone who wakes up in the middle of the night whether it is to go to the bathroom quickly and jump back into bed or it is to work for several hours, several halachot are immediately relevant. These halachot include Netilat Yadayim, Asher Yatzar, Birchot Hatorah, Birchot Hashachar, and Doing Activities Before Davening. Many are collected here.

One Who Is not Planning on Going Back to Sleep

One Who Is Planning on Going Back to Sleep

1. If one wakes up in the night to go to the bathroom, one should wash one's hands without a bracha and should not make Birchot HaTorah. After going to the bathroom, go back to sleep, and upon waking up in the morning wash with a bracha before saying Birchot Hatorah as usual.¹
2. If one woke up to say Tikkun Chatzot or to learn a little but plans on going back to sleep, one should wash one's hands with a bracha and make Birchot HaTorah.²

Saying Asher Yatzar

1. Asher Yatzar is recited at any time during the day or night.³
2. One recites Asher Yatzar when getting up at night, unless one does not expect to use the bathroom again in the morning, in which case one can wait until the morning to make the bracha.⁴

References

¹: Or Letzion (vol 2 chap 1:2) writes that if one is going back to sleep and one only woke up temporarily to go to the bathroom, one should make the Netilat Yadayim without a bracha.

²: Or Letzion (vol 2 chap 1:2) maintains that in this scenario one should make Netilat Yadayim with a bracha prior to Birchot HaShachar.

³: Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 7:1, www.yeshiva.co.

⁴: Mishna Brurah 4:3