Reason why some people wake up between 3am and 4am every night
Experts have explained why people can wake up at the same time every night
Emily Brown
It can be great to wake up and realize you've still got hours left to sleep, but if you're someone who constantly finds yourself waking up at 3am or 4am, then there might be something more going on.
If you're a fan of horror, then I'm sure you'll know the so-called 'witching hour' at 3am is one of the most unnerving times to wake up.
Sure, you might still be safe in your bed, but who's to say what terrifying stuff could be taking place under it, or in your closet, or just beyond the bedroom door?
Advert
With the clock proving that there are hours still to go until dawn, nothing seems more desirable than curling up and going back to sleep - but many of us will just find ourselves right back there again the next night.
Waking up in the night is common, but Greg Murray, Director of the Centre for Mental Health at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, explained that it can be experienced more often by people dealing with stress.
Murray said stress doesn't wake you up more often, but it can make you more aware of it happening.
In a 2021 article for The Conversation, Murray explained: “We actually wake up many times each night, and light sleep is more common in the second half of the night.
"When sleep is going well for us, we are simply unaware of these awakenings. But add a bit of stress and there is a good chance that waking will become a fully self-aware state.”
As for why so many people wake up around 3am or 4am, Aneesa Das, assistant director of the Sleep Medicine Program at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, said this can be explained by your bedtime and our sleep cycles.
“Throughout the night, our sleep cycles between rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. Each stage of sleep has a different threshold for how easy it is to be woken up,” she said.
“One likely explanation for waking up at the same time each night is that you go to sleep at the same time and then, at the same time each night, you reach a light stage of sleep and wake up."
Keeping a to-do list to help keep on top of anything that may be worrying you can help to improve sleep, but Stephanie Romiszewski, a sleep physiologist and director of the Sleepyhead Clinic, has encouraged people to seek advice from a doctor if it persists.
Speaking to the Metro, Romiszewski said: “If it’s been over three months, then absolutely [see a doctor].
“After three months, any kind of sleep problem can become habitual, like a pattern for your brain. At that point, no amount of getting rid of the original trigger is going to get rid of the problem. You may get rid of the stress, for example, but the sleep [issue] can remain.”
“That’s when you need insomnia treatment, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), to help change the behavior pattern. For [that] you’ll need to see your [doctor] or a sleep expert.”