Waking up and dwelling on our fears and failures at 3 a.m. is quite common. But it’s simply frustrating. Learn more about what is sending you into this cycle and what you can do to avoid it.
You Don’t Sleep Through the Night
Sleep is a dynamic process. When you sleep, you cycle through four 90-minute stages throughout the night. Typically, your biological clock reaches a turning point around 3 a.m., when you start to get more rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Interestingly, it is also around 3 or 4 a.m. that your internal system prepares the body to wake through a series of brain and body processes such as raising the core body temperature and slowing down the secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Additionally, your hypothalamus sends signals to release cortisol and serotonin, hormones that keep you on high alert. These processes reduce your sleep drive—the “pressure” that makes you feel like you need to sleep.
The second half of the night is composed of lighter sleep.
“The average person wakes up about six times each night,” James C. Findley, Ph.D., sleep medicine specialist and Clinical Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at Penn Sleep Center Philadelphia, told Covey Club.
Additionally, if you’re already stressed or anxious, there’s an even greater chance that your brain will switch from sleep mode to wake mode. This, in turn, elevates your heart rate and blood pressure and makes it difficult for you to fall back to sleep afterward.
