Why Do People Often Wake Up at 3 a.m.? An Expert Explains

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KOMPAS.com - Many people have experienced waking up suddenly in the middle of the night, especially around 3 a.m. After waking, some people even find it difficult to fall back asleep because their thoughts feel active or their bodies feel restless. This phenomenon is quite common and often raises the question: why does someone wake up at almost the same time every night? Brian Meusborn, PA-C, a physician assistant at Texas Health Family Care in Flower Mound, explains that the habit of waking in the middle of the night can be related to sleep cycles, stress, and even hormonal changes in the body, as cited from Sleep Foundation. A person can be more easily awakened when the body is in a lighter sleep phase towards the end of the cycle. If someone goes to sleep around 10:00 p.m. or 11:00 p.m., several sleep cycles will extend into the early hours. At a certain point around 3 a.m., the body may be in a lighter sleep phase, making it easier to wake from small disturbances such as sounds, light, or changes in temperature. When a person is anxious or thinking a lot, the body can produce stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones help the body stay alert. When their levels rise at night, a person can wake more easily and have difficulty returning to sleep. Unresolved stress often keeps the brain active even when the body is resting. In the early hours, the body begins to prepare to wake by increasing production of certain hormones. In some people, this change can cause them to wake earlier than usual. This condition is also more often experienced by people who are fatigued, have changes in routine, or suffer sleep disorders such as insomnia.