Expert reveals why people wake up in the middle of the night

Ever find yourself wide awake at the ungodly hour of 3am, pondering life's mysteries or reliving that embarrassing moment from ten years ago?

You're not alone.

The 3 am wake-up call is a peculiar yet widespread phenomenon that reportedly affects around one in three of us.

Regardless, we can all agree it's the worst time to be awake. Too late to still be up, but far too early to start the day.

So, why does our body do this to us?

Sleep experts explored the impact of lifestyle habits on our sleep patterns and found that stress is the reason why we tend to wake up at the daunting hour.

One in three of us experience waking up in the middle of the night / Filmstax/Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images

I mean, what common problems aren't brought on by stress these days?

Michael K. Scullin, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University in Texas, said: 'Maybe it's possible that some of this [waking up in the early hours] reflects waking from anxiety dreams.'

Though stress is not a direct factor, it instead intensifies something that's already occurring.

'As a cognitive therapist, I sometimes joke the only thing good about 3 am waking is that it gives us all a vivid example of catastrophising,' wrote Greg Murray, director of the Centre for Mental Health at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.

In a 2021 article, Murray noted: 'Waking and worrying at 3am is very understandable and very human. But in my opinion, not a great habit to get into.'

The expert explained that it's happening to more of us since the pandemic happened.

Stress can make us more aware of our 'awakenings' during sleep / Filmstax/Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images

Murray assured that it's not uncommon for us to wake up several times during the night, but the stress makes us 'more aware that it's happening.'

He wrote: '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.'

So, why does this happen precisely at 3am? Well, most of us go to bed between 11pm and 12am and sleep a course of 7-8 hours - placing 3am slap bang in the middle of our sleep.

If you feel like stress may not be the explanation that fits you, there are other lifestyle habits that can cause the sleep disturbance too.

The best way to ensure good rest is to maintain a regular sleep-wake time, exercise in the morning, avoid too much caffeine, and engage in regular social interactions.

Stephanie Romiszewski, a sleep physiologist and director of the Sleepyhead Clinic, added: 'Wake up at the same time every day, and don’t get in bed until you feel sleepy.'

Our daily activities and moods significantly impact our sleep habits. It's time to ditch the phone before bedtime and save the bright lights for the morning.