Health & Wellness

Why Do I wake up at 3 am Every Night and can’t Go Back to Sleep?

Are you looking for why do i wake up at 3am every night? You might sometimes find yourself often waking up in the middle of the night or much ahead than you used to wake up. This popular issue is insomnia, but various types of insomnia can impact your sleep otherwise.

Why Do I wake up at 3am Every Night

Here are some primary causes that make you wake up at the same time each night, and some measures to make it stop:

1. Your Sleep Patterns

Our sleep pattern mainly counts on our circadian rhythm and homeostatic sleep hustle (the physical mechanism that controls sleeping/waking rhythms).

2. Anxiety or Depression

Why do i wake up at 3am every night? Stress might be the first point to remember. Stress can make it challenging to get to sleep in the first place (that’s named sleep-onset insomnia).

However, anxiety can also stimulate you to wake up at the same time every night and have problems getting back to sleep. That is known as middle insomnia or sleep-maintenance insomnia.

3. Your Stomach

Tolerating acid reflux or just being too hungry or too full can lead to nocturnal awakenings.

4. Hormones and Blood Glucose Levels

Waking up always in the night could signify that your hormone or blood glucose statuses are varying.

If you have diabetes, you can test with your doctor to confirm that your blood sugar is appropriately under control throughout the night.

5. Other Medical Causes

Your periodic wakeups could be giving a sign of something else entirely, which is why it’s serious about checking with your doctor if this occurs too often.

Sleep apnea, menopause, or thyroid dysfunction are among other medical reasons for nighttime awakenings.

6. Caffeine

It can withstand as long as eight hours for the stimulating effects of caffeine to wear off.

Caffeine may also hinder adenosine, a brain chemical that provokes sleep. That’s why the cup of coffee that boosted your power through the afternoon may make you hurl and turn late into the night. 

7. Alcohol

Anyone who’s ever rejoiced a nightcap learns that alcohol can make you sense sleepy, but that doesn’t imply it’s a useful idea before bed. Why? As the alcohol wear-off reactions, it can provoke you to wake at night, eventually disturbing the overall quality of your sleep. 

8. Over-the-Counter and Prescription Medications

Did you understand that many headache medications comprise caffeine? Decongestants, steroids, and beta-blockers—medications for the heart and blood pressure—can also result in nocturnal awakenings.

If you’re facing trouble sleeping, you can ask your doctor whether any of your medications may be to accuse. 

9. Nicotine

Many folks may not understand that nicotine is a stimulant that can wake you at night. Nicotine can also propel you into a light sleeper.

If you’re a heavy smoker, you may get up during the night because of nicotine withdrawal. 

10. Restless Legs Syndrome

If you retain restless legs syndrome (RLS), you may suffer uncomfortable crawling or tingling feelings in your legs and experience an impulse to move them.

RLS is one of the most popular sleep disorders. It impacts about 12 million Americans today. 

You might also like: Do You Drool When You Sleep?

How can I stop waking up at night?

Besides discussing with your doctor your suspicions, it’s good to practice good “sleep hygiene.”

Try these sleep hygiene tips that help you to get rid of waking up at night 

  • Maintain a regular sleep routine and calming down bedtime habits.
  • Don’t take caffeine in the afternoon and evenings, and avoid alcohol right before bedtime.
  • Don’t ever take nicotine and particular treatments, like benzodiazepines, resulting in isolation symptoms during sleep and pitch to waking up.
  • Live active during the day to carve your sleep drive and boost your sleeping chances through the night.
  • Stop spending too much time in bed; most folks require just seven to nine hours of sleep, and the bed should be restricted to sleep and romance.
  • If something is annoying you, pen down and record worry time for the next day. 
  • Some people experience that discussing with a counselor or practicing relaxation procedures, such as mindfulness, can benefit achieve better sleep.

Dos and Don’ts Activities you should follow

Do’s

  • Maintain a regular sleep routine and calming down bedtime habits.
  • Discuss with a counselor, such as mindfulness, can benefit achieve better sleep.
  • Living actively during the day carves your sleep drive and boosts your chances of sleeping through the night.

Don’t 

  • Stop spending too much time on the bed.
  • Don’t take caffeine in the afternoon and evening.
  • Don’t drink alcohol right before bedtime.
  • Don’t ever take nicotine.

See Also: Foods that Help with Anxiety and Depression

Do you Suddenly wake up Every Night?

Most of us wake up at least once a night but should return to sleep with slight effort.

Practically everyone will wake up in the middle of the night at some notch in their life.

However, regularly waking up in the middle of the night can evolve difficulty, as it stops sleep.

Sleep is an essential function that encourages the restoration of the body. Not getting adequate sleep can lend rise to considerable health problems and undermine cognitive function.

If you’re getting up for extended periods at least three nights a week, and it proceeds for at least three months and yields in your being incapable of functioning properly during the day, then this is known as chronic insomnia.

Maintaining chronic insomnia is distinct from just standing a short sleeper – most people can act reasonably and experience refreshed after regularly taking a sleep of six or fewer hours each night.

If your awakenings arise at least three nights a week for at least three months and result in daytime impairment, check with your doctor.

It helps to maintain a journal about these awakenings and how you experience them when you wake up. 

Don’t miss: 10 Foods that Help you Sleep at Night!

In Closing

Everyone experiences a bad night of sleep now and again. However, often waking up in the middle of the night can impact every aspect of your life: your capacity to think certainly, your achievement at work, your courtships, and your mood—even your overall health. 

That’s why it’s so great to take your doctor’s help and learn what’s keeping you up.

It’s essential to know what’s behind your middle-of-the-night insomnia. Common reasons comprise medical conditions such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and arthritis.

What you take during the day, such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine, can impact how you sleep at night.

So, friends, we hope that after going through the above why do I wake up at 3am every night and can’t go back to sleep will surely help you.

Don’t miss

Dr Maria

MD. Board Certified physician. Fellowship In Family Medicine UK. 8 years of medical experience in Lifestyle-related health disorders. Graduated from AIIMS – All India Institute Of Medical Science, INDIA

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