Waking at 3am isn't a sleep problem. It's often a fuel problem.
You fall asleep easily enough. Then, somewhere between two and four in the morning, you are wide awake — heart going a little faster than it should be, mind suddenly full of tomorrow.
Most people file that under insomnia and try to fix it at bedtime.
But look at the timing. It is the same hour, night after night. Bodies do not do that by accident.
What is happening at 3am?
Through the night your blood sugar slowly drops. That is normal, and a well-fuelled body simply tops itself up from the stores in the liver.
If that store is low — an unbalanced dinner, a long gap, a day of coffee instead of food — or if your stress is already running the show, the body reaches for the other tool it has - It sends out adrenaline and cortisol to raise blood sugar.
They do the job effectively. They also wake you up.
So the racing mind is not the cause. It is what happens when you are awake at 3am with adrenaline on board and nothing else to think about.
What tends to help?
Eat a proper dinner with protein, healthy fats and some veg; try for 3 hours before bed. Eat enough to feel satisfied but don't over-eat.
If the gap to breakfast is very long, a small protein-containing snack in the evening is often the whole fix.
Look honestly at alcohol. It puts you to sleep and then fragments the second half of the night.
Get sun light in the morning (before phone light). The 3am pattern is often a daytime rhythm problem showing up at night.
And if you are wired at midnight and flattened at 7am, that is worth a proper conversation about your stress pattern rather than another sleep supplement.
Your One Small Step take-away : Your body is not malfunctioning at 3am. It is trying to solve a problem in the only way it has left.
Feed it, steady it, and it stops having to shout at 3am
Take one Small Step: look at your dinner before you look at your bedtime.
—
Michelle Kaminer — 1 Small Step
Email: healthcoach@1smallstep.co.za
WhatsApp: 084 214 2127
www.1smallstep.co.za
Common questions
Why do I wake up at 3am every night?
Through the night your blood sugar slowly drops, and a well-fuelled body tops itself up from stores in the liver. If that store is low, or stress is already running high, the body sends out adrenaline and cortisol to raise blood sugar, and they also wake you up. That is why it is often the same hour, night after night.
Is there a natural way to stop waking at 3am?
Michelle's suggestions start with food: a proper dinner with protein, healthy fats and some veg, about three hours before bed, and a small protein snack in the evening if the gap to breakfast is very long. Look honestly at alcohol, and get morning sunlight before phone light. If waking at night carries on, raise it with your doctor.
How can I stay asleep through the night?
Steady fuel and a calmer daytime rhythm help the second half of the night. An early evening cut-off for drinks also means fewer bathroom trips in the early hours. If you are wired at midnight and flattened at 7am, that is worth a proper conversation with Michelle about your stress pattern.