Why we can wake up at three in the morning: the reason and how to deal with it

We can wake up in the middle of the night/freepik

Waking up in the middle of the night is not the most pleasant feeling, but scientists assure us that you can cope with it if you know a few tricks.

We are all familiar with strange things that happen around us, and some of them are easily explained, while others remain mysteries. For example, most of us have at least once experienced the moment when we wake up at three o'clock in the morning and cannot fall back asleep. Why does this happen and how to deal with it? There are scientific answers to these questions, reports IFLScience.

As noted by psychologist and cognitive therapist Greg Murray, waking up at three or four in the morning is completely normal. What's more, we actually wake up several times a night, we just often don't realize it.

Every night our sleep goes through several cycles. First, we fall into a light sleep, which turns into a deep sleep phase – this is the period when our body is most rested. Then comes a phase of more active rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, after which we are likely to wake up briefly and then fall back asleep. All this takes about four hours. So if you went to bed at 11:00 p.m., your first awakening might well be at 3:00 a.m. Normally, such an awakening lasts only minutes, but sometimes it is difficult to overcome.

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We May Wake Up Several Times During the Night/Photo by wirestock

Researchers believe that stress may be the cause: Although stress itself does not make us wake up, it can exacerbate nighttime awakenings. Moreover, at night our thoughts often become less rational, and problems may seem bigger than they actually are.

According to Murray, the reason is that at night we feel powerless to change anything, while during the day we actively solve problems. This sense of despair intensifies anxiety.

How to stop waking up at night? Murray recommends turning to mindfulness meditation techniques. If you wake up, focus on your breathing and the sensations in your body – this can calm your mind and reduce anxiety. If you still can't fall asleep, don't dwell on your problems: pick up a book or do something else to distract yourself.