The main advantages of getting up at 3 am are: The way in which we manage the hours we spend sleeping and the relationship between sleep and wakefulness, in general, has a very important impact on our health and quality of life.
It's not unhealthy to wake up at 3 A.M., provided you had a good night's sleep of 6 to 8 hours, which is the recommended quality of sleep required for an adult! In fact, a few days ago, I woke up at 3 A.M. to answer the nature's call, and when I hit the bed again, I couldn't sleep.
There's some spiritual significance to the 3am wake-up.
Coined the "witching hour," it's been said that the hour between 3am and 4am offers the most access to one's natural state of being.
Studying at 3 AM is a good idea for those who have more brain power and higher energy levels in the wee hours of the night. The same is true for those who can focus more at night as they have accomplished their everyday tasks already and have fewer distractions and interruptions to worry about.
“There is no such thing as a “fixed or ideal time” to go to bed which will suit all individuals. It is generally advisable to fall asleep between 10 pm to midnight as for most people this is when the circadian rhythm is at a point that favours falling asleep.”
That said, science has indicated that learning is most effective between 10 am to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 10 pm, when the brain is in an acquisition mode. On the other hand, the least effective learning time is between 4 am and 7 am.
While making a habit of spending the day in bed or on the couch is not good for anyone, using it as a well-placed conscious tool for your emotional and mental well-being is absolutely ok. As a matter of fact, it's an investment in your health.
Most sleep experts offer standard advice to people who occasionally wake up at 3 a.m. and can't fall back to sleep after 20 minutes or so: Ignore the clock, get out of bed and do a calming activity. Then, return to bed when you start to feel sleepy again.
It is an online challenge where participants attempt to perform a specific task at 3 in the morning.
Stress, anxiety or depression
A particularly stressful day can lead to intrusive thoughts in the middle of the night — maybe they come in the form of a nightmare that jolts you up at 3 a.m. In more serious cases, some people even experience sleep paralysis. Anxiety can also make it difficult to sleep through the night.
Core body temperature starts to rise, sleep drive is reducing (because we've had a chunk of sleep), secretion of melatonin (the sleep hormone) has peaked, and levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) are increasing as the body prepares to launch us into the day.
The “first night effect” (FNE) is a well-known phenomenon in polysomnographic (PSG) recordings characterized by decreased total sleep time, lower sleep efficiencies, reduction in REM sleep, and longer REM latencies on the first night of testing (Agnew, Webb, & Williams,1966).
"The overall best is if you can wake up naturally because you're done sleeping," he said. On the other hand, if you're waking up early on just a few hours of sleep, you should probably try and squeeze in some more shuteye.
Sitting or lying down for too long increases your risk of chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Too much sitting can also be bad for your mental health. Being active is not as hard as you think. There are lots of simple ways to include some physical activity in your day.
Oversleeping feels so much like a hangover that scientists call it sleep drunkenness. But, unlike the brute force neurological damage caused by alcohol, your misguided attempt to stock up on rest makes you feel sluggish by confusing the part of your brain that controls your body's daily cycle.
Sleep feels good because when we rest, our bodies produce melatonin, which controls our sleep patterns. Our melatonin levels increase at bedtime, making us feel tired. Melatonin, secreted by the pineal gland, makes us feel cozy and relaxed, allowing our bodies to get the time off they need at the end of each day.
They conclude that humans reach their cognitive peak around the age of 35 and begin to decline after the age of 45. And our cognitive abilities today exceed those of our ancestors.
The human brain attains peak processing power and memory around age 18. After studying how intelligence changes over time, scientists found that participants in their late teens had the highest performance.
Scientists have long known that our ability to think quickly and recall information, also known as fluid intelligence, peaks around age 20 and then begins a slow decline.
Yes, there may be benefits to being awake at 4 a.m. when everyone you know is sleeping. But there are also big drawbacks, and they aren't worth it. Instead, figure out how getting up ultra-early might help you. And then find ways to get those benefits into your day while still getting up at a reasonable hour.