If you consistently wake at 4 AM - it could be due to an imbalance in your Lungs, which is related to grief and sadness, fatigue, or reduced immune function.
The hours between 1am and 3am are governed by the liver meridian. Emotionally it is associated with anger and physically associated with your shoulder. The hours between 3am and 5am are governed by the lung meridian.
Chinese Medicine practitioners use The Organ Body Clock to help them determine the organ responsible for diseases. For example, if you find yourself waking up between the hours of 3-5am each morning, you may have underlying grief or sadness that is bothering you or you may have a condition in the lung area.
Organ and peak functionality
3–5 a.m. Lung: This period is when the lungs are at their peak energy. It's is believed to be an ideal time to exercise, as opposed to later in the day.
5 am to 7 am: The large intestine is active. If it's out of balance, you may feel defensive or stuck in a situation. If you're frustrated about waking up before your alarm clock sounds, you may need more fiber or water in your diet so your large intestine can properly eliminate waste.
There are many reasons why you might be waking up too early. They include external factors, such as environmental disturbances like temperature, light, and noise. They also include internal factors, like your circadian rhythm, sleep disorders like sleep apnea, and/or medical issues, like heartburn.
06/7Waking up at 4 am
Another belief is that you are probably having a hard time in life and there are some disappointments marring your peace. You could also be in depression so take care of your health and wear light clothes when sleeping.
The liver begins to cleanse toxins. 1-3 a.m. — Liver — Cleansing of blood and processing of wastes. This is a common time to wake up. At 2am, our blood sugar drops to its lowest point.
If you wake up at 3 a.m. or another time and can't fall right back asleep, it may be for several reasons. These include lighter sleep cycles, stress, or underlying health conditions. Your 3 a.m. awakenings may occur infrequently and be nothing serious, but regular nights like this could be a sign of insomnia.
Anxiety or depression
Stress can make it hard to get to sleep in the first place (that's called sleep-onset insomnia). But anxiety can also cause you to wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back to sleep (called middle insomnia, or sleep-maintenance insomnia).
And experts warn even those who go to bed early enough to get eight hours of sleep still may be at risk for problems if they wake up at 4 a.m., Popescu writes.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Perspective
In TCM, the liver is extensively associated with emotions, vitality, digestion and hormonal metabolism. TCM correlates heightened liver blood flow from 11pm to 3am for optimal repair and recommends people should be in deep sleeps during this time.
The liver also has a lot to do with stress and anger. Physically, an imbalanced liver can create tight tendons, necks and shoulders, and emotionally it can lead to a tightness of the spirit. The key emotions of the liver are anger and frustration.
Reasons this might happen include drinking caffeine or alcohol late in the day, a poor sleep environment, a sleep disorder, or another health condition. When you can't get back to sleep quickly, you won't get enough quality sleep to keep you refreshed and healthy.
Between the times of 10:00 pm and 2:00 am the body goes through a dramatic process of physical repair. Between roughly 2:00 am and 6:00 am the body will go through a process of psychological repair. A disrupted sleep pattern will cause the Cortisol to elevate and negatively affect the regenerative process.
Let's take a look at the liver. According to the Organ Clock it is the most busy during 1-3am at night.
Proponents of the 4 a.m. wakeup say it helps them get a head start on the day, before emails and everything else start making demands on their time. They like the quiet and the lack of interruption.
At 1am is when our liver energy starts to flow, and the liver is the main detoxifying organ in the body.
It's a common occurrence which we can chalk up to body chemistry. At 3am, when these irrational fears or regrets are taking place, your core body temperature starts to rise, secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin has peaked, and cortisol levels are rising as the body prepares to wake.
You wake up at 3am because this is the time you shift from a deep sleep into a lighter sleep. If you turn in at 11pm, by three in the morning you're mostly out of deep sleep and shifting into longer periods of lighter sleep, known as REM.