One of the most important 2-hour intervals is between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., which is when the liver is believed to be cleansing the blood. It's during this time frame that the body begins to prepare for qi to move outward from the body again.
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.
At 1am is when our liver energy starts to flow, and the liver is the main detoxifying organ in the body.
1-3am is the time of the Liver and a time when the body should be alseep. During this time, toxins are released from the body and fresh new blood is made.
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.
Normally, at night time, melatonin levels will naturally increase, and cortisol (our stress hormone), will naturally be lower (than in the mornings). If you are under acute stress, or you have been under chronic stress, you may notice that you tend to wake up between 2-4 am and have difficulty falling back asleep.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Let's take a look at the liver. According to the Organ Clock it is the most busy during 1-3am at night.
A common occurrence I often see in clinic in autumn is the 4am wake up. This tends to occur due to the fact that not only do your lungs correspond with autumn in Chinese medicine but they also correspond with the time period of 3am to 5am.
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.
During the time between 3-4 am, the veil between the spiritual world and the physical world is weak and because of this, we are able to feel the energy of that world and vice versa. This is the time we can communicate with this dimension.
And what is happening, something very fundamental changes somewhere between 320 to 340. This is called Holtom. This is relevant only up to 33 degrees latitude, your system, human system function in a certain way.
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.
According to the TCM theory, qi and blood become most active in the gallbladder and liver meridians from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., and it is therefore recommended for people to be in a deep sleep state during this period of time.
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.
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.
There are many possible causes of a person waking up with anxiety, including stress from work, school, or relationships issues. Although it is common to wake up feeling anxious from time to time, if a person experiences it frequently, they may have generalized anxiety disorder.
Liver: 1am-3am
As you can see from this schedule, 1-3am is 'liver time'.