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. If you find yourself waking during this time, you could have too much yang energy or problems with your liver or detoxification pathways.
The hours between 3am and 5am are governed by the lung meridian. Emotionally it is associated with grief and physically with the muscles around your lungs. The hours between 5am and 7am are governed by large intestine.
The liver is the key organ in the body for detoxification, and the liver naturally detoxifies when you are in the deepest non-REM cycle of sleep. This normally takes place around 12 — 3am.
So if you wake up at 3 AM, when Liver energy peaks, you may be suffering from Liver Qi stagnation, which could be related to an unhealthy diet, excess alcohol consumption, unresolved anger or high levels of stress.
Primary Meridian: Liver
If you're waking up in the middle of the night after a cocktail or two, it's because your liver is working in overdrive to relieve your body of excess toxins. The liver cleanses our blood and when this process gets interrupted, it can result in low energy and feelings of angst the following day.
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. If you find yourself waking during this time, you could have too much yang energy or problems with your liver or detoxification pathways.
See, our circadian rhythm directs our cortisol, an awakening hormone, to rise around 3am, in preparation for the next morning. However, if you cortisol levels are already high, which is a consequence of stress, then it's likely you will wake up.
If you find yourself waking up at the same time every night (including around 3 am) overwhelmed with thoughts, you might be suffering from a serious sleep disorder. Other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome, can also cause frequent awakenings during the night.
According to sleep specialists, most people actually wake up about 6 times per night, and one of those is usually around 2 or 3 am, depending on when they hit the hay. They also say that waking up at that time is just a sign that we have shifted from deep sleep to a lighter sleep where our brains are more active.
The gallbladder then detoxes between 11 p.m.-1 a.m., the liver between 1-3 a.m., and the lungs between 3-5 a.m. Allowing your body this sleep detox time can help enhance your health and feel your best. If you're probably wondering exactly how to detox your sleep routine, know that it can be an easy experience.
All in all, waking up at 3 a.m. may just be a symptom of stress, one too many glasses of water before bed or loud noises outside. But if these wake-up calls become frequent and you can't pinpoint a reason, it may be worth investigating why that invisible alarm is going off in your head.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Eat a well-balanced diet every day. That's five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables, along with fiber from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Be sure to include protein for the enzymes that help your body detox naturally.
However, if you are suffering from a troubled liver, it is possible that your liver may struggle to breakdown melatonin. This may result in increased bouts of daytime fatigue followed by night-time alertness when your liver finally gets around to deactivating the melatonin still circulating in your system.
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.
A common reason people wake up in the middle of the night is actually a surge of adrenaline and cortisol triggered by low blood sugar (2).
If your cortisol is high before bed, you'll have trouble falling asleep. If your cortisol does not stay low overnight, or if cortisol starts spiking early, you'll likely have middle of the night awakening.
If you wake up between 1 am and 3 am it means your liver was overloaded. The liver is responsible for detoxifying our bodies and processing emotions each night. You may be suffering from an unhealthy diet, excess alcohol consumption, and/or unresolved anger or high levels of stress.
Waking up in the middle of the night is common. The most common cause is a liver problem, but there may be other reasons why your sleep is disrupted including sleep apnea, nocturnal hypoglycemia, viral infection, urinary issues, digestive issues, potential food allergies or stress.
Avoid prolonged use of electronic devices with a screen, such as laptops, smartphones and ebooks before bed. Relax your body. Gentle yoga or progressive muscle relaxation can ease tension and help tight muscles to relax. Make your bedroom conducive to sleep.
Situated just above the head, Bai Hui is known to induce sleep instantly as it is closer to the brain and calms down the nervous system quickly.
Prevent cortisol spikes at night by keeping stress low, getting enough sleep, staying in sync with your circadian rhythm (or body clock), avoiding late-night intense exercise, and eating a healthy diet.