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.
You should sleep by midnight so that your liver could focus on its cleansing function. Additionally, your lungs are most actively cleansing themselves between 3 and 5 am. Healthy lungs counteract toxins from allergens, pollutants, and smoke, so you are strongly recommended to be in deep sleep by 3 am every night.
You probably know your whole body relaxes and your brain processes memory from the previous day. A good night's rest can clear your mind and reset your mood. Researchers find that your brain can flush out toxins during sleep. It is sometimes referred to as the body's toxic evaporation technique.
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.
But, according to Chinese medicine, it's not only how much sleep you get that matters, but also when you get it. A bedtime of 10:30pm (at the latest) is advised so that you are asleep by 11pm when the Liver and Gallbladder start to regulate qi, process emotions, balance hormones and detoxify the body.
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.
“It's very common for people to wake up around 2 or 3 a.m. because this is when our sleep architecture (the pattern of our sleep stage cycles throughout the night) naturally has a shift from more deep sleep to more REM sleep.
So ideally between 11 pm to 3 am…. most of our blood circulation concentrates in our liver. The liver gets larger when filled with more blood. This is the time when liver undergoes detoxification process.
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.
The scientists also reported that the glymphatic system can help remove a toxic protein called beta-amyloid from brain tissue. Beta-amyloid is renowned for accumulating in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Other research has shown that brain levels of beta-amyloid decrease during sleep.
As your body readjusts to a new normal, all of your systems can experience symptoms, including your digestive system. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are all common symptoms of alcohol and drug detox as your body tries to regulate what you're now putting into your system versus what you have in the past.
Many factors can cause a person to wake up often at night. Needing to urinate is a common reason, but sleep apnea, overheating, and dietary habits are just a few of the others.
The rising cortisol levels and dealing with emotional events or feelings may be why many people wake up at 3 AM or 4 AM daily. Other reasons why you may be waking up in the middle of the night are: You are wearing uncomfortable or the wrong clothes to bed. Your bedroom is too warm or cold.
Our circadian rhythm is our master 'internal clock' and ensures that all of our organs and internal biological systems work harmoniously together. It is during the period between 1 and 3 AM that the liver works it's hardest to cleanse and detoxify our body while we sleep.
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.
There are many reasons why you might wake up at 4 am for no reason. 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.
The best way to put an end to late-night awakenings is to keep a consistent sleep-wake schedule. That means getting up at the same time each day (yes, even on weekends). Committing yourself to a proper bedtime is only half the battle to improve your sleep hygiene. Having other good sleep habits is just as important.
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 start waking up at 5AM, you'll be able to create intention and connection to your purpose, do some learning, and then make some progress toward your goals. If you make even small progress toward big goals over time, you'll start to see massive results. Small hinges swing big doors.
The Time of the Lungs is 3am to 5am
During the day Qi (energy) moves outward, starting at 3 am. During the night Qi draws inwards to cleanse, detox, and restore the body in preparation for Qi movement outward the next day at 3 am.
TCM sees the sleep-wake cycle as a part of the natural rhythm of Yin and Yang in the body. Yang Qi is dominant during the day while Yin Qi is dominant at night. The Spiritual Axis (Lingshu)demonstrates the Yin-Yang concept to explain sleep: “When Yang is depleted and Yin is abundant, one's eyes are closed.
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).