Around 3 am we move we shift from deep sleep into a lighter sleep. If you go to bed by 11 pm, by 3 am you would be mostly out of deep sleep and shifting into a period of lighter sleep, known as REM. For this particular reason, you wake up around the same time every night.
The Witching Hour – the hour between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. – is the time of night when the barrier between the physical and spiritual realm is the thinnest. This allows Guides, Spirits and Angels to seamlessly travel between the two worlds and come whisper in your ear.
“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.
Disturbed sleep is common and results from various causes like stress, health conditions, and medications. The hormones melatonin and cortisol regulate our sleep cycle. The rising cortisol levels around 3 AM or 4 AM with emotional sorting by the brain are probable causes why you wake up around the same time every day.
Your sleep patterns
One likely explanation for waking up at the same time each night is that you go to sleep at the same time and then, at the same time each night, you reach a light stage of sleep and wake up. We're also more likely to remember waking up if it's closer to the time we normally get up for the day.
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.
This is an indication to wake up and meditate as you are working on your spiritual path. Your subconscious mind is waking you up at 3 am as it is the perfect time to meditate and connect with the divine and other energies and entities.
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.
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.
When one wakes between 3am and 5am every night, it is a sign that energy in certain areas of your body connected to those meridians is blocked, weak or that new energy is trying to come through.
Most of us wake up three to four times during the night for varied reasons, and this is considered a part of a normal sleep pattern. However, a lot of us wake more frequently, sometimes even every two to three hours in the night.
"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.
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.
Depression and Insomnia
Early wakening is closely associated with depression, as well as difficulty falling asleep at night. Those with depression may switch back and forth between insomnia and hypersomnia during a single period of depression.
Brahma Muhurta, the time between 3:20 AM to 3:40 AM, is defined to be the best time to connect with the higher frequencies of the universe. The phenomenal change takes place during this time. This is the hour of possibility which means that the seed of spirituality than has been sown inside you starts sprouting.
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.
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.
TCM correlates heightened liver blood flow from 11pm to 3am for optimal repair and recommends people should be in deep sleeps during this time.
What hormone keeps me awake at night? The main hormones that keep you awake at night at melatonin, cortisol, and insulin as mentioned in the previous section.
According to my survey, most people (22%) wake up between 6:00 AM - 7:00 AM. If you wake up past 10:00 AM, I recommend going to bed and waking up earlier, as it's going to help with productivity levels throughout the day. And if you're lucky, you'll miss the morning traffic.
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.