Do you systematically wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning for no particular reason? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one! There is a simple explanation for this phenomenon.
Like many, you have probably already woke up in the middle of the night, around 3 or 4 am, for no particular reason. Know that you are not alone in this case. It is also in this special time slot that most people wake up at night. It is as if our bodies were programmed to extricate us from deep sleep at this specific time.
The reason for this punctuality of night awakening comes simply from the punctuality of our falling asleep. Indeed, the sleep cycle operates in intervals from 90 to 120 minutes, during which we pass in periods of slow and paradoxical sleep. During paradoxical sleep, brain activity resembles that of awakening, and it is at this moment that we dream. It is at this stage that we often wake up naturally before going back to sleep.
During the night, it is customary to chain short -term alarm clock – this is called micro alarm clock – usually about five to seven per night. As we tend to go to bed almost at the same time every night and these cycles have about the same duration, we generally wake up at the same time in the night.
Most individuals fall asleep between 11 p.m. and midnight, to wake up between 7 and 8 a.m. So, every night, we reach a light sleep stadium and we wake up, usually between 3 and 4 am. And it is because we look at the time that we aware of our alarm clock.
There is another completely different explanation if we adopt the point of view of Chinese medicine. According to this, the time we wake up is an alert signal on the malfunction of an organ of our body, since the energies that circulate in the body are linked to our internal clock. As a result, the twelve main organs of the body are associated with time slots.
There would therefore be a cause and effect relationship between organs and night awakenings. For example, an alarm clock between 3 am and 5 am indicates a problem to the lungs and can therefore mean that our body is confronted with respiratory problems, due to smoke, stress or a high respiratory rate.
So what to do to go back to sleep quickly? The first thing to avoid is to look at the time. This only increases frustration and pressure. Instead, try to stay relaxed. If you can’t go back to sleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed, make a calm activity like reading or meditating, then try again. Deep breathing and relaxation techniques, such as heart consistency, can also help you calm your mind. Finally, make sure that your room is conducive to sleep: a cool temperature, total darkness and a lack of noise are essential.