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Why Do I Wake up at 3am Every Night?



A lack of sleep seems to be plaguing a vast majority of us at this point. Some people struggle falling asleep, but for others it’s waking up between 2 and 3 AM that’s causing the drowsiness. It feels like clockwork for you at this point, and I can imagine that you wish things could be different. It sounds like an absolute dream to sleep through the night, right? Turns out there is science behind why you’re waking up at this time each night. 


Let’s start with cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that your body produces to regulate glucose, regulate blood pressure, decrease inflammation, and is the body’s stress response. Cortisol is helpful for your body to maintain homeostasis when it’s at an appropriate level. When cortisol levels change, this is when the body starts to send warning signs that something is off. High stress equates to higher cortisol levels. One of the most apparent symptoms is waking up at 3am. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why stress has to creep into your sleep when you already deal with it all day long. So, let’s dive into it.


Cortisol release in the middle of the night is completely normal. It’s actually needed for your brain to wake up in the morning. It becomes a problem when cortisol levels are already high when going to bed. High cortisol levels + cortisol releasing at 3 AM = you awake in the middle of the night. 


Now that we know the cause, how do we stop the 3am wake ups? 


Since stress is contributing to these wake ups, reducing stress at the end of the day is a good place to start. You can’t always control what stress you will encounter during the day due to external factors, but you can create a nighttime routine that winds your brain down. This will look different for everyone. There is no cure all when it comes to stress (or anything dealing with the brain really).


I like to call this next part “our trial and error phase”. What this will look like is you creating a list of tasks or activities that you think will help your brain de-stress. For the next few weeks, you try two to three of these listed activities to see which decreases your stress levels the most. You can write down how you feel after each activity, or you can make a mental note of how much of a difference you feel after each one. What really matters is that you find a few activities that help with your overall stress. Staying away from your phone and any blue light producing devices will also send signs to your brain that it’s time to decompress. 


Listed below are a few activities to get your creative juices flowing. 


  • Coloring

  • Reading

  • Drawing

  • A walk after dinner 

  • Guided meditations

  • Yoga

  • Stretching

  • Progressive muscle relaxation

  • Herbal tea

  • Journaling

  • Warm shower in dim lighting


These are just a few activities that can relieve stress. You might already have some in your tool box that you know work for you; use those too. Once you decide which activities help you the most, create a nighttime routine with the activities involved. Your brain loves consistency, so a routine will help decrease the stress too. 


So now we have an idea of what might be causing our 3 AM wake ups. Now it’s time to take some action. Your brain and body will thank you.





References:

Jones, C., Gwenin, C. 2021. "Cortisol level dysregulation and its prevalence—Is it nature's alarm clock?" Psychological Reports. Vol 8, IS 24.



Kaur, J., Gandhi, J., Sharma, S. 2025. "Physiology, Cortisol." StatPearls Publishing


 
 
 

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