- Reasons for waking up from sleep
- Why do we wake up at 3 am?
- When a person who wakes up at 3 am should see a doctor?
Night awakenings are not uncommon and are actually experienced by many people. People wake up at very different times. However, many find that they wake up quite often around 3 a.m. It turns out that there is a rational explanation as to why it is at this time that a person has the best chance of waking up from sleep.
Nowadays, sleep disorders are more and more common. Some people find it difficult to fall asleep, while others wake up very early. Still other people struggle with the fact that despite the fact that they sleep relatively long, they still experience increased fatigue during the day. There is another problem with sleep that most people experience that many people are unaware of - nocturnal wake-ups.
Reasons for waking up from sleep
It may be surprising to many people that in fact most people wake up every night, sometimes even multiple times.
This may be surprising, because usually such breaks in sleep are not noticed by the person experiencing them at all. In physiological conditions of awakening, they are related to, among others, with some stimuli (e.g. sound, feeling hot while lying under the covers) and they last for a very short time, after which the person falls asleep again.
Human sleep is divided into several different phases, with some of them sleeping deeper, and others definitely shallower sleep. The tendency to wake up is particularly intense, especially in the case of the latter.
When the patient wakes up at night and is aware of it, and later has problems with falling back to sleep, it becomes definitely necessary to look for the cause of this phenomenon.
Possible reasons for waking up during the night vary widely. The quality and course of sleep is greatly influenced by, for example, the stress experienced by patients during the day - the tension experienced every day can be one of the main causes of sleep disorders.
Frequent awakenings at night may be associated with certain medical conditions, such as asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep problems can also be caused by taking certain medications, such as medicationsantidepressants, glucocorticosteroids or beta-blockers.
Just as there are different reasons for waking up from sleep at night, also sleep breaks happen at very different times. Sometimes patients wake up at very different times. However, many people say that they usually wake up around 3 a.m.
Why do we wake up at 3 am?
There are many different myths about why we wake up at 3am, and most of them - such as the persuasive one that it is the hour of the spirits - have little to do with reality. Ultimately, it turns out that awakenings at 3 am are associated with a number of completely different, completely physiological phenomena at that time of day.
It is well known that the body regenerates itself overnight. However, he must also prepare for the day that follows night. It is not, however, that this happens immediately before the patient usually gets out of bed. These processes take time and begin relatively early, before the patient's usual time to get up.
People often wake up at 3 am due to the fact that this is when the body usually begins to prepare for the coming day. The overall need for sleep - due to the fact that there is already a certain number of hours slept behind - is reduced.
At around 3 am, melatonin (the sleep-promoting hormone) decreases, but also gradually increases in body temperature.
An important phenomenon is also the increase in the secretion of glucocorticosteroids in the body, i.e. stress hormones, which are responsible for the mobilization of the human body and its various organs to function.
Ultimately, 3am awakenings have a physiological basis. However, they must not be underestimated. When they occur extremely often, and the patient notices their unfavorable consequences, it is definitely necessary to visit a specialist.
When a person who wakes up at 3 am should see a doctor?
Usually, after waking up, most people are able to fall asleep, but in some people - despite the desire to rest even further - the longed-for sleep does not come.
When a patient frequently wakes up at 3 am and is unable to fall asleep later, they feel tired and irritable during the day. When such situations arise frequently and make the person unable to perform their daily duties, it is definitely necessary to see a doctor.
In order to deal with the consequences of waking up at night, it is essential to look for the causes of sleep problems. Downplay sleep disordersdefinitely not allowed. When they persist for a long time, the patient may develop a wide variety of he alth problems.