Most people usually wake up around 3:00 a.m. — and this is not always a sign of sleep disturbance, but a natural stage of the night cycle, writes Ifl Science with reference to psychologist and cognitive therapist Greg Murray. If a person goes to bed around 11:00 p.m., then after four hours of sleep one of the full cycles is completed, and a brief awakening at this time is a common occurrence.
A night's sleep consists of several cycles - a light phase, a slow phase, a fast (REM) phase - and between them a person may wake up briefly, for a few minutes, after which he falls asleep again. The problem arises not in the awakening itself, but in the fact that anxiety sets in at this time: intrusive negative thoughts can turn a short wakefulness into a long insomnia.
Greg Murray recommends simple tools that help you quickly calm your mind and return to sleep: practicing mindfulness meditation (focusing on your breathing or bodily sensations) or, if that doesn't help, reading a book to distract yourself from obsessive thoughts.
In addition to psychological reasons, researchers also hypothesize about the influence of environmental chemical factors: certain compounds in household plastics can affect circadian rhythms and shift the "internal clock" by an average of about 17 minutes, similar to the effect of caffeine - this can make it difficult to fall asleep and wake up.
