New Delhi: It is pretty normal to wake up at midnight once in a while. It could be because you want to use the toilet or are thirsty. Many times, it could also be because of a bad dream, or a wrong sleeping position.
However, if it happens every single day, you need to worry. According to health experts, waking up in the middle of the night, especially between 1-3 am, and not being able to fall back asleep can be for several reasons, which are detrimental to your health. Some of them, Healthline says, can be because of interrupted sleep cycles, stress, or liver problems.
However, the 3 am awakenings that happen frequently can be insomnia, which causes a lot of long-term complications in the body, leading to various ailments and diseases, some of which are even life-threatening.
Cleveland Clinic says that 10-20 per cent of the population across the world has insomnia and that the rate increased to 40 per cent in older adults in the last two years.
What is a sleep cycle?
According to doctors, there are multiple sleep cycles our body goes through in one night. While it is perfect to wake up several times during these cycle times, you go back to sleep mostly.
These cycles occur throughout the 7 to 9 hours of sleep adults typically need. The stages of a sleep cycle include:
- A slow change from wakefulness to sleep
- Light sleep
- Deep sleep
- REM sleep
Doctors believe that each stage varies according to how you spend your day, for example, if you do a lot of physical activity, you tend to have long deep sleep cycles earlier in the night and longer REM as morning approaches.
Why do you wake up at midnight?
A few reasons, according to the Mayo Clinic, that trigger insomnia, which is bothersome and can cause various other health issues are:Stress
If you have been suffering from constant and chronic stress, your body would activate your sympathetic nervous system, causing you to get startled and wake up in the middle of the night. Doctors say that it may even alter your blood pressure levels and increase your heart rate.
Stress and anxiety if elevated will continue to cause you trouble, bringing changes in the working of other vital organs as well.
Ageing
Ageing plays a huge role in your sleep. As you get older, doctors say that your sleep cycle changes because of medication, and there are bound to be drastic effects and alterations. Not just the quality of sleep decrease, but wake-up and sleep timings also vary, prompting you to get up also many times
Side effects of medicines
People who are on medication for various illnesses have trouble getting sound sleep. These can be because of:
- Anti-depressants
- Beta-blockers
- Corticosteroids
- Medicines for cold and cough
- Diuretics
- Sleep apnea
- Gastric issues
- Arthritis
- Depression
- Neuropathy
- Menopause
- Enlarged prostate
- Overactive thyroid gland
What is actual reason for waking up between 1-3 am?
According to Rhoadstohealth.com, this particular time of 1-3 am, according to our Eastern Medicine Body Clock, coincides with the liver organ system. Our body clock, the doctors say, is set up in 2-hour blocks representing the organ system.When the organ is not functioning properly, it disrupts the normal flow of blood, causing disturbances that then cause the symptoms that can show up during that particular time.
Doctors say that the liver is one organ affected most by stress, and that is why we feel stressed, frustrated, and have anxiety, making us feel insomniac.
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