Even then, sleep can still feel refreshing and sound, but starts occurring earlier in the evening. When you become aware of how these transitions affect your sleeping, you can start thinking of ways to align your daily habits with the timing of the body.
3. Physical discomfort and health factors
Waking up in the middle of the night can also be a result of physical discomfort you experience during the day. So when the body rests and there are no other distractions, that minor discomfort you experienced during the day may become significant enough to disrupt your sleep cycle.
Some of the most common contributors include joint or arthritis pain, back pain, acid reflux, dry mouth, cramps, and changes in body temperatures.
The most common cause of waking up is the need to use the bathroom. This is because, as a person ages, their bladder becomes much more sensitive. This means that waking up during the night, or even in the early morning, is a common phenomenon.
Medications may also be a cause of waking around 3 a.m. This is because they may increase the amount of urine produced, change body temperatures, and cause light, non-restorative sleep. However, as these changes are gradual, a person may be unable to associate them with physical discomforts or side effects of the medications they are taking.
It is only after talking to a medical expert that a person may be able to realize what is causing them to wake up.
4. Lifestyle habits that affect sleep
Your daily habits can significantly affect your sleep pattern. When you enter a less active phase in your life, your daily habits and routines change even when it doesn’t seem that obvious, which impacts the body’s sleep-wake expectetions.
So when you have your dinner early, take long naps, or have quiet night, these all tells your body that the day is ending and it’s time to go to bed, which results in waking up earlier.
