General practitioner Amir Khan linked nighttime waking to normal hormonal changes, stress and lack of sleep. He also advised people not to check the time or reach for a phone after waking.
Khan cited research suggesting that the average time for a nighttime awakening is 3:29 a.m. He said hormone levels change during the night, including a rise in cortisol as the body prepares to wake. Lenta.ru quoted the doctor through the Daily Mirror.
Stress, anxiety and chronic sleep loss can make a brief awakening more pronounced and may be accompanied by a faster heartbeat. Khan added that changes in estrogen during perimenopause and menopause can also affect sleep.
The doctor said waking at around 3 a.m. does not by itself indicate a health problem. He advised people not to check the time or pick up a phone, and instead to breathe calmly and relax. Brief awakenings at night can occur in healthy people.
Earlier, Maria Kostyleva, head of clinical pharmacology at the Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital of the Health Ministry, said medication timing can affect sleep. She advised against taking medicines that stimulate the nervous system before bed. People should consult a clinician before changing the timing of prescribed medication.