Do you regularly wake up at 3 a.m. with no reason at all? Even if you sleep early and do not suffer from insomnia, or are not having bad dreams and experiencing nightmares? The strange thing is that this 3 a.m. ‘rise up’ is getting to be a habit. What’s with waking up at a specific time?
Waking up in the middle of the night is no accident. It may be that your body is trying to tell you something. Ask yourself…
- Do I miss someone? Maybe because of workload, you subconsciously miss someone — family, friends, significant other. Waking up at a specific time maybe a sign that your mind and body are telling you to touch base with them. Call, schedule meet-ups, visit them at least once a week to catch up on life. According to WebMD, keeping in touch with family can keep you healthy, happy, and a big help for your mental health.
- Do I have some unfinished business? Have you hurt someone? Do you feel guilty not loaning money to a close friend in need? Have you ‘ghosted’ someone without proper closure? Are you unconsciously harboring bitterness, resentment, judgment with someone? According to medical experts, this ‘guilt-feeling’ may have some side effects: minor headaches, backaches, and may contribute to cardiovascular disease. What to do? Say sorry, right the wrong, ask for apologies, be humble. Accept that you messed up and made a mistake. Forgive. You will feel better in no time.
- Am I stressed? After a hard day’s work, you think our body is ready to rest. No, it’s still fired up with all the energy replenished in your immune system. So, to not feel still anxious, calm down, have some warm bath, eat light, and do something not work related such as watching comedy shorts, curling up with your pet, dancing to your heart’s delight, or just breathing. Practice work-life balance.
- Are my creative juices flowing? Maybe at 3 a.m. all these creative ideas keep popping out of your mind. It may be telling you, “Jot these all down,” — anything that comes to mind at that particular hour. In some interviews with best-selling authors, they reveal that most of their best-selling books were formed at this odd hour, as if their creative ideas come one after another at a specific time at dawn.
- Is my body telling me something, health-wise? Listen to your body. Most often than not, it tells you that something is wrong. Have you forgot your yearly checkup? Did you slid or fall somewhere but you brushed it off? Does your chest sometimes hurt? Go see a doctor — quick!
According to traditional Chinese medicine, we experience deep sleep between 11pm to 3am, a time our stress hormone cortisol is low and our nervous system activity is high. This allows us to fully rest to prevent elements that wake us up at a certain time.
Okay, time to sleep.
