Contrary to popular belief, no one sleeps through the night without stirring. What most people don’t realize is that we sleep in cycles. Initially, you fall into a light sleep, and then you go deeper. Then, about 30 minutes into your sleep cycle, you have a deeper state you might be in for another 30 minutes or so. Finally, you have REM sleep stage, which is your vivid dreaming sleep. During REM, the brain is highly active, similar to when you’re awake. The whole process is called a sleep cycle, and it typically averages 90 minutes, and after each sleep cycle we wake up. One of the reasons why 3:00 a.m. is a typical time to find yourself wide awake is because of what’s going on in your body. This time coincides with the lowest point of your circadian rhythm, when you’re into the deep sleep phase. At this point, your body temperature drops, sometimes dipping so low that it wakes you up. To add to the problem, the older you get, the more likely you are to experience sleep fragmentation. So what’s the solution when you find yourself staring at the ceiling at 3:00 a.m.? Sleep experts recommend that you get up. Sit in another room and find something else to do that’s relaxing. Remember that you’re not doing it to try to fall back to sleep. What you’re doing is distracting yourself while you wait for that natural urge to sleep to come back. Just try not to get annoyed while you wait. Read, watch TV, knit, work on a puzzle, just do something else.
