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Waking Up At 4am Every Day? Here’s Why

Updated January 29, 2024

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Table of Contents

Why Do I Wake Up at the Same Time Each Night?
When to Talk to Your Doctor

Key Takeaways

Waking up in the middle of the night tends to occur with mental and physical conditions and often increases with age.
Factors that keep people waking up in the middle of the night may intersect with natural body rhythms like your circadian rhythm or sleep cycle.
Insomnia, stress, aging, hormones, medications, and pain are among the possible factors impacting your nightly sleep.

You might wonder, why do I keep waking up at 4 a.m.? Waking up during the night is fairly common, with over 35% of people Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source waking up during the night at least three times per week. Environmental factors, such as a partner snoring, a change in the room temperature or a loud car driving by, may wake you up momentarily from sleep. Usually, most people fall back asleep easily.

If you are waking up at the same time each night or waking up frequently throughout the night and struggling with falling back asleep, it could be due to factors beyond your environment. Waking up frequently at night often occurs alongside physical and mental disorders, and tends to increase with age. Learn possible reasons you might wake up during the night, and how to determine if your awakenings warrant a doctor’s visit.

Is Your Disrupted Sleep a Problem?

An inability to stay asleep can be indicative of larger issues. Answer three questions to understand if you should be concerned.

Snore loudly?

Tired during the day?

Wake up short of breath?

Why Do I Wake Up at the Same Time Each Night?

A variety of factors could cause a person to wake up each night when they would prefer to be asleep. These factors might intersect with natural bodily rhythms, such as your circadian rhythm or sleep cycle, to make waking up at a specific time more likely.

The circadian rhythm is an internal 24-hour clock that causes different hormones to release Trusted Source National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) The NIGMS supports basic research that increases our understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. View Source at different times of day to either promote sleep or energize the body and mind. We also cycle through four sleep stages Trusted Source National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) NINDS aims to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. View Source as we sleep, and wake up more easily at certain points of this cycle than others. Combined with these existing rhythms, other factors that cause people to wake up at night might result in regularly waking up around the same time.

Insomnia

If you struggle with falling or staying asleep, you may be experiencing insomnia. Common symptoms of insomnia Trusted Source National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) The NHLBI is the nation's leader in the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders. View Source include:

Trouble falling asleep
Waking up during the night
Waking up too early in the morning and being unable to fall back asleep
Not sleeping soundly
Not sleeping enough despite having enough time and the right environment for sleep
Feeling tired during the day

Insomnia can be caused by a variety of factors Trusted Source Medline Plus MedlinePlus is an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends. View Source :

Shift work
Napping during the day
Using technology in bed
Inconsistent bedtimes
Smoking, alcohol, and drugs
Caffeine late in the day
Pregnancy
A bright or noisy room
Physical pain
A lack of exercise

If you think you may be struggling with insomnia, there are a variety of treatment options, including cognitive behavioral therapy Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source , lifestyle changes, and sleep medications.

Stress

Excessive stress can negatively impact almost all of the body Trusted Source American Psychological Association (APA) APA is the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with more than 121,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members. View Source , affecting the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal systems. Stress can hurt your quality of sleep as well. A study of medical students found that those who reported higher stress levels also reported poorer quality of sleep Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source .

One study found that an increase in sleep quality helped increase a person’s ability to cope with stress Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source effectively. Sleep and stress likely affect one another, with poor sleep impacting your ability to handle stress, and stress impacting your ability to sleep well. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia can help break this cycle.

Aging

Your nighttime awakenings might be a normal part of the aging process. Around middle age, adults begin to wake up more often at night and experience shortened sleep duration Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source due to circadian rhythm changes. Older adults are also more likely to take longer to fall asleep Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source at night and wake up too early in the morning, then struggle to fall back asleep. Both cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and strategic light exposure have been found to help.

Hormones

Hormonal changes may prompt you to wake up during the night. The various stages of women’s health, such as pregnancy Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source , perimenopause Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source , and menopause Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source , are all marked by hormonal changes and sleep disturbances.

People who are pregnant may also have disrupted sleep due to the physical changes in their body. If you are pregnant, try using a maternity pillow to make sleeping on your side feel more comfortable. If you are perimenopausal or menopausal and experiencing body temperature fluctuations, try investing in cool bedding or a fan to help you sleep more comfortably.

Medications

Certain medications may negatively impact sleep or cause nighttime awakenings.

Beta-Blockers: Primarily used to treat hypertension, these medications can impact sleep by suppressing melatonin Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source production in the body. Since melatonin promotes sleep, this suppression can make sleeping soundly difficult. Research suggests that supplementing with melatonin may counteract the effect beta-blockers have on sleep.
Diuretics: Diuretics help lower blood pressure by reducing the amount of water Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source in your body. However, you may find that you urinate more frequently while taking them. Frequent nighttime wakings to use the restroom can disrupt your sleep cycle and may leave you struggling to fall back asleep.
Antidepressants: Antidepressants help treat depression as well as various other mental health disorders. However, trouble sleeping is a common side effect of antidepressants.

If you have concerns about your current medications, it is important to discuss them with your doctor.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle choices may also impact your ability to stay asleep through the night. For example, one study found that people who do not maintain a set bedtime report more sleep-related problems Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source .

People who smoke are also more likely to report poorer sleep quality Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source than those who do not. Additionally, some people wake up to smoke a cigarette during the night, further impacting their sleep quality Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source . Research suggests regular, vigorous exercise Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source may help you quit the habit if you smoke.

Pain

Attaining adequate sleep is especially important when you have chronic pain Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source , but it can be difficult since chronic pain often causes nighttime awakenings that lead to inadequate sleep. Relieving pain and any related mood issues, such as anxiety and depression, can help with related sleep problems.

When to Talk to Your Doctor

Waking during the night could be due to a variety of factors and may resolve with simple lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a consistent bedtime and avoiding electronic devices and caffeine in the evening.

However, if you continue to wake up during the night despite making changes and these awakenings prevent you from attaining adequate sleep, you might want to reach out to your doctor. Your doctor can help determine if there is an underlying sleep disorder, health issue, or mental health problem causing you to wake up during the night.

Medical Disclaimer: The content on this page should not be taken as medical advice or used as a recommendation for any specific treatment or medication. Always consult your doctor before taking a new medication or changing your current treatment.

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Written By

Sarah Shoen, Writer

Sarah has covered news topics for digital and print publications. She has a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Nevada.

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