Do you find yourself waking up at 3am?

I sat up,  gasping. I wasn’t waking up from a nightmare, or at least not one that I was aware of. It was more of a sudden snapping awake. I knew instinctively it was after 3am. I fished around my nightstand blindly, and confirmed: the screen read 3:21. I snap a screenshot, as my nightly awakenings between 3 and 4am had become so routine, that I had begun to take notice. My back hurt, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep for awhile. At first, I was angry at this wakeful period. I’d stress over how little time left I had before the morning alarm, and I’d watch the minutes tick away. Then I realized, this wasn’t helping me get back to sleep. If anything, it was probably preventing me from during so. I decided, if I was going to be awake, I might as well accept it. Relaxing in to it, I would most likely be able to fall back to sleep quicker, and in the meantime, have some truly quiet time to read, write, or meditate, as quiet time is severely limited in my household with 3 children and as many dogs. Most of the time, I read, because although awake, I was also sleepy- it was afterall, the middle of the night, and reading afforded me the ability to be lazy while being productive.

I decided to see if there was any reason for what had become a nightly occurrence. Surprisingly, my search query lit up with reasons and meanings for waking at this specific time. I thought it would be interesting to highlight a few here, and see where different opinions lie, and also shed some light to others who are experiencing this same phenomenon. 

Biological reasons

There are several biological insights into why one may wake at 3am. Two insights into the reasoning for waking at this time pinpoint stress as the culprit. Stress will cause us to produce adrenaline which can wake us up in itself. 3am is also the time your liver regenerates. Glycogen is vital to this process, but extra adrenaline causes our cells to use more of that glycogen. The liver then doesn’t have enough glycogen to regenerate, and more adrenaline is released, waking us up and preventing us from going back to sleep. Adrenal fatigue is also stress related. Our adrenal glands control our body’s response to stress by releasing hormones such as cortisol. Under extended periods of stress, the adrenal glands are overstimulated and begin to weakening and aren’t able to respond in the way they are supposed to. When our adrenal glands are operating properly, cortisol levels spike in the morning and decline during the day- consistent with the energy levels of a healthy person. However, one who suffers from adrenal fatigue will find that that cortisol cycle is disrupted, and will often spike during the evening or night. Think of those instances where you are tired all day, then suddenly get a “second wind” late in the evening and can’t seem to sleep, despite feeling like you were waiting for bedtime all day. Some common symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue are difficulty getting up in the morning, feeling like you can’t get enough sleep no matter how many hours you are asleep for, waking up exhausted or foggy, inability to handle stress, lack of enthusiasm, cravings for salty foods, feeling tired between 3 and 5pm, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia.

Others attribute this waking time to our sleep schedule and the stage of sleep we are in. Depending on when we go to bed, we may be in a lighter stage of the sleep schedule, and more prone to wake up. Still others believe this is a residual adaptation from the caveman area, as it was a time predators would hunt, and man would awake to keep watch. A similar wake schedule was used when farming was more prevalent, and farmers would wake early to begin chores and care for their livestock.

Spiritual Reasons

It is believed by some that 3am is the hour that God is farthest from the realm. Apparently, this is the exact opposite of the time that Christ died, at 3pm. It is also believed that at 3am, the veil between spiritual planes is thinnest. If you believe in God, you my believe that this is because, as He is farthest away, malicious spirits see it as their time to make their move so to speak; as God is not close to interfere they can interact with our realm. This is why it is sometimes referred to as “the witching hour” or “the devil’s hour”. Some people claim when they awaken at this time, they often see shadowy figures at the foot or near their bed, or feel frightened.



From a more positive standpoint, some people believe that, because at this time the veil is so thin, it is a prime time for our spirit guides, angels, and ascended masters to communicate with us. They could be offering answers to a question we have been asking of them, offering guidance we requested, or just letting us know they are here and support us on our path to our Highest Good and aligning with our Highest Self. It is said to be the perfect time to meditate, because your mind is quiet; it’s not filed with the stresses of the day as it often is when we go to bed, and the busyness of the following day has not yet begun. Many people on a spiritual journey will find this to be the case; and 3am wakings are said to be a symptom of Spiritual Awakening.

Clearly, from the variety of insights into this 3am awakening phenomena, it is a common enough occurrence to warrant exploration in different fields. It is my hope that these explanations may shed some light to someone who is currently experiencing this pattern but has just begun to questions why, and I am curious- what do you think? Do you find yourself waking at this time? And if so, how do you feel; what do you do? Once I let go of my attachment to NEEDING to go back to sleep, this has become a peaceful time for me. I’m not sure if it is coincidence, but I have also learned to let go rather then carry many stresses that were weighing me down emotionally. Maybe with less negativity in my Spirit, it has also transformed my experience of this occurrence. Regardless, I’d love to see how others view it, so please feel free to comment below. Thanks for taking the time to read!

(images meticulously chosen from copyright free listings)