Why Do I Wake Up at 3am Every Night? Common Causes and Fixes

Is waking in the night normal?

Yes. Sleep runs in cycles of about 90 minutes, and early in the night there’s more deep sleep. Later there’s more light and dream sleep, so brief wakings become more likely in the early hours. Most people don’t remember them. Night waking also becomes more common with age. It’s a problem when you lie awake, or it leaves you tired the next day.

Common causes and fixes

How to get back to sleep

1. Don’t check the time. Clock-watching adds pressure.
2. Keep lights low and avoid your phone.
3. Try slow breathing or relaxing each muscle group in turn.
4. If you’re still awake after about 20 minutes, get up, do something calm in dim light, and go back to bed when sleepy.
5. Don’t lie in to make up for it; keep your usual wake-up time.

Habits that reduce night waking

• The same wake-up time every day
• Daylight and exercise during the day
• A 30 to 60 minute wind-down before bed
• Less alcohol and no late caffeine
• A cool, dark bedroom

Some people add a supplement to their evening routine. Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex is an evening drink with magnesium, glycine, L-theanine and botanicals, and our Sleep CBD Oil combines broad spectrum CBD with passion flower. The FSA’s 10mg a day figure for CBD is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication. See natural sleep aids ranked by evidence.

When to see a GP

See a GP if poor sleep has lasted 3 months or more, is affecting your day, or comes with loud snoring or gasping, low mood, needing to pass urine several times a night, or night sweats you can’t explain. The NHS offers CBT for insomnia, which has the strongest evidence of any treatment. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Related guides

• Woken by a bad dream? See nightmares.
• How alcohol and sleep interact through the night.
• If you notice ringing in your ears when you wake, see tinnitus at night.
• Trouble falling asleep too? See why can’t I sleep for a symptom-by-symptom guide.
• Woken by every noise rather than waking on your own? See our guide to being a light sleeper.
• If a full bladder is what wakes you, see waking up to pee at night: causes and what helps.
• For a step-by-step plan, see how to stay asleep: a practical two-week plan.
• If your problem is jolting awake as you drop off rather than in the small hours, see hypnic jerks.
• For the evidence on CBD, see does CBD help you sleep? The research.
• If night waking has become a regular pattern, see middle insomnia: causes and treatment.
• If you wake hot and drenched, see why you might be getting night sweats.
• On a weight-loss injection? See Mounjaro insomnia: causes and tips.
• Early waking often gets worse for a few days after the clocks go back, while your body clock catches up.
• If you are weighing up supplements, our guide to magnesium for sleep covers the trials, the forms and the doses used.
• Waking at 3am around the full moon? See does the full moon affect sleep?
• Waking in the early hours often lands in the middle of a long REM dream, which is why vivid dreams feel so real at 3am.
• Body clocks run earlier with age, so it’s worth checking your bedtime suits your wake-up time; see the best time to go to bed and wake up.
• Waking earlier every year? Our guide to sleep as you get older explains the body clock shift.
• Early waking is common in perimenopause; our CBD for menopause guide covers what the sleep studies found.