Waking Up Between 3 am and 5 am? Here’s What It Means

Part 2 of 2

Aging

Retired man seeing nightmares in his dreams, sleeping in ward of nursing home

Aging changes your sleep cycles, and typically as we age we have less of the deep sleep than we did before. This means that you spend more of the night in a lighter sleep and will be more sensitive to light and external noise. You’re also more likely to be on medications that can affect your sleep as you age. Again, talk to your doctor if you find sleeping is becoming more challenging as you get older.

Medications

Elderly woman holding bottle of pills close up focus on female hands and capsules. Concept of herbal and natural remedies vitamins and minerals for older people, healthcare and pharmacy treatments

As already mentioned, there are many medications that can affect your sleep. Diuretics, over-the-counter cold medications, antidepressants, beta-blockers, and corticosteroids all can make getting to sleep and staying asleep more difficult. If you think that your medications might be affecting your sleep patterns, talk to your doctor. They might be able to prescribe you something else or give you other interventions to help improve your sleep.

Health Conditions

Senior man napping in armchair at home.?

There are a number of health conditions that can affect your sleep quality and duration. These include (6):

Arthritis
Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Sleep apnea
Depression
Enlarged prostate
Menopause
Restless leg syndrome (RLS)
Neuropathy

These conditions can affect your breathing, cause pain that keeps you awake, cause you to have to urinate more frequently, experience tingling or jumping sensations in your legs, breathing problems, or heartburn and indigestion. All of these can make sleeping nearly impossible. If you have or suspect that you have one of these conditions, speak to your doctor about treatment options.

Lifestyle

Senior man sleeping in an armchair at home

There are many lifestyle choices that we make daily that can affect our sleep. Light in our room or looking at screens too close to bedtime can make sleeping difficult. Both alcohol and caffeine before bed will either keep you up or decrease your sleep quality. Eating too close to bedtime, especially spicy food, can cause stomach upset and prevent your body from entering a truly restful sleep. Smoking, not getting enough exercise, and napping late in the day will also affect you. Consider the lifestyle habits you have currently to determine whether or not you need to make changes to improve your sleep quality.

Sleeping Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated

Peaceful serene mature woman enjoying leisure time in comfortable bed, lying on back over blanket, smiling with closed eyes, sleeping, taking break, pause, relaxing, breathing fresh air

The best thing you can do for your sleep quality is to get yourself onto a proper sleep schedule. Make sure that where you are sleeping is comfortable and as dark as possible. Do your best to go to sleep and wake up around the same time each day. If you aren’t sleepy at all, don’t try to force it. Do an activity that you know will often make you feel sleepy, such as reading a book. Don’t lie in bed waiting for sleep to come for more than 20 minutes. Again, this is where an activity such as reading might help, or meditation or breathing exercises.

Get sufficient exercise throughout your day, and avoid consuming caffeine late in the day as well as alcohol too close to bedtime. Allow for at least two to three hours of digestion between dinnertime and bedtime. Finally, if you currently smoke, consider quitting. If you are waking up at 3 am only occasionally, this likely isn’t something you should be worried about. Everyone has this experience every once in a while. It’s only when it becomes a chronic issue that is affecting your life that you should seek help. If this is you, speak with your doctor to help determine the best course of action for you.