Professor says doing 2 things make you wake up at 3am each night

Professor says doing 2 things make you wake up at 3am each night'Many people find themselves waking at roughly the same time each night and start to wonder whether something is wrong with their sleep'CommentsNewsBen Hurst11:29, 16 Apr 2026Updated 11:33, 16 Apr 2026View ImagePeople who wake up every night at 3am could be doing a number of things wrong, a sleep expert said(Image: Getty)A professor has explained why people might be waking up at 3am every night - and said doing two things make it far more likey for people to have disturbed slepp in the second half of the night. Talar Moukhtarian Assistant Professor in Mental Health, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick said it is frustrating when you away in a silent house with a racing brain.‌And she said habits, what people eat and drink - and even going to bed early to ‘catch up’ can have an impact. Prof Moukhtarian said on the Conversation website: “Many people find themselves waking at roughly the same time each night and start to wonder whether something is wrong with their sleep.‌“Waking during the night is actually a normal part of sleep. Most people wake briefly several times, but usually fall back asleep so quickly they do not remember it the next morning. It becomes more of a problem when those awakenings last longer, or start happening at the same time every night, leaving you less refreshed the next day.‌“Sleep does not unfold in one long, uninterrupted stretch. Throughout the night, the brain moves through repeating sleep cycles that last around 90 to 110 minutes. Each cycle includes several stages: light sleep, deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, when most dreaming occurs. Most adults go through four to six of these cycles each night.“Towards the end of each cycle, sleep becomes lighter, making brief awakenings more likely. Deep sleep also occurs mostly in the earlier part of the night and becomes less frequent as morning approaches. That means waking in the early hours is no...