Doctor shares little-known reason people wake up at 3am

Doctor shares little-known reason people wake up at 3amDr Michael J Breus spoke about the common sleep complaint and what could be causing itCommentsNewsAmber O'Connor Money and Lifestyle reporter U35s06:00, 06 Apr 2026View ImagePeople often wake up in the early hours of the morning (stock photo)(Image: Getty)A psychologist has shared advice for people who wake up at 3am and struggle to fall back asleep. Dr Michael J Breus is a clinical psychologist and sleep medicine specialist, well known for his books and social media appearances.‌As the founder of 'Sleep Doctor', he often appears in @Thesleepdoctor's viral TikTok videos. In a recent video, he posted: "Why you keep waking up at 3am." Sharing advice for people who wake in the early hours of the morning, the expert explained that there could be a 'natural' cause.‌Dr Breus said: "A lot of people wonder why do people wake up somewhere between one and three o'clock in the morning? It turns out it's your biology. Your core body temperature rises, rises, rises till about 10.30pm at night, and then it begins to drop. That drop is a signal to your brain to release melatonin. Core body temperature then continues to drop, drop, drop.‌"But at some point in time, it's got to heat your body up, otherwise you go hypothermic. That has a tendency to occur somewhere between one and three in the morning, and everybody on earth, everybody wakes up."However, if people find they struggle to go back to sleep after waking up, the psychologist said this could signal a problem. Dr Breus explained: "Most people roll over and fall back to sleep. Some people, however, have another problem going on called insomnia."‌Content cannot be displayed without consentAccording to the NHS: "Insomnia means you regularly have problems sleeping. It usually gets better by changing your sleeping habits." The health service says everyone needs different amounts of sleep...