It is one of the most common sleep questions we receive. In most cases, it comes down to three things:
1. Stress and elevated cortisol
The body naturally begins to raise cortisol in the morning. Under stress, this can happen too early, which means you wake up in the middle of the night, often wide awake.
2. A drop in blood sugar
If blood sugar falls during the night, the body responds with adrenaline and cortisol to bring it back up. That wakes you, often without you understanding why.
3. Alcohol
Alcohol can help you fall asleep faster, but it impairs sleep quality. As its effect wears off later in the night, sleep becomes shallower, and many people wake precisely between 2 and 4.
Many who experience this feel otherwise healthy, yet the body is still signalling that something is out of balance.
A few simple measures that often help
- Eat a more balanced dinner (not too light, that is, do not go to bed hungry)
- Avoid alcohol late in the evening
- Create a calmer wind-down before bedtime
- Keep the bedroom cool
For some, there may also be an underlying cause, such as sleep apnea, which is often missed, even in people without obvious symptoms.
At Executive Health we work to understand the whole picture, and we also offer sleep apnea assessment as part of our health mapping.
For many, better sleep does not begin with more hours, but with the right insights.
