![]() Circling round the concept "I", we can generate painful backwards-looking feelings like guilt or regret. Have you noticed the 3am thoughts are very self-focused? In the quiet dark, it's easy to slide unknowingly into a state of extreme egocentricity. Worry is identifying a problem, ruminating about the worst possible outcome and neglecting the resources we would bring to bear should the non-preferred outcome actually occur. We might think we are problem solving by mentally working over issues at this hour, but this isn't really problem solving it's problem solving's evil twin - worry. The truth is, our mind isn't really looking for a solution at 3am. We can't believe the solution of just ringing this person, postponing that thing, or checking such-and-such was overlooked in the wee hours. Once the sun's up, we're listening to the radio, chewing our Vegemite toast and pushing the cat off the bench, our 3am problems are put in perspective. So the mind is partly right when it concludes the problems it's generated are unsolvable - at 3am, most problems literally would be. With none of our human skills and capital, we are left alone in the dark with our thoughts. From nature's viewpoint, this is meant to be a time of physical and emotional recovery, so it's understandable that our internal resources are low.īut we also lack other resources in the middle of the night - social connections, cultural assets, all the coping skills of an adult are unavailable at this time. Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN) on 1800 008 774Īs a cognitive therapist, I sometimes joke the only good thing about 3am waking is that it gives us all a vivid example of catastrophising.Īround this time in the sleep cycle, we're at our lowest ebb physically and cognitively.Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.There's also a strong link between sleep and depression, so it's important to speak to your doctor if you have any concerns about your sleep. If that sounds like you, be aware that insomnia responds well to psychological treatment with cognitive behavioural therapy. Stress also impacts sleep in insomnia, where people become hypervigilant about being awake.Ĭoncerns about being awake when one "should" be asleep can cause the person to jolt themselves into anxious wakefulness whenever they go through a light sleep phase. ![]() So if you're experiencing 3am wakings at the moment, you're definitely not alone. Not surprisingly, there is evidence the pandemic is a sleep-disturbing stressor. But add a bit of stress and there is a good chance that waking will become a fully self-aware state. When sleep is going well for us, we are simply unaware of these awakenings. We actually wake up many times each night, and light sleep is more common in the second half of the night. Remarkably, all this activity happens independent of cues from the environment such as dawn light - nature decided long ago that sunrise and sunset are so important that they must be predicted (hence the circadian system). ![]()
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