Tired but Awake at 3am?
Find yourself wide awake in the night and unable to get back to sleep—no matter how hard you ‘try’?
You’re not alone.
If you fall asleep easily but then wake in the night, this is a specific type of insomnia known as sleep maintenance insomnia, and it’s very common.
There’s one simple mistake people often make when this starts to happen.
When we’re waking regularly in the night with a racing mind, our focus tends to be: “How do I get back to sleep?”
But here’s the thing—it’s not just about fixing the 3am wake-up. This is a 24-hour issue. We need to look at why it’s happening in the first place.
Why do we wake in the night?
More often than not, it’s your brain asking you to stop and listen—it’s trying to tell you that something is worrying you. Our brain is designed to keep us safe and alive and so if there is a worry, your mind will want you to pay attention.
If you don’t address that issue during the day, 3am becomes the perfect time for your brain to make you pay attention. Why?
It’s quiet
You’re alone
There are no distractions
The problem is, we’re rarely rational at 3am. When these thoughts appear at that hour, they often spiral into a stressful cycle:
“Why can’t I sleep?”
“What’s going to happen if…?”
“I’m not going to cope tomorrow.”
The solution: listen to your brain in the daytime.
Make time during the day for your brain to be heard and your worries to be addressed—outside of the 3am window.
Setting aside just 15–20 minutes a day works wonders. Use this “worry window” to write down everything on your mind. This simple act helps reassure your mind that you are listening and will deal with anything life-threatening.
Alongside this, build in small, mindful moments during your day to calm your system. It doesn’t have to be complicated—an example could be to just simply pay attention to your senses during a coffee break:
How does the kettle sound?
How does it taste?
How does the mug feel in your hand?
What can you smell?
What can you hear around you?
Put these strategies into practice, and you’ll soon find those 3am wake-ups are easier to manage.
Want to find out more about my Sleep Well & Live Better course? See below.
