Different slant on why you wake up @ 0300 wide awake

[Vince Carter]

First time that I'm hearing this angle on this very common malady:

http://www.rejuvinstitute.com/why-do-i-always-wake-up-at-3am#.UavueMu9KK0

[h=2]Why Stress Causes You to Wake Up at 3am[/b]Stress causes the adrenal glands to fire off adrenaline. This gives you a burst of energy to deal with stressful situations. Adrenaline also raises the heart rate, increases respiration, dilates the pupils, slows down digestion and causes muscles to contract. It’s like caffeine on steroids!
So if you are stressed or upset it can be impossible to fall asleep, but why does it always wake you up at 3am?
3am is when your liver regenerates. To do so, it needs glycogen. The problem is that adrenaline causes your cells to use up glycogen. So if you are often stressed, your body may not have enough glycogen for the liver to regenerate at 3am. If your liver cannot get the glycogen it needs, your adrenal glands will compensate by releasing adrenalin, which is why you are wide awake and ready for action, not exactly a state you want to be in at 3am.


Adrenal ****tail Recipe
½ cup orange juice
¼ teaspoon cream of tarter
¼ teaspoon Himalayan or Celtic salt
Just mix all the ingredients and drink before bed.

 

[rhino5169]

Great post VC!

 

[Saxon]

That's crazy you wrote this. I have been up at 3am sharp the last few nights!

 

[CoastWatcher]

It's certainly worth a try.

 

[Vince Carter]

I bought the ingredients and will try it tonite and the next few nights and report back. Will also have my GF on this as she has terrible trouble sleeping thru the night.

 

[Saul]

Thanks for posting.

 

[blackebob]

Thank you, I find I also wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 3-4 am. I cycle it. I thought it was do to a dosage change, but after having had the DR. tell me my body is stressed, it now makes sense why my glucose was high on the testing days when I wake up at 4am

 

[Mountain Man]

I used to have a side business that I did to supplement my day job. I maintained a blog and wrote this article about the evolutionary reasons for it. It presents it as an evolutionary thing, which I firmly believe it is. I wake in the middle of the night, meditate and go back to sleep. It's not the waking as much as the fretting about it that is the problem.

http://mindbodycoach.org/got-insomnia-guess/

 

[Vince]

I find it hard to believe that the adrenal recipe would work, but if it does help you sleep that would be great. Keep us updated.

 

[Dave B.]

I'm afraid I take this advice with a giant bag of, pardon the pun, himalayan salt. I have heard this disruptive-liver theory from the same people who heal themselves with crystals and go on dietary cleanses instead of going to the doctor. Not that natural methods can't be effective, just saying I think you know the type.

Orange juice is probably not a great choice as it would simply spike and crash blood sugar, not last from bedtime to 3AM at any rate. The salt and cream of tartar are just addressing potassium and sodium. Seems to me a peanut-butter and banana sandwich would do the job even better?

 

[Vince Carter]

Im skeptical as I go to bed with basically a full stomach on Whey protein and milk so there can't be this sugar or anything else crash @ 0300, for me.

 

[Saul]

I used to have a side business that I did to supplement my day job. I maintained a blog and wrote this article about the evolutionary reasons for it. It presents it as an evolutionary thing, which I firmly believe it is. I wake in the middle of the night, meditate and go back to sleep. It's not the waking as much as the fretting about it that is the problem.

http://mindbodycoach.org/got-insomnia-guess/

I agree with this. Most people call it racing mind once awake that prevents a return to sleep. People often wake up or toss and turn due to a variety of reasons but the key is to be able to go back to sleep. Stress is certainly a factor that can prevent a return to sleep but for people with general anxiety, even irrational concerns can manifest. "Night changes many thoughts."
.
Last night I woke up at 3:30 with a start. I took off some covers, had a drink of water, and went back to sleep. Other nights, I am up for hours worrying about something does not matter.

 

[Vince Carter]

I'll do that, wake up and go shit I'm awake and it's all over with for at least an hour while my brain races about nothing at all

 

[looyvillelarry]

I'll do that, wake up and go shit I'm awake and it's all over with for at least an hour while my brain races about nothing at all

And then, fall sound asleep? 15 minutes before the alarm goes off

 

[FeelingLost]

I look forward to reports from any who try this.

A friend at my gym (68yo) thinks our brains run out of fuel about 3am.
He suggest bone broth with turmeric (an anti inflammatory) and cayenne pepper(a 9000 year old medicine with too many benefit to list) at bed time.
I think he got the idea from Dr Ax
I plan to try it tonight since I already have all the stuff.

 

[blackebob]

I heard a deal today where the doctor was talking about you brain run out of fuel and he was tying it to cholesterol.

 

[masters2121]

I've been on trazadobe since 2012. My wife was pregnant with our son and I wasn't making much. Opened a gym in 2013 and another in 2014. Partner was stealing money ect...sold our portion and re-opened a new one in August 2016. I get up at 430am 2-3 days a week and we are done around 6pm-7:30 daily. I say all this cause I'm up like clock work around 130am or like last night 330am wide awake. I've tried everything. Doc gave me 2 weeks of ambien last year. I took at 9pm one night and woke up an hour and a half later. Friend gave me a few valium and it helped, but not a good solution long term. I'm always under stress, even when I don't think I am. I'd try that ****tail, but I'm not sure much is going to help my situation but signing up 100 members 😂.

 

[Saul]

I've been on trazadobe since 2012. My wife was pregnant with our son and I wasn't making much. Opened a gym in 2013 and another in 2014. Partner was stealing money ect...sold our portion and re-opened a new one in August 2016. I get up at 430am 2-3 days a week and we are done around 6pm-7:30 daily. I say all this cause I'm up like clock work around 130am or like last night 330am wide awake. I've tried everything. Doc gave me 2 weeks of ambien last year. I took at 9pm one night and woke up an hour and a half later. Friend gave me a few valium and it helped, but not a good solution long term. I'm always under stress, even when I don't think I am. I'd try that ****tail, but I'm not sure much is going to help my situation but signing up 100 members .

cannabis? - may be better than Valium or Trazadobe.

 

[masters2121]

Yeah I agree, but I'm a former addict. I liked the valium a little too much....I am however many nights desperate for sleep. I've been to the doc multiple times. She wanted to put me on Prozac and I said no thanks. Basically here's trazadone deal with it.

 

[Reason]

I’m very very skeptical of an influx of liquid fructose and glucose having any benefits at all to glycogen regulation, unless the addition of cream of tartar does some magic I’m not aware of.

I’m going through this issue right now as well and I do wake up wired, I can almost feel the cortisol coursing through my body. Pre-bed meals have not helped, in fact I think the issue is carbs/inflammation which the OJ would only exarcebate. I slept through the night just fine on keto.

A quick note: The 3am time I assume has more to do with the number of hours slept, so I’m my case (I got to sleep at 12am) I’m wide awake at ~4-5am.