If you frequently wake up between 3 and 4 a.m., this could be a warning sign of the following potentially dangerous underlying health conditions:

Depression

People who are stressed (or depressed) often wake up suddenly at 3 or 4 in the morning because chronic stress stimulates the brain, and then they have difficulty falling back asleep.

When the body feels stressed, it activates the sympathetic nervous system, causing an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, which can make you wake up suddenly in the middle of the night. These bodily changes make it difficult to fall back asleep.

Your stress levels increase when you worry or feel overly anxious. Stress can be related to your surroundings, such as work, relationships, health, or financial issues.

Heart disease

When you are in deep sleep, your body gradually relaxes, blood flow slows down, and even the heart’s blood supply may be insufficient.

Many people may sleep until 3 or 4 in the morning and then suddenly wake up due to chest pain, tightness in the chest, rapid heartbeat, etc. Many feel as if a large stone is pressing on their chest, forcing them to wake up.

The appearance of these symptoms all indicate that you may have heart disease and it’s best to see a doctor.

Lung disease

Between 3 and 5 a.m. is when the lungs perform their detoxification function. If your lung function is impaired, you may frequently wake up during this time with symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, hoarseness, and pale skin.

It’s very likely your lungs are signaling that there are too many toxins that need to be eliminated.

Neurological breakdown

Neurological exhaustion is a type of neurotic disorder. The onset of this disorder may be related to overuse of the brain.

If suffering from neurasthenia, patients often wake up at 3-4 a.m.

This is because the brain remains active during sleep at night, so you should pay attention to balancing work and rest in your daily life in a scientific way.

Menopause

As you age, your body begins to enter a aging process and experiences noticeable health changes, including difficulty falling asleep, chronic insomnia, or frequent morning sleeplessness.

Ways to improve sleep quality

Soaking your feet in warm water: The warmth of the water combined with a few natural herbs helps promote blood circulation to the brain, soothe nervous tension, and help you sleep soundly and deeply without waking up suddenly.

Drinking warm milk with honey: If you have a habit of drinking a glass of warm milk with honey before bed, that’s great. It helps soothe the brain, produces the calming hormone melatonin, and effectively improves sleep quality. However, you should use unsweetened milk to avoid weight gain.

Drink herbal tea: Some herbal teas are good for nighttime sleep, such as ginger tea, chamomile tea, jasmine tea, lotus seed tea, and ginseng bud tea, etc.

Massage before bed : This is one of the effective ways to relax the nerves, reduce stress and fatigue, and help you fall into a deep sleep quickly.

Yoga/Meditation: Meditation and yoga are exercises that focus on improving physical health and sleep through mechanisms that regulate mental state and breathing. This can help improve early morning insomnia.