Why You May Be Waking Up at 4 AM
Waking at 4 AM regularly is usually not random but a signal of how sleep cycles, stress, hormones, and lifestyle rhythms are interacting. It often occurs during a lighter stage of sleep in the early morning, when the body is more sensitive to internal and external disruptions. Circadian rhythms also play a key role, as cortisol naturally rises before waking, and stress or irregular schedules can cause this rise to happen too early.
Chronic stress can keep the nervous system partially activated at night, leading to fragmented sleep and sudden awakenings. Emotional processing during REM sleep…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.