Wolf hour
Why we wake up at 3 a.m.
© Sergey Mironov / Shutterstock
It’s a phenomenon: many people keep waking up between 3 and 4 a.m. There is actually a medical reason for this. We reveal what happens during the “wolf hour” – and what can help.
Most of us will suffer from insomnia at some point in our lives. Some people find it difficult to fall asleep, others have no problem, but often wake up at night and then cannot find their way back to sleep. The characteristics are as diverse as we humans. But there are phenomena that sleep medicine specialists observe more frequently than others. This includes the so-called “wolf hour”.
Wolf hour: the hormones are to blame that we wake up at night
Do you often wake up between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.? This is no coincidence, there is a medical phenomenon behind it. Waking up during this time is related to our hormone levels, more precisely to the interaction of melatonin, serotonin and cortisol. We know melatonin as the “sleep hormone” that our body releases in the dark and then converts it into the “feel-good hormone” serotonin. The release of cortisol is a stress reaction of the body.
At around 3 a.m., our body temperature dropped significantly while we were sleeping and our melatonin levels were high. At the same time, our cortisol and serotonin levels are low. Due to this constellation, we lack the anti-stress effect of cortisol and the mood-enhancing effect of serotonin. Coupled with the very high level of melatonin activity, the hormone balance required for good sleep is upset – and we wake up more easily.
In addition, the blood flow to our brain is reduced a bit in certain areas at this time – after all, we should actually be sleeping. So when we wake up now, we are particularly vulnerable to negative emotions such as fear, pessimism, and thin skin. During this phase, we not only wake up easier at night – we also find it more difficult to fall asleep again because we quickly fall into ruminations and negative spirals of thought.
Sleep researchers call this hour between 3 and 4 o’clock at night “wolf hour” or “hour of the wolf”. This term probably comes from ancient times and is supposed to denote the time span in the dead of night when nobody is awake except for the nocturnal wolves.
Tips for sleep disorders: what helps to get back to sleep at night?
1. Take a deep breath
A good method to relax and find calm again is the 4-4-4 breathing technique from mindfulness: To do this, you breathe in for about four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds and exhale again for four seconds . You will notice: After a few laps at the latest, you will be noticeably calmer and you may even find your way back to sleep.
2. Turn on the light and read
It doesn’t help, and you lapse into bad ruminations that make any thought of sleep a long way off? Then you better stop trying. Experts advise you to do something else after around 15 to 20 minutes. Maybe it will help you to turn on the light and read a little to get tired again.
3. Get up
Doesn’t that help either? Better get up then. However, as slowly and carefully as possible. It’s best to drink a glass of water just as slowly and maybe sit on the couch. However, you shouldn’t turn on too much light so as not to wake the body up unnecessarily. Also avoid your smartphone or laptop – unless the devices have a night mode with a blue light filter, which is gentler on our eyes.
4. Do not go back to bed until you are tired
Very important: Don’t go back to bed straight away just because you’re frustrated and want to sleep. This is a vicious circle, because in this mood you will hardly come to rest. So don’t go back to bed until you are really tired and feel sleepy.
Sources used: rnd.de, sueddeutsche.de