You keep waking up early due to disruptions in your internal body clock (circadian rhythm), often from stress, inconsistent schedules, or lifestyle factors like caffeine/alcohol, or potentially underlying issues like sleep apnea, anxiety, aging, or hormonal changes, all of which can prevent you from staying asleep. Improving sleep hygiene, like sticking to a regular schedule and avoiding screens before bed, can help reset your body clock.
Advice From a Sleep Doctor
“You may wake up earlier than you'd like because that's what your circadian rhythm is telling your body to do. Try to keep a regular sleep pattern, get morning sunlight, and keep your evenings dark to keep your circadian rhythm running smoothly,” says Dr.
Imbalanced sleep cycles and internal body clock
The time you wake up during the night can also be tied to your circadian rhythm, or the body's internal clock. For example, according to traditional Chinese medicine, the lungs are most active in the body's repair and detoxification processes between 3 and 5 AM.
Prevent cortisol spikes at night by keeping stress low, getting enough sleep, staying in sync with your circadian rhythm (or body clock), avoiding late-night intense exercise, and eating a healthy diet.
In humans melatonin has diurnal variations. The hormone secretion increases soon after the onset of darkness, peaks in the middle of the night, between 2 and 4 a.m., and gradually falls during the second half of the night (figure 3).
The "3-2-1 Bedroom Method" (or a variation like the 10-3-2-1 rule) is a sleep hygiene strategy to improve rest by staggering when you stop certain activities before bed: stop heavy food/alcohol 3 hours before, stop work/mental stress 2 hours before, and turn off screens (phones, TVs, computers) 1 hour before sleep, creating a better wind-down for your body.
They wake up early
A common thread, from athletes to CEOs, is an early start. 5am, allegedly, is the perfect time to set your alarm.
You might have underlying stress and anxiety
Experiencing high levels of stress or anxiety can disrupt your sleep patterns and lead to early awakenings.
Sleep deprivation symptoms include cognitive issues (poor focus, memory, decision-making), mood changes (irritability, anxiety, depression), physical signs (fatigue, yawning, headaches, weakened immunity), and performance deficits (slowed reactions, increased mistakes, accidents). Severe deprivation can even lead to hallucinations or psychosis, while long-term lack of sleep impacts weight, heart health, and hormonal balance.
Check your schedule.
The most common cause of an early morning is either too long of an awake time before bed or too early/too short of an awake time before the first nap. Both will perpetuate the early morning cycle! Easy fix: Try an earlier bedtime or a later first nap.
Gen Z stays up late due to a combination of technology (blue light, endless content), significant stress and anxiety (FOMO, financial/global worries), biological shifts (natural teenage circadian rhythm), and "revenge bedtime procrastination," where they sacrifice sleep for personal time, often in bed, scrolling social media. This digital-heavy, high-stress lifestyle creates overstimulation and a misalignment with natural sleep patterns, leading to chronic sleep deprivation, notes the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Health Foundation.
Yes, the Navy SEAL sleep trick (an 8-minute power nap with elevated legs) is a real technique for quick rest, popularized by former SEAL Jocko Willink, that helps improve alertness and reduce fatigue, though its effectiveness depends on individual relaxation skills and it's not a substitute for full nighttime sleep. The method involves lying down, elevating your feet above your heart (on a chair or couch), relaxing facial muscles, dropping shoulders, and clearing your mind for about 8-10 minutes to promote relaxation and blood flow, preventing grogginess.
Best Foods for Sleep
In his piece, he revealed that through his years of research, he's found that rumination is the biggest thing that causes poor sleep. He says that being worried about something at night has affected his own ability to fall asleep.
The 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule simplifies sleep hygiene guidelines, setting bedtime limits on caffeine, food, alcohol, work, and screens, and banning the snooze button in the morning. Many sleep experts and studies agree that you can improve the quality and quantity of your sleep by practicing good habits like these.
You want to be facing (but not directly facing) the door, not have it opening along the same wall as your head, and according to Suzanne not beneath a window either. 'Locate the bed on a solid wall and always factor in a tall, comfortable headboard,' she continues.
Hormonal imbalances show up as symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, weight changes, irregular periods, skin issues (acne), hair changes, sleep problems, brain fog, low libido, digestive issues, and temperature sensitivity, affecting energy, body functions, and mental well-being, often linked to stress, thyroid, or reproductive hormones.
How to reduce stress hormones
The Dawn Phenomenon. Between 3 AM and 6 AM, your body prepares to wake by releasing cortisol and growth hormone — part of the natural circadian process. In some people, especially those with insulin resistance or suboptimal glucose control, this can cause an early spike in blood sugar and restlessness.
Too much cortisol can cause some of the main symptoms of Cushing syndrome — a fatty hump between the shoulders, a rounded face, and pink or purple stretch marks on the skin. Cushing syndrome also can cause high blood pressure or bone loss. Sometimes, it can cause type 2 diabetes.
Green tea, as well as beverages that contain minerals and herbs like magnesium, ginseng, and ashwagandha, may lower cortisol. Kefir, yogurt drinks, and barley juice could lower cortisol because they naturally contain GABA, a neurotransmitter that reduces cortisol.
Earlier studies reported that supplementation with vitamin D lowers cortisol levels, particularly in populations with underlying health conditions [Demay et al., 2024].