Apparently it’s happening enough to grab the attention even of secular, “no-nonsense” scientists: the issue of waking up right at three a.m. Are there physiological (as opposed to straight-up spiritual) reasons for it?
We find it difficult to believe that so many reporting that they awaken at three a.m. on the dot could be solely biological.
Might it not have a spiritual underpinning–particularly knowing that three a.m. has spiritual connotations (the inverse of three p.m., when Our Lord expired, and also the end of the three-hour time frame for many occult, wiccan, and satanic rituals (which begin at the stroke of midnight and can unleash spirits into our midst)?
And therefore might it not be a great time for prayer, especially to the Archangel Michael and, this time of year, the Divine Mercy Chaplet?
To give scientists their sway, the Irish News asked sleep expert Martin Seeley to explain it: why so many wake to see their bedside clock displaying the dreaded “3:00.”
“He told us all about the three most likely reasons for these early-morning awakenings, and offers advice on when you should worry about it. Waking up at 3 a.m, every night can be annoying, but it’s actually a common experience–and understanding why it happens can help you to take corrective steps that will result in a better night’s sleep,” intoned the article.
The supposedly three most likely reasons?
“Your body’s sleep is divided into cycles, each lasting about 90 minutes,” Seeley explained to the newspaper. “Over the course of a night, you typically go through four to five of these cycles. Waking up at the end of one isn’t unusual, and for many people, this happens to coincide with the early hours of the morning–—often around 3 a.m.”
“Around 3 a.m., your body undergoes a hormonal shift. Melatonin–the hormone that helps you stay asleep–starts to decrease, while cortisol, the hormone that helps you wake up, begins to rise. This hormonal shift is part of your body’s natural circadian rhythm, which prepares you for the day ahead. However, stress can amplify this process. When you’re stressed, your body spends less time in the restorative stages of deep sleep. This means you’re more likely to wake up during lighter stages of sleep, like the ones that occur around 3 a.m.”
“Another factor that might be behind your 3 a.m. wake-ups is blood sugar regulation. During the night, your body uses stored energy to keep everything running smoothly while you sleep,” Seeley asserted. “But if your blood sugar levels drop too low, perhaps because of what or when you ate during the day, your body releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to stabilize them.”
In some cases, this all is operative, perhaps, dear scientists.
But right at three?
We can testify from countless e-mails (over the twenty-five years of this website; let us know your experiences) that more often than not, there is also or only a spiritual reason.
[resources: Spiritual Warfare and Divine Mercy]
