

Breathing disorders, like sleep apnea, in particular, are known to contribute to sleep problems, especially frequent and persistent waking up throughout the night. If you suffer from breathing disorders, there may lie your answer as to why you keep waking up early in the morning. The degree of sleep-wake cycle disruption depends on numerous factors, like stress, genetics, adenosine levels, sleep disorders, etc. They either experience the sleep-wake phase syndrome (inability to fall asleep), or the advanced sleep-wake phase syndrome(early sleep onset, hence early waking up and inability to fall asleep again). This rhythm can be easily disrupted, and in people who have insomnia, circadian disorders are regular. Circadian rhythm – On the other hand, the circadian rhythm regulates when you’ll feel sleepy and when it is time for you to wake up.So, when people suffering from insomnia keep waking up during the night, they have a harder time falling asleep because adenosine is in the process of wearing out, or is completely gone. The chemical is the strongest during the first stage of sleep, and by the morning it usually wears out. However, the homeostatic sleep drive is regulated by adenosine, a chemical that sends the sleepiness signal. So, the longer you’re awake, the more sleep you should get. Homeostatic sleep drive – The homeostatic sleep drive is the drive to sleep that is influenced by the amount of time you spend awake.The reason for that lies in the direct relationship between two important sleep processes homeostatic sleep drive and the sleep/wake cycle, or circadian rhythm. But, why won’t insomnia let you sleep once you’ve actually fallen asleep?

So, even if you manage to fall asleep, insomnia will definitely help you wake up hours before you need to. Moreover, insomnia is also directly associated with early morning wakefulness. Described as the difficulty of falling or staying asleep, insomnia is responsible for millions of people experiencing sleeplessness worldwide. Insomnia and Sleep Disordersįor some time now, one of the main suspects of regular early waking up has been insomnia. So, if you experience recurrent early waking up, you should look into the quality of your emotional state and see whether you suffer from excessive stressing out, depression or anxiety.ĭepression especially is directly linked to disruptions in the circadian rhythm, so it can disturb your sleep-wake cycle significantly. Such states, like depression or anxiety, make you feel wide awake and usually help you wake up hours before you intended to wake up. That is why chronic and acute stress, years-long depression and anxiety disorder all contribute to our inability to either fall or stay asleep. Studies have shown that the areas of the brain, associated with a sense of self or negative emotions are stimulated because of depression or anxiety, resulting in a continuous negative thought pattern. It seems that our minds and thoughts start racing always when we’re trying to sleep. It is, then, truly bad timing for these hormones to be produced when you’re trying to sleep. As a result, the brain also initiates and elevates the production of hormones, like cortisol.

Our mind and body recognizes these states and initiates wakefulness, so we can actually try and resolve them.ĭuring this process, we experience an increase in the heart rate, temperature, and general restlessness and alertness. Numerous studies have proven that stress, anxiety, and depression are perceived as states of arousal. In the following paragraphs we’re going to explore the possible reasons you keep waking up early and what is your body trying to tell you.

If you clicked on this article, chances are you’re one of those people, and you’re in the right place. These people usually feel tired, restless, emotionally and physically drained.Įven if they want to sleep in, they simply cannot their bodies seem to be able to initiate wakefulness early in the morning, no reason necessary. However, for some people who wake up early every morning for no reason, this can present a big problem. In the modern-day and age when waking up early is a necessity for the majority, it is unusual to see people complain about being able to wake up early on their own.
