Sometimes waking up at night is a common thing. Maybe you are thirsty or need to go to the toilet! Bad dreams or sleeping in the wrong posture can also spoil sleep, but if you are waking up every day around 3-4 am and are unable to sleep again, then be careful. According to health experts, this can be a sign of many serious problems (sleep disorder). Yes, it can include everything from stress to liver problems. Let us know in this article what can be the reasons for frequent disturbances in sleep.

It is important to understand the sleep cycle

We all know how important sleep is for our body. But did you know that when we sleep, our body goes through several phases? These phases together form the sleep cycle.

According to health experts, our body goes through several sleep cycles in a night. These cycles are of about 90 minutes. During this time our sleep goes from light to deep and then we go into REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. We dream only during REM sleep.

• Light sleep: When we lie down to sleep, we first go into light sleep. During this time, we can wake up easily.
• Deep sleep: After light sleep, we go into deep sleep. This sleep is most important for our body because during this time our body and mind get rest.
• REM sleep: After deep sleep, we go into REM sleep. During this, our eyes move rapidly and we dream. REM sleep is very important for our memory and learning ability.

Why does sleep get interrupted at 3-4 am?

growing old

As we age, our sleep habits change a lot. Doctors believe that our sleep cycle changes with age. These changes can happen not only due to age but also due to many other factors such as medication intake, health problems and changes in lifestyle.

Medications can affect our sleep in a variety of ways. Some medications help induce sleep, while others can interfere with sleep. In addition, as we age, many people experience a variety of health problems, such as pain, shortness of breath, and digestive problems, which can disrupt sleep. Because of these changes, our sleep quality may decrease, we may wake up frequently at night, and have difficulty getting up in the morning.

Stress

By constantly being under stress, our body comes into a strange state. When we feel stressed, our body sounds a kind of alarm. This alarm is called the 'sympathetic nervous system'. This nervous system is activated to protect us from danger. But when we are constantly under stress, this nervous system can wake us up even in the middle of the night.

Side effects of medicines

People who take medicines for long-term illnesses often face problems with sleeplessness. Many medicines can disrupt sleep patterns.

• Cold and cough medicines: Some of the ingredients in them can affect sleep.
• Anti-depressants: These medicines are meant to improve mood, but can sometimes interfere with sleep.
• Beta-blockers: These medications are prescribed for high blood pressure, but they can also affect sleep.
• Corticosteroids: These medicines are given to reduce inflammation, but their consumption can disturb sleep.
• Diuretics: These medications are prescribed to remove excess water from the body, but they can also affect sleep.

Besides medications, other factors that can disrupt sleep include:

• Sleep apnea: pauses in breathing during sleep
• Gastric problems: Digestive problems like acidity
• Arthritis: joint pain
• Depression: Mental Illness
• Neuropathy: disease of the nerves
• Menopause: menopause in women
• Enlarged prostate: Enlargement of the prostate gland in men
• Overactive thyroid gland: An overactive thyroid gland

Signs of liver problems

If you wake up frequently between 3 and 4 in the night, the reason for this may be your liver not functioning properly. Doctors believe that when the liver does not function properly, blood flow is disrupted, which can cause many problems, one of which is frequent interruption of sleep. Health experts say that stress has the greatest impact on our liver. When we do not get sleep, we feel stressed, irritable and restless.