Waking UP at 3 or 4 A.M. May Be a Sign Of a Health Problem — But Here’s What It Could Really Mean

You wake up.

You look at the clock.

You realize you have only a few hours left before you need to get up.

You become worried that you won’t get enough sleep.

That worry makes you more alert.

And the increased alertness makes it even harder to fall asleep.

Sleep specialists sometimes describe this as sleep-related performance anxiety.

Ironically, trying too hard to force yourself to sleep can make sleep more difficult.