It's 3:17am.
You're wide awake. Again.
Your brain has decided that NOW is the perfect time to replay every awkward conversation from the past decade, remind you of everything on tomorrow's to-do list, and helpfully point out all the ways your life could fall apart.
Sound familiar?
If you've ever wondered why anxiety loves 3am so much, you're not alone. And there's actually a biological reason for it.
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Between 3-4am, your body does something interesting:
- Cortisol (your stress hormone) begins its daily rise
- Your body temperature drops to its lowest point
- You're in lighter REM sleep phases
- Blood sugar can dip if you haven't eaten since dinner
This creates a perfect storm for anxiety.
Your brain is awake enough to think, but not awake enough to think rationally. The worries that seemed manageable at 3pm become monsters at 3am.
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FREE COURSE
Struggling with 3am wake-ups?
The 3am Emergency Kit gives you:
✓ A 90-second body reset technique
✓ A simple way to untangle racing thoughts
✓ One kind step forward when everything feels overwhelming
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The 3am wake-up isn't the problem. It's a symptom.
It's your nervous system saying: "Hey, something needs attention."
Maybe you're carrying more stress than you've admitted.
Maybe there's a decision you've been avoiding.
Maybe your body is simply exhausted from running on high alert.
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- Telling yourself to "just relax"
- Lying there getting frustrated
- Scrolling your phone (sorry, but you knew that)
1. The 4-7-8 breath:
Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8. This activates your parasympathetic nervous system — the "rest and digest" mode.
2. The worry dump:
Keep a notepad by your bed. Write down whatever's circling your brain. You're not solving it — you're parking it until morning.
3. The grounding technique:
Name 5 things you can feel (the pillow, the sheets, the temperature). This pulls you out of your head and into your body.
4. The reset:
If you've been awake for 20 minutes, get up. Do something boring in dim light. Return when you feel sleepy.
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After years of 3am wake-ups, I've started treating them differently.
Instead of fighting it, I ask: "What is this trying to tell me?"
Sometimes the answer is practical: I'm stressed about a deadline I've been ignoring.
Sometimes it's deeper: I'm living out of alignment with what actually matters to me.
Your 3am anxiety isn't a character flaw. It might be your body's way of asking for change — more rest, better boundaries, a different pace.
The question isn't "how do I make this stop?"
It's "what does this need me to hear?"
Until next Thursday,
With calm,
Ricky
Creator, Embracing Imperfection Academy
P.S. If 3am anxiety is a regular visitor, I'm building some practical tools to help. More on that soon. For now, know that you're not alone — and you're not broken.
