Alexandre Olmos, doctor: "If you wake up between 2 and 4 in the morning, it's for this reason."

A good night's sleep can almost be considered a privilege , although we may not always realize it because it's one of those things we only learn to appreciate when it's lacking. In Spain, sleep disorders affect 30% of the population, according to data from the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN).

There are several reasons why we may not sleep well , whether it is not for enough hours or because our sleep is not of quality, but if we tend to wake up at the same time during the early morning, it may be a symptom of something we should pay attention to and not ignore , as Dr. Alexandre Olmos points out through his TikTok account.

The reason we wake up, according to a doctor

Through his social media, Dr. Alexandre Olmos wants to share some of his knowledge so that people learn to pay attention to those signs that can be key when detecting a problem in our health and to which we do not always pay enough attention, in this specific case, because it is not a pain, an annoying and disabling sign that cannot always be ignored even if you try.

Olmos is an expert in epigenetics , among other specialties, so he analyzes how your lifestyle affects your health in order to prevent diseases. This is precisely what he attempts to do with the video he shared, in which he points out that it's unusual to wake up between 2 and 4 in the morning every day, so the cause of this should be investigated. "If you wake up between 2 and 4 in the morning, it's not just insomnia; it's often a cortisol surge . The body is forced to compensate for something that isn't working well in your biorhythms."

At that time, cortisol levels should be at their lowest , coinciding with their highest levels around 8:00 a.m., which helps us wake up naturally with the day, following our circadian rhythms. This increase in cortisol at odd hours not only wakes us up, it can also prevent us from going back to sleep, causing sleep problems.

These elevated cortisol levels in the early morning can be due to chronic stress , but also to an unhealthy diet, too much or too little exercise, or a medical condition. Some people also associate it with a magnesium deficiency. This awakening is a signal from our body to seek professional help who can find the cause.

Other reasons why we wake up in the middle of the night

In addition to elevated cortisol levels and disruptions in circadian rhythms, there may also be other causes that cause us to wake up during the night and prevent us from getting back to sleep. These may be environmental factors, such as noise, light, or heat; it may also be due to nightmares or pain, or even bladder or kidney problems .

It can be due to nocturnal hypoglycemia , which occurs when blood glucose levels are very low and can be dangerous. It can be caused by certain medications, an illness, or even drinking alcohol before bed or skipping meals.

Digestive problems, such as indigestion or reflux , can also cause us to wake up because they tend to worsen when we go to bed, disrupting our sleep. Some sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, cause these types of frequent awakenings and prevent us from getting the rest we need . The best way to avoid these types of problems is to seek expert advice who can find the cause and treat it or reduce its consequences, helping us rest better.

References

National Library of Medicine. (n.d.-x). Sleep Disorders. https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/sleepdisorders.html