Huffington Post Blog – 09 October 2014 – Five Reasons You Might Be Waking Too Early, and Seven Tips to Break the Cycle

One of the most common sleep problems I encounter in my clinic is waking in the early hours – usually between 2am and 4am – then finding it hard to get back to sleep.

In the long term, missing out on this vital stage of sleep can be debilitating and even lead to serious health problems. According to latest sleep science, this is an important time for the body to heal – and not just physically. In traditional Chinese and Indian medicine this is an important time for ultimate deep rest – the deepest rest you will get in a 24hr day. During this time we process emotions such as fear, anger, frustration and even sadness and grief.

I have patients who, because they have been missing out on this healing sleep phase, have even ended up with addiction problems using drugs and alcohol to help them not only to pass out but also to disconnect from overwhelming feelings.

Why do we wake at this time of the night? And how can we manage it?

Some medical doctors might label this as ‘depression’ but I find this an unhelpful label.

Full article available here

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“When you have a problem and you drink, take drugs or gamble, the problem won’t go away. Stay and tackle the problem”
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