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Why do I keep waking up too early in the morning?

247 Answers
Last Updated: 10/15/2018 at 2:53pm
Why do I keep waking up too early in the morning?
★ This question about Sleeping Well was starred by a moderator on 5/12/2016.
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
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Tracy-Kate Teleke, PsyD, M.A., LMFT

Marriage & Family Therapist

I assist adults and couples in CA experiencing relationship challenges and interpersonal struggles including anxiety, depression, and a myriad of other life challenges.

Top Rated Answers
bandingforlife
December 17th, 2015 12:51pm
There are many people who wake up early as a symptom of insomnia, insomnia can cause you to get less quality and quality of sleep. some people wake up many times in a night, some people struggle to get to sleep, some people wake up too early.
Anonymous
December 17th, 2015 6:40pm
In my experience, I wake up early and stay up because my mind is constantly running. Lots of people go in and out of deep sleep through the night, but people with anxiety wake up during light sleep and can't go back to sleep because of stress.
Anonymous
December 18th, 2015 2:43pm
because you are thinking about some stuff or maybe you are upset about something or you are hungry also maybe you are thinking about someone
Anonymous
December 19th, 2015 1:34am
isn't that good? if it's not your intention then take advantage of it! go out run or study or do whatever you need/want to do. you are gifted as people hate themselves sleeping in!
Anonymous
December 19th, 2015 11:31am
It could be because of factors such as drinking, smoking, stress levels, unhealthy diets and there are a few other factors like the amount of time you are in front of a screen, if you decrease any of these factors that relate to you, you will probably get a better sleep.
peachicus
December 20th, 2015 2:10am
You may simply be a person who does not require large amounts of sleep, a light sleeper. ensuring you have a regular bed time and don't eat after 6pm may help and maybe try going to bed later to allow compensate.
Anonymous
December 23rd, 2015 1:55am
It's due to horrible nightmares, my arms and legs turning numb, or I'm chomping at the bit to get my day started.
Anonymous
December 23rd, 2015 9:25am
You're biological clock is confused. Maybe because something happened, a jetlag or summer/wintertime change. But it could be because of puberty, your body's changing, and so are your sleepingpatterns
StormyAngles18
- Expert in Sleeping Well
December 25th, 2015 8:39pm
If you are waking up in the morning early you are simply a morning person and there is really nothing you can really do about it. Some are night owls and some are morning people.
Sillybutrad25
December 26th, 2015 3:40pm
I don't know it's lucky you. I'm a demon and can't wake up at all. I just scream in my sleep. So keep waking up early
Anonymous
December 31st, 2015 2:29am
Sometimes people wake up early in the morning because they are use to waking up early. Sometimes people need to wake up early to go to school so sometimes that can be why. Another reason is that maybe people are use to waking up early to go to work. But then again it can also be because there are some people that have insomnia..
Hazihazel087
January 1st, 2016 6:49am
There's a bunch of recent articles talking about how availability of laptops and gadgets can affect quality of sleep. By making your early morning routine to "fire up the laptop", you may be creating a 'reward' in the form of brain chemicals (dopamine, adrenaline, etc) which might not be perceptible to your rational brain. Examining the thoughts/feelings that first pop into your head right as you awake, might be a start. Also, taking time to think through how you _do_ like to wake up, and preparing something else (besides stressful emails) to look forward to, might offer a different 'carrot' that isn't tied to a jolt of stress hormone and therefore be easier for your sleep deprived body to ignore. If I find that I'm in a bad sleep cycle waking up too early, (happens 4/5 times a year) I try a night taking a passionflower supplement, right before bed. I always wake up feeling like I've been in a particularly deep and restful sleep. I sleep longer the next morning. It takes me a bit longer to wake up in the morning as well however (no chemical hangover, not groggy, but just pleasantly slow to wake up), so if I had a presentation the next day etc I would avoid passionflower the night prior.
Anonymous
January 1st, 2016 10:30pm
You want to get your day started or you are looking forward to something exciting that you want to do, or maybe you are just worried about something.
CerebralHealer
January 3rd, 2016 6:41pm
Depression can cause insomnia or hypersomnia both depending on the subcategory. Insomnia occurs due to the chemical imbalance throws off our biological clocks so to speak. Medically speaking, our circadian rhythm gets disturbed and there's decreased melatonin secretion which is necessary for the onset of sleep to occur, among other co-occurring mechanisms
Anonymous
January 6th, 2016 12:55am
That can be for a variety of reasons, for one, could he due to oversleeping reactions. Another would be damage to you're wake and sleep receptors. Maybe even just normal sleeping wakefulness. Or even that you're brain is so used to waking up at that specific time.
gentlethinking23
January 9th, 2016 12:55am
it may be your body's way to tell you to be active and go out there and be productive! I wish I was you...I sleep in way too much!!
peacefulWaves59
January 10th, 2016 10:38pm
I need to wake up early in the morning so that I can have more time in day to work and support people around me.
Anonymous
January 17th, 2016 5:16am
Your body could be on a certain schedule. If you have recently moved somewhere with adifferent time zone it could just be from that
nell72
January 20th, 2016 4:39pm
Waking up in the morning. Yeah. Why not! If you have chance to love yourself wana leave that? If you get a chance to build yourself wana ignore that? You are getting 24 hours as a credit to spend on yourself !☺ Its not just a morning its a New blank page of your life story and you are the only one writer so whats your move!
Kuvira14
January 28th, 2016 6:39am
Because I have a lot in my mind that prevents me from getting the quality and quantity of sleep that I need to function
Anonymous
January 28th, 2016 8:25am
well there could be many reasons. Maybe if you have curtains open the light is waking you up or maybe you could be under stress
Anonymous
January 29th, 2016 5:42am
your body can usually sense how much sleep it needs, so that might not usually be such a bad thing. but if you are having sleeping problems, try dimming the space that you sleep in, and try to get rid of noises.
Anonymous
January 31st, 2016 2:53pm
This is because your sleep pattern is messed up and you really really should try to fix it by sleeping properly.
shesays11
February 5th, 2016 3:36pm
Some people just naturally sleep less than others, but if you are having trouble it may be worth chatting to your doctor about it, they may help you understand why you are not geting proper rest, each person is different so there is no one answer really. It's down to your personal life and what's going on.
penguinprotector6958
February 6th, 2016 6:02am
You keep waking up early in the morning because you go to sleep too early, I had this problem it's not fun because later on you will be tired.
helpfulKoala15
February 6th, 2016 8:10am
Cause you may not completely realize it but there is something that is on your mind that you are worried or stressed about and your subconscious is constantly try to fix this issue
elliejade
February 10th, 2016 5:20pm
There are plenty of reasons why you might be waking up too early. Maybe something is going on your mind, say for example you've got a test that day or the next, maybe you're having some problems at school or at home. You might be taking medication that wakes you up, feeling ill, noises from pets or family members. Thinking you have to wake up to do something in the morning, or perhaps you have got insomnia. There are plenty of reasons for lack of sleep or waking up too early for no reason. Go to your GP if it is affecting you.
nehnehteeheeMax
February 11th, 2016 2:40pm
To make me feel good and refreshed in the morning, it's like I am a new and lively person with no memory of the past at the beginning of the early day.
glisteningLynx61
March 10th, 2016 2:01am
Well , you may have stayed up many times to the point your body clock has set that time for you to wake up or your body is sending signals that your heart rate is too low do it jerks you to wake up . Try drinking cool ginger tea or peppermint or simply warm milk . To make ginger tea , just mix water , honey , sugar and chop up fresh ginger roots . Mix it and let it cool to drink for the next night !
LucidDreamer17
March 13th, 2016 4:13am
Sometimes if we think a lot before we go to sleep, our brain stays active during the night, which will cause us to wake up in the middle of the night.