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8th October 2025
01:57pm BST
Experts have issued warnings for those who wake up between 2am and 3am during the night.
Alderberry Care warns that those who regularly find themselves awake at this time may indicate something is wrong with your body.
Although many people wake up in the middle of the night, if it is something that is happening all the time, it can be worth raising with a doctor.
Content creator Dr Eric Berg explained to his viewers why the issue is cause for concern.
He said that key hormones should be at their lowest while sleeping, and disrupting this can indicate issues.
Cortisol is one of the body's main hormones for creating stress, he explained.
"It should be low in the middle of the night so the brain can move through deep sleep and REM.
"Around 2am, many people are in slow-wave (deep) sleep. If cortisol rises then, it sends a wake-up signal."
Workers at Alderberry Care said they saw this issue among many of the people they care for.
"Our carers see the toll broken sleep takes. Most of our elderly patients who wake around 2am will feel drained and less steady the next day," a spokesperson said.
"Insomnia and waking in the middle of the night are common in most older people, but we never treat it as 'just normal'. We look for simple fixes and signs that mean a GP should be involved."
The NHS says that insomnia is not always permanent, and that changing your sleeping habits can help to break a cycle.
However, they advise to see a doctor if you have suffered insomnia for a matter of months.
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