Health expert explains why people wake up between 3am and 5am and can't sleep

Waking up in the middle of the night or the early hours of the morning on a regular basis is not ideal when you're trying to get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

But now a health expert has provided a reason as to why you're experiencing this broken sleeping pattern.

Dave Asprey, an entrepreneur, author and lifestyle guru explained in a video to his 1.1m followers that waking up in the early hours could have something to do with our blood sugar levels.

When there is a fall in those levels, cortisol and adrenaline get released into our body and consequently these stress hormones are the reason why we suddenly wake up.

"For most people who wake up between 3 to 5am and can't go back to sleep, it is usually [due to a] crash in your blood sugar," he said.

In this process, a release of cortisol and adrenaline also causes more glucose and another factor that impacts these hormone levels is chronic stress - ultimately keeping you from having an undisturbed sleep.

"The problem is, cortisol and adrenaline wake you up. While the brain gets what it wants, you don't get your sleep."

So you may be wondering if there is a way to combat this in order to give you those extra precious hours of shuteye - and according to Asprey there is something you can do before bed.

Although eating before bed is not recommended by sleep experts, Asprey believes a "small snack before bed" can help.

(And no it's not a pack of biscuits or chocolate...)

The snack Asprey says we should consume is either "raw honey, collagen, MCT oil or mix all three together".

But what do all three products have in common?

According to research, raw honey, collagen, MCT oil can provide sustained energy without the blood sugar crash that we mentioned earlier.

If our blood sugar levels don't crash, the stress hormones aren't released and our sleep is interrupted.

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