Why your brain wakes you up at 6am

You go to bed at a decent time, you exercise, you take magnesium...

You tick all the boxes, yet a few times a week, you wake up too early and your brain immediately starts racing. You go over what you have to do that day, start questioning everything, replay old conversations, panic about gestures broadly at everything

I've definitely never been there, can't relate at all

I might know what's happening here, though.

After 6 to 7 hours of sleep, the biological pressure that keeps you asleep has largely worn off. At that point, it only takes the smallest trigger (a sliver of light, a passing thought...) to bring you fully awake. And once your brain shifts into planning and analysing mode, that's it. It won't go back to sleep.

But the reason it's happening has more to do with how you spend your days than anything else.

Do you remember how often we used to be bored as kids? That never happens anymore. We are constantly stimulated. We walk with a podcast in our ears, we listen to music while cooking, and most of all, we grab our phones in every quiet moment.

The brain never gets any free processing time. And it needs that time, to sort through emotions, consolidate memories, work things out in the background.

I don't know about you, but I have all my best ideas in the shower or just before falling asleep. That's because that's when my brain finally gets the space to process all the info I'm feeding it.

And when it doesn't get enough of that space during the day, it takes it whenever it can. And that would be during the only time we don't do much: in bed at 6am.

The good news is that the solution isn't a week-long silent retreat. It's small, intentional pockets of quiet woven into your day. Cooking without a podcast. A 10-minute walk without your phone. Five minutes between tasks where you just sit and let your mind wander.

These mindfulness breaks are like a little oasis for your busy brain.

The principle is the same one I come back to with everything: a little, often. Five minutes of quiet three times a day will do more for your sleep than a 30-minute meditation practice once a week.

Something to try this week: pick one moment in your day and cut everything out. No audio, no screen, no input. And notice what happens when you give your brain some space.

Then see if anything shifts in your sleep 💤

Sweet dreams,

Clem