Dear Patient,
Why does it always happen at 3AM? You like awake, exhausted yet fully alert, while every problem, every stressor, every regret of yesterday and worry for tomorrow bears down as you stare at the ceiling, wishing in vain for sleep. Everything feels catastrophic at 3AM. The world’s problems beckon to be solved by you, and only you, right now, at 3AM. Why??
3AM is an interesting time in Traditional Chinese Medicine. According to the TCM body clock, 1-3AM is when Liver energy is most predominant, while 3-5AM belongs to the Lungs. So 3AM sits at the intersection of these two systems.
TCM texts sometimes refer to the Liver as the “general,” because it’s responsible for planning, directing and organizing. The natural cycles of the body, as well as forward momentum in your life, unfold under the direction of the Liver. The Liver is all about executing the plan. The primary function of the Lungs is to take in fresh qi from your surroundings and disseminate it to the rest of the body. The Lungs give us a fresh start. Through exhalation we release what we no longer need, and inhalation is a new beginning.
At 3AM, the Liver should be winding down in preparation for the Lungs to become predominant. But the Liver has a hard time handing over control if things aren’t going according to plan. It continues to bark orders, when it should be powering down. The Lungs represent the start of the body clock, and 3AM is when the body is awakening to the possibilities of a new day. But the Liver might not be ready for that. So it holds on. And you lie awake.
Nighttime rituals like prayer, journaling and meditation can help ease the Liver, allowing you to let go of one day, so the next can begin fresh. Give your Liver the rest it needs—there will still be plenty to do tomorrow.
Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist
What an interesting post. I never knew any of this. It makes me wonder about several spiritual teachers - Wayne Dyer and Joel Goldsmith are two of them - who used to wake around 3:00-3:15 AM and said it was a great time to receive spiritual messages. Do you see any reason how this might fit in with what you're writing?
So fascinating! I've been waking up at 2:30 am a LOT lately. Maybe this is why. I'll have to try journaling before bed to see if this helps. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!