I went from a sleep score of 100 to waking up at 3am — and experts say it’s down to this common nighttime mistake

The image shows a man lying in bed with his eyes open and his arm resting on the top of his head. A digital clock beside him shows the time is 3AM.

Ever find yourself wide awake at 3 am, staring at the ceiling, calculating how many hours left until your alarm rings? You’re not alone. In fact, over a third of Americans report frequent nocturnal awakenings.

But what you do when you find yourself awake is critical to whether you’ll drift straight back off, or stay awake tossing and turning. And I should know. Despite being armed with a raft of sleep tips from leading experts, I've found myself joining the dreaded 3am club this winter — and it's all down to one crucial nighttime mistake I'm making.

Here, I speak to Kasryn Kapp, a licensed counsellor specialising in sleep, and Lauri Leadley, a clinical sleep educator, to find out why I’m waking up at 3am — what I can do to fall back to sleep quickly.