My cluttered bedroom was fuelling my 3 a.m wake ups — a board-certified sleep doctor explains why, plus 3 easy steps to breaking the cycle

The image shows a cluttered bedroom, full of piles of clothing and miscellaneous items spilling out of bags and boxes. Inset in a circle in the top left is an image with a woman lying in bed awake in the middle of the night with her hands over her face in frustration. .

You might not have connected the dots between the piles of clothes you’re yet to put away and waking up at 3 a.m. However, a messy bedroom full of clutter can increase your nighttime anxiety, which is a common cause of unwelcome wakeups.

And I should know. For months, I’ve been waking up at 3 a.m. due to a combination of hormone fluctuations and debilitating nighttime anxiety. But until now, I hadn’t paused to consider how a house move and subsequent renovation had impacted my sleep.