If you’ve ever found yourself staring at the ceiling at 3 a.m., you’re not alone. While occasional night wakings are normal, a pattern of rising at this hour—“especially with a restless heart and mind”—may carry deeper meaning.

Biologically, we cycle through light, deep, and REM sleep. Early morning often brings natural awakenings. Stress can worsen this: “Cortisol—often called the ‘stress hormone’—may surge, raising heart rate and alertness when we most need stillness.” Yet, sometimes the waking isn’t panic—it’s a quiet pull, a sense of being called.

Across cultures, the hours before dawn hold spiritual significance. Monks and mystics often rose at this time by choice. In Islam, “The Lord descends in the last third of the night and says, ‘Who is calling upon Me, that I may answer them?’” Many feel this time carries a stillness unlike any other—“maybe your soul is, too.”

Sufi teachings suggest restlessness can be a messenger. Imam al-Ghazali wrote that the heart has its own illnesses—anxiety, attachment, pride, sorrow—that manifest in the silence of night. Rather than forcing sleep, we might ask: “What am I being shown right now?”

Physical habits matter—regular sleep, avoiding screens, alcohol, and heavy meals—but so does tending the soul. As one Sufi saying goes: “Your body sleeps. Your eyes sleep. But your heart… it may still be awake.”