The 4 A.M. Mystery
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
An early morning email with a blog post idea from Ella. “My circadian clock woke me at 4:30 a.m. again. I scrolled through Facebook and came across this. It might be an interesting subject to write about.”
A life story written in the wee hours by Sarah. “Wrapped in a shawl, drinking a cup of tea, I stared into the darkness desperate for dawn to appear. This nudged a memory so I settled by the fire and began writing.”
Before even looking at my iPhone, I know it will read 4:02 a.m. Almost every night for weeks has been the same. I wake with an ache in the pit of my stomach. I am tired and have no desire to get up. And so I lie there for an hour, sometimes three, as silky tendrils slink and twist around my thoughts, wrapping them in darkness.
Recently, my husband also wakes in these early hours, although not as frequently. He wraps his arms around me and we voice the disturbing thoughts keeping us awake. I have heard of similar waking patterns from friends and you, Ageless Possibilities readers.
In my fifties, I woke at this time almost every day. I would lie there imagining horrific things happening to my daughters and husband. My later years looked bleak as I saw myself living in a shelter under a bridge with no retirement savings. An apocalyptic, cruel future awaited my children, my grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I would rationalize, knowing I would not feel this doom and gloom in the morning. But there was no escaping those thoughts at 4 a.m.
These days I know why I am consumed by hopelessness and foreboding in the early morning hours. But why at 4:02 a.m.?
Stress and anxiety. Both raise the level of cortisol in our bodies. Cortisol is the hormone that helps us feel alert and ready to take action, the opposite of what we want for sleep.
Aging. As we age melatonin production slows and we experience changes to our circadian rhythm, making it difficult to keep our internal clock on track. So as we age, the normal sleep cycle becomes shorter, and we spend less time in deep sleep.
Hormones. Hormonal changes can contribute to sleep disturbances. Menopause is associated with an increase in sleep complaints and an increase in the prevalence of sleep disorders.
THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF WAKING AT 4 A.M.
The dark. Some believe the witching hour, between 3 and 4 a.m., is the time of night when the veil between life and death is thinnest. This is when spirits and ghosts can travel between two worlds. This is when the living are more sensitive to the spirits of the dead. Others believe that witches and psychics are more powerful at this time of night.
The phrase witching hour was first recorded around 1835, though the origins seem to be from 1535 when the Catholic Church forbade activities during the 3 and 4 a.m. window due to rising concerns about witchcraft in Europe.
The light. In Hinduism, a spiritual meaning and deep significance is applied to each hour when one wakes between midnight to five in the morning. It is believed that each hour has a distinct spiritual frequency that can provide insights into your subconscious mind and energy blockages.
The hours between 3:30 and 4:30 in the morning are referred to as Brahma Muhurat. This is a very auspicious time for spiritual activities including meditation, prayer, and introspection. For spiritual connection, it is believed that the universe's energy is at its highest and the mind is at peace. Waking at 4 a.m. is a representation of solidity and foundation, a reminder to remain grounded and focus on your core beliefs and values.
The dark. The light. I wonder how I would feel at this god-forsaken early hour if I approached it from a place of spirituality instead of sorcery?
THE MOST PRODUCTIVE HOUR
The Wall Street Journal calls 4 a.m. the most productive hour, citing powerhouses of industry who swear by getting up early to avoid distractions. Performance artist and poet Rives even has a TedTalk about the 4 a.m. mystery that folds in song lyrics, headlines, and history in a humorous look at this early morning hour. Worth watching if you want a chuckle!
Now, I cannot imagine having a career where I have to start work that early in the morning. But then I think of the creativity I sometimes feel in the early morning. When I do drag myself out of bed and start to write, the words flow and I write and write!
Novelist and playwright Edna O’Brien worked in the early morning, "because one is nearer to the unconscious, the source of inspiration”.
Writer Haruki Murakami shares that when he is in writing mode for a novel, he gets up at 4 a.m. and works for 4 to 5 hours. In the afternoon, he runs or swims, then reads and listens to music. Then he goes to bed early. “I keep to this routine every day without variation. The repetition becomes the important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism. I mesmerize myself to reach a deeper state of mind,” he shares. He has even wrote a novel about “the magical hours separating midnight from dawn.”
Maybe it’s time I shift my approach to the witching hour!