Doctor reveals '3-2-1 sleep rule' that can stop you from waking up at 3am ever again

A doctor has revealed how a simple rule can help you get better sleep and stop waking up at random times in the middle of the night.

Everyone hopes to get a good night's rest each time they lay their head down on the pillow to go to beddy-bye land, but unfortunately, that simply isn’t the case.

In fact, many of us find ourselves waking up at 3am or around that time to head to the bathroom.

Annoyingly, this can break up what would have been a perfect 8 hours of rest, and the next day can leave you feeling sluggish and tired.

Well, clinical psychologist and sleep specialist Dr Michael Breus revealed a tip on his social media page that might just be what people who are in this situation need.

On his TikTok page, Thesleepdoctor, Breus referred to this method as the 3-2-1 rule and said people should follow it in the evening to ditch this recurring habit.

He said: “Don’t get me wrong, I want you to drink water. However, I think people underestimate how little water they should be drinking before bed and how long before bed we should probably cut off hydration. I've developed a rule that I call the 3-2-1 rule.

“Three hours before bed, stop alcohol. Two hours before bed, stop food. One hour before bed, stop water. Assuming that your doctor says it's okay.

“That's kind of the big fix here. Everyone is different, but capping most fluids one to two hours before bed is the best way to stop those frequent bathroom trips.”

While this could help prevent as many bathroom trips, on the odd times you do find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, there is another issue that can arise, struggling to get back to sleep.

As you might suspect, sleep experts have advice on how to send yourself back to sleep as easily as possible.

Sleep expert at TroubleSleeping.co.uk, Dr Lindsay Browning, spoke to Huffington Post and explained what they do when they find themselves up at less than ideal times.

Browning said: “If I wake during the night, the first thing I avoid doing is checking the time, since this is only likely to increase anxiety and frustration and lead to mental calculations of how long I have slept for, or how much time is left until morning.

“Instead, I give myself some time to calmly try to go back to sleep again, in the knowledge that waking up in the night is perfectly normal and not the sign of a ruined night’s sleep.”

That's certainly something to keep in mind, in case you do find yourself awake in the middle of the night.