If you find yourself waking up at 3am and not being able to go back to sleep, it may look something like this:

It's Thursday night and you're falling asleep to The Office. You haven't been getting much sleep lately and tonight is the night where you feel exhausted beyond belief. After 10 minutes, you doze off into a very deep sleep.

After a couple of dreams and one nightmare, you find yourself awake, looking around your darkened room while your mind fills will all sorts of thoughts, mostly bad, as well as a long list of everything you need to do, but haven't gotten around to yet.

Many people experience waking up at 3 a.m. and not understanding what it might mean, leaving them to wonder whether there is a physical issue going on, or if there is some deep spiritual meaning to consider.

Why do I keep waking up at 3 a.m.?

Sleep experts in the medical realm say the most common reason for waking up at 3 a.m. is that this is the time of night when most of us enter the REM stage of our sleep cycle, which is when we dream. If you wake up at this time, it could be due to anxiety dreams. Other factors that can disrupt sleep include stress, insomnia, aging, certain medications, sleep apnea or neuropathy, as well as certain lifestyle choices. Consult a physician or therapist if you have reason to believe the cause might be physical or emotional.

That said, if medical factors have been ruled out it's worth knowing the spiritual meanings behind waking up at this specific hour of the night.

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If you are asking yourself this question, there are some spiritual meanings that may explain why you keep waking up at 3 a.m. or roughly the same time each night. Waking up at certain times of the night, specifically between the hours of 2 a.m. - 5 a.m., can mean so many interesting things.

Spiritual Meanings of Waking Up at 3 A.M.

1. The most common explanation for waking up at 3 a.m. is that you are having a spiritual awakening!

Yes, that's right. Some say that 3 a.m. is the hour where the spiritual world and the physical world are weak. Maybe something from the spiritual world wants your attention or maybe your guardian angel is trying to alert you of important news.

2. You may also wake up at 3 am because you are experiencing incredible sadness.

During these hours, it is commonly associated with an overwhelming feeling of sadness. You may wake up during this time because of your subconscious feeling down because of something that you have been experiencing.

The best thing for you to do if this is how you're feeling is to try to find the reason why you've been feeling sad. Before you go to bed, engage in activities that bring joy into your life.

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3. You might be coming back from the dream world via Astral Projection.

Another common meaning of waking up at 3am is Astral Projection. You've probably heard about this term once or twice but like me, you probably haven't gone deep into investigating what this phenomenon actually is.

Astral Projection is an out of body experience and is described as a wakeful dream mixed with a near death experience.

These experiences can be life-changing, and are proven true when people reveal things they learned during astral projection that they couldn't have known any other way.

RELATED: What Your Sleep Schedule Really Says About Your Personality

4. You may need to go easier on yourself.

You may be very hard on yourself and the work you produce, and this may be a sign for you to ease up on yourself!

Not everything about you or your life has to be perfect. You place yourself and others on high pedestals but once either of the two do not meet those expectations, it frustrates you incredibly.

For this reason, you may have trust issues with a lot of people who enter your life. Even though you know not everyone will betray you, there is something deep down that says otherwise.

5. Your guardian angels may be trying to contact you.

If you have ever woken up at 3:33 a.m., this may be a sign that your guardian angel is trying to contact you!

All those things you have been praying or manifesting is now coming back to you, in the spiritual form!

How awesome is it to have your very own angel coming to you in a time of vulnerability to help you understand why you may be thinking of some of these things?

RELATED: What The Time You Go To Sleep Reveals About Who You Are

Destiny Duprey is a multifaceted artist known for her soulful music and insightful writing on spirituality, personal growth, and relationships.