Deluded sense of self at three o'clock in the morning.

 

Why we wake up at 3am and end up dwelling on our worries instead of sleeping

By Liv Clarke and Daniel Smith, Manchester Evening News 

"...Professor Murray adds: “Have you noticed the 3am thoughts are very self-focused? In the quiet dark, it’s easy to slide unknowingly into a state of extreme egocentricity. Circling round the concept “I”, we can generate painful backwards-looking feelings like guilt or regret. Or turn our tired thoughts to the always uncertain future, generating baseless fears.

“Buddhism has a strong position on this type of mental activity: the self is a fiction, and that fiction is the source of all distress. Many of us now practise Buddhist-informed mindfulness to manage stress in the daytime; I use mindfulness to deal with 3am wakings..."

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