If you find yourself routinely stirring at 3am, gazing up at the ceiling when you ought to be sound asleep, rest assured you're in good company. It's an exasperating experience, especially when you've got an important day looming and need to feel refreshed.

Mike Wakeman, researcher, pharmacist and the mastermind behind Evera Nutrition, explained this wasn't an uncommon occurrence. For some people, he noted, it's a sporadic issue, while for others it crops up more frequently, especially during stressful periods, hormonal fluctuations or due to subpar sleep routines.

He warned it could, in the long run, impact energy levels, emotional wellbeing and metabolic function.

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Mike said: “Although compounds associated with sleep, such as melatonin and GABA, usually peak around this time helping to keep us in deep sleep, this is also when the body begins preparing to wake, with levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline slowly starting to rise. If something disrupts the balance, it can trigger waking at this exact time.

“Nutrition matters because the brain runs almost entirely on glucose. If your diet doesn’t provide steady fuel (or key nutrients needed to regulate blood sugar and stress hormones), the body is more likely to trigger this overnight alarm system.

"If blood sugar drops too low while you’re asleep (which can happen after a high-sugar dinner, alcohol, or not eating enough protein, fibre, or healthy fats), the body releases cortisol and adrenaline to bring levels back up. Those hormones can jolt you awake, typically between 2am and 4am and make it hard to fall back asleep.

“Traditional sleep medications can force sedation - but they often alter natural sleep architecture and aren’t ideal for long-term use. Instead, many sleep specialists now advocate supporting the body’s own chemistry. It’s this gap that led myself and the team of scientists at Evera Nutrition to develop Evera Nutrition’s Deep Sleep formulation - a blend of magnesium, vitamin D, folate, L-theanine and calming botanicals designed to support melatonin production and regulate overnight stress responses."

Vitamins and minerals shown to improve sleep

Mike added: “Several vitamins and minerals now have clinical evidence linking them to better sleep. Magnesium has been shown to reduce early-morning waking and improve sleep efficiency in trials, while correcting low levels of vitamin D and folate has been linked to better sleep quality and longer sleep duration. These nutrients play key roles in regulating melatonin, calming the nervous system and stabilising the body’s overnight stress response. Clinical trials suggest the amino acid L-theanine can improve sleep efficiency and reduce nighttime disturbances by calming the nervous system and lowering stress-related brain activity.

“However, in the UK around one in five adults are vitamin D deficient, rising to 31% in winter and about one in six have persistently low levels. UK data also suggests more than one in 10 adults have magnesium intakes below recommended levels. Findings also show low blood levels of folate appear across many age groups."

Herbs can boost sleep, too

Mike said: “Herbs such as chamomile, lemon balm and passionflower contain gentle plant compounds that can calm the nervous system and reduce nighttime stress responses that contribute to early waking. Tart cherry provides natural melatonin to support staying asleep and has been shown to extend sleep time in insomnia studies. Other botanicals like ziziphus (Chinese date seed) improved sleep quality in placebo-controlled trials and hawthorn and saffron appear to calm the nervous system and support mood-related sleep pathways.

"Together, they may help reduce early-morning waking by promoting deeper, more stable sleep and reducing overnight stress responses. New Deep Sleep from Evera Nutrition contains all of the above key nutrients and botanicals, which help to regulate sleep. Plus, it’s suitable for long-term use as there are no sleep cycle or sleep architecture disruptions that can often occur with commonly used medications.

“Alongside these key nutrients, foods such as tryptophan-rich proteins, omega-3 fats and complex carbohydrates may help prevent early-morning waking by supporting steady blood sugar, calming the nervous system and strengthening natural sleep hormone production.”