It is common for several people to wake up in the middle of the night only to struggle falling back to sleep again. A former nutritionist who has now turned into a health guru on social media says this could be because of a health condition. Dr Eric Berg DC says if you find yourself waking up frequently in the middle of the night, especially between 2 and 3 am, it could be because of cortisol, a hormone triggered by stress.

Dr Berg has 13 million subscribers on his YouTube channel and is known for his knowledge of healthy ketosis and intermittent fasting.

He says that cortisol can wreak havoc and greatly affect our sleep. When people wake up in the middle of the night, it might be because of a spike in cortisol. This causes people not only to wake up but also leads to disturbed sleep frequently.

Dr Berg talks about how he underwent the same and struggled to get good sleep for years. He says people with wayward cortisol levels due to stress should get their magnesium levels checked. A lack of it can be the reason for problems with sleep patterns.