Why your body wakes you up five minutes before your alarm
You may have stumbled across the term 'circadian rhythm' before. It keeps you energised in the morning and drowsy in the evening, prompting sleep.
It's essentially a 24 hour-internal clock controlled by a part of your hypothalamus in your brain, called the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
It loves routine. If you go to bed and wake up at the same time every night, your body will become accustomed to that behaviour.
Your sleep cycle is also regulated by certain proteins, the levels of which rise and fall throughout the day, affecting blood pressure and heart rate.
They'll also affect your attention and cognitive ability - you'll get sleepier. If you follow a routine, your body learns to increase the levels of these proteins (PER) in time for your alarm.
They'll start increasing an ...