By Roy, founder Last updated 30 September 2026
Yes, a few can help. In Australia the options with trial evidence behind them are magnesium glycinate, glycine and L-theanine, all sold without a script. The evidence is modest, so start with whatever is waking you: alcohol wearing off, a full bladder, a warm room, a busy head, or hormone changes in your 40s and 50s. Melatonin needs a pharmacist or a prescription here, and a free online CBT program is what Healthdirect points to when habits alone have not worked.
If you want all three in one drink, Settl, an Australian nightly sleep powder, puts 3,000mg of glycine, 200mg of L-theanine and 730mg of magnesium glycinate in one scoop, with an electrolyte layer and no melatonin. The rest of this page goes through each of those with the doses, the evidence and the Australian rules, so you can pick one on purpose.
Is waking at 3am normal?
Yes. Waking briefly during the night is normal. Staying awake for an hour is the part worth fixing.
Sleep runs in cycles of roughly 90 minutes, and adults usually get through five or six of them a night. Researchers at Flinders University put it plainly: it is entirely normal to wake up briefly at the end of each cycle, which can mean waking five times a night, and that number tends to rise with age.
The shape of the night explains the 3am timing. Most deep sleep happens in the first half. The second half has more dreaming sleep and lighter sleep, so by 3am you are surfacing from a shallow cycle. Anything slightly off gets a vote: heat, a full bladder, a thought about tomorrow. At 11pm you would sleep through it. At 3am you wake up and stay up. We go through the cycle maths in why sleep comes in cycles.
That is also why a product that helps you drop off at 10pm may do nothing for 3am. Getting to sleep and staying asleep go wrong for different reasons, which we cover in falling asleep vs staying asleep.
What usually wakes people at 3am?
For most people it is one of five things. Work out which one is yours before you buy anything.
Alcohol wearing off. A 2013 review of every study on alcohol and sleep in healthy adults found the same pattern at all doses: you fall asleep faster, the first half of the night is more settled, and the second half is more broken. Healthdirect's advice is to stop drinking at least 4 hours before bed. More in does a nightcap help you sleep.
A full bladder. The Continence Foundation of Australia lists drinking fluids, caffeine or alcohol before bed as common reasons people wake to go to the toilet, and suggests stopping drinks at least 2 hours before bed without cutting back during the day. If this is your 3am, a big glass of anything at lights-out works against you.
Caffeine later than you think. Healthdirect suggests no tea, coffee or caffeinated soft drink for 3 to 7 hours before bed. A 3pm flat white still counts.
Heat, including hot flushes and night sweats. Healthdirect lists hormone changes around menopause, with hot flushes and night sweats, among the common reasons sleep breaks up. If 3am waking started in your 40s or early 50s and you wake hot, that is worth raising with your GP, and we cover it in sleep in perimenopause. A cooler room helps everyone; see what temperature your bedroom should be.
A busy head and the clock. If this is you most nights, see tired but wired. You wake, check the time, do the maths on hours left, and now you are properly awake. Healthdirect says checking the time can make you more worried about not sleeping, and suggests taking the clock out of the bedroom.
We turned these into a shorter read, with what helps for each, on 5 reasons you keep waking at 3am.
Is there a supplement or drink that helps with waking at 3am?
There are a few with modest evidence, and none of them is strong. Here is how they compare in Australia.
| Option | Where you get it in Australia | What the research shows | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnesium glycinate | Supermarket or chemist, no script | A 2025 trial in 155 adults found a small improvement over placebo after 4 weeks at 250mg elemental magnesium a day | Check the elemental figure on the label, not the compound weight |
| Glycine | Health food stores and online, as powder or capsules | Small human trials used 3g before bed; one found less next-day fatigue after short sleep | An amino acid, not a sedative |
| L-theanine | Chemist and online, as capsules | A 2025 review of 18 trials found small improvements in self-rated sleep quality | Most trials used 200mg to 400mg a day |
| Chamomile tea or extract | Supermarket | The Sleep Health Foundation says there is little convincing evidence it improves sleep | A pleasant ritual. A full cup at bedtime can mean a toilet trip |
| Valerian and other herbal blends | Chemist and health food stores | The Sleep Health Foundation calls the evidence for herbs fairly weak; valerian can take 2 to 3 weeks | Ask a pharmacist if you take other medicines |
| Melatonin | Pharmacist only for adults 55 and over, or for jet lag. Otherwise prescription | A timing signal. Healthdirect says take it 1 to 2 hours before bed and see your doctor after 3 weeks | TGA testing of melatonin bought online found doses well off the label |
| CBT for sleep | Free online through THIS WAY UP, or a psychologist | Healthdirect calls it usually the first treatment to try when habits and relaxation have not helped | Four modules, self-paced over 90 days |
Does magnesium help you stay asleep?
A little, for some people, and the evidence is thinner than the marketing.
The best recent trial is a 2025 randomised, placebo-controlled study of magnesium bisglycinate in 155 adults aged 18 to 65 who reported poor sleep. After four weeks on 250mg of elemental magnesium a day, sleep scores improved more than on placebo, but the authors call the benefit modest and the effect size small. In an exploratory analysis, people who ate less magnesium to begin with seemed to do better. An older review of three small trials in older adults found they fell asleep about 17 minutes faster, and total sleep time did not change by a significant amount.
So magnesium is a reasonable thing to try, especially if your diet is light on it. It is unlikely to change your nights on its own. In Australia the upper level for magnesium from supplements is 350mg a day; our magnesium RDI guide has the full numbers, how to choose a magnesium glycinate covers labels, and magnesium vs melatonin covers which form to buy.
What about glycine and L-theanine?
Both are amino acids, both are sold without a script, and both have small bodies of research at the doses you see on labels.
Glycine trials have mostly used 3g taken before bed. In one, healthy adults whose sleep was cut short for three nights reported less fatigue the next day on glycine than on placebo. Our glycine article goes through the rest.
L-theanine is the amino acid in tea leaves. A 2025 review pooled 18 trials and found small improvements in how well people rated their sleep and how quickly they felt they dropped off, though the authors note that few trials tested L-theanine on its own. A second review, published in 2026, looked at 13 trials, 11 of them randomised, and concluded that 200mg to 450mg a day appears to support sleep in adults, including staying asleep. More in what L-theanine does.
Can I buy melatonin over the counter in Australia?
Only in two narrow cases. According to the TGA, a pharmacist can supply modified-release melatonin of 2mg or less to adults 55 and over, in packs of 30 or fewer, for short-term use. A pharmacist can also supply immediate-release melatonin of 5mg or less to adults 18 and over for jet lag, in packs of 10 or fewer. Every other melatonin product needs a prescription.
Melatonin is mainly a body clock signal. Healthdirect's guidance is to take it 1 to 2 hours before bed, and to see your doctor again if you still need it after three weeks.
Buying it from overseas websites is where the risk sits. The TGA tested imported melatonin products and found many contained far more than the label said, and some contained less or none. The full rules are in is melatonin available over the counter in Australia.
Should I drink water before bed if I wake at 3am?
Drink well through the day and taper off in the evening. If a full bladder wakes you, finish your drinks at least a couple of hours before bed.
Eight hours asleep is the longest you go without water all day, so waking with a dry mouth is common, and reaching for the glass on the bedside table is often what turns a two-second surfacing into being awake. The Continence Foundation's advice covers both ends: do not cut fluids during the day, and stop drinking in the last two hours. We go further into it in hydration and sleep.
Where does Settl fit?
I built Settl because I was taking these ingredients from separate jars every night. It is a food-format drink powder, not a medicine, and it is one option among the ones above.
Each 9g scoop has 3,000mg of glycine, 200mg of L-theanine, 730mg of magnesium glycinate (146mg of elemental magnesium), 900mg of inositol and 50mg of chamomile flower extract. It also has about 1,000mg of sodium (993mg on the panel) and about 200mg of potassium, an electrolyte layer so eight hours without water does not wake you dried out and needing to get up. No melatonin, no caffeine. Packed in Sydney, in a TGA-licensed GMP facility.
To be straight about the doses: the glycine and L-theanine sit at the amounts used in the trials above. The magnesium is lower than the 250mg in the 2025 trial, which leaves room under the 350mg supplement limit if you already take magnesium. The sodium is high, so if a health professional has told you to watch your salt, check with them first. If your 3am is a full bladder, go to the toilet last thing.
When should I see a GP about waking at 3am?
See your GP if you regularly wake up unrefreshed, feel restless in bed, or find that tiredness is affecting your mood. That is Healthdirect's guidance, and a sleep diary of a week or two gives your GP something to work with.
Go sooner if you snore loudly or wake up gasping or choking. Healthdirect says that is worth a doctor's visit in its own right. If you are not sure, the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For ongoing trouble staying asleep, ask about CBT for sleep. THIS WAY UP, run by St Vincent's Hospital Sydney and UNSW, has a free four-module online program you can do on your own or with your GP.
If the 3am wake-ups started in your late 30s or 40s, read I used to be a great sleeper. After menopause, see sleep after menopause.
Common questions
Why do I wake up at exactly 3am? Because by then you are in the lighter half of the night. Most deep sleep happens in the first half of the night, so small things like heat, a full bladder or alcohol wearing off are enough to bring you to the surface.
Is magnesium or melatonin better for waking in the night? They do different jobs. Magnesium is a mineral with small trial results for sleep and is sold anywhere. Melatonin is a timing signal and, in Australia, needs a pharmacist if you are 55 or over, or a prescription otherwise.
What should I do when I wake at 3am and can't get back to sleep? Do not check the time. If you are wide awake, Healthdirect suggests getting up and doing something calm, like reading, away from screens, then going back to bed when you feel sleepy.
Does a drink before bed make 3am waking worse? It can, if it is alcohol or a large glass of anything close to lights-out. Stop alcohol at least 4 hours before bed and other drinks about 2 hours before if your bladder wakes you.
Can I take magnesium and melatonin together? Ask your pharmacist. Melatonin sits behind a pharmacist or a prescription in Australia for a reason, and they can check it against anything else you take. This page is general information, not medical advice.
The short version
Find what is waking you first. Fix alcohol timing, evening drinks, caffeine and the room. If you want a supplement, magnesium glycinate, glycine and L-theanine have modest evidence and need no script. Melatonin needs a pharmacist or a prescription. CBT for sleep is free online.
If you want those three amino acid and mineral doses in one drink, that is what Settl is. Get to sleep faster. Wake less at 3am. Sleep deeper. Wake up refreshed. One scoop in cold water, before bed.
Start For $69.99. Then $89.99 a month. Cancel, pause or skip anytime.
Or buy a single tub, $99 One-time order. Nothing renews.
Cheers, Roy
Sources: Flinders University, "Good sleep" (Reynolds, Dunbar, Micic, Scott, Lovato); Healthdirect, "Sleep" and "How to stop snoring"; Healthdirect, "Melatonin"; TGA, "Regulation of melatonin products in Australia" (26 September 2025); Continence Foundation of Australia, "Nocturia"; Sleep Health Foundation, "Herbal remedies and sleep"; Ebrahim et al, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2013; Schuster et al, Nature and Science of Sleep, 2025; Mah and Pitre, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 2021; Bannai et al, Frontiers in Neurology, 2012; Bulman et al, Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2025; Cotter et al, Nutritional Neuroscience, 2026; THIS WAY UP. This article is general information and isn't medical advice.