Waking up briefly at night is actually normal. This can be due to the transition from one sleep phase to another. You may not remember it the next day. However, if you wake up at night and have difficulty getting back to sleep then you may have trouble sleeping through.

When is waking up at night a problem?

Depending on the sleep phase you are in, you can easily wake up. During falling asleep, for example, you are very susceptible to this. Also during light sleep, you do not yet sleep deeply enough and you wake up easily. In fact, it is only during deep sleep that you are very difficult to wake up.

If you wake up during your deep sleep, you usually feel confused and need time o realize where you are. People with sleep problems often don't reach that deep sleep, or don't reach it long enough. Then, during rem sleep, you may be startled awake again by a nightmare.

It is normal to wake briefly between each sleep phase. Often, you can't even remember it the next day.

So waking up briefly at night is perfectly normal. However, it is also possible that you do not immediately catch up on your sleep, or sometimes even that you lie tossing and turning in your bed for hours. When it becomes really annoying, one speaks of sleeping through problems.

Just like difficulty falling asleep, problems with sound sleep can eventually lead to insomnia. However, this is only diagnosed when someone has trouble sleeping three nights a week and also experiences discomfort during the day. This can manifest itself in feeling tired during the day, irritability, poor concentration, etc.

Explanations for oversleeping problems

Besides the fact that it is normal to wake up briefly between different sleep cycles, there are also a number of possible explanations for why you do not fall asleep again immediately:

The hectic pace of the day can cause you to lie in bed at night brooding. When you wake up for a moment, your to-do list pops through your head again and you can start to fret.

Stress and anxiety are closely related to this. If you are stressed during the day, there is a good chance that it will also be a hindrance at night. Waking up from a light sleep and not being able to fall asleep because of worrying is not unusual.

Emotional events can be a reason for waking up at night. For example, these events may be the subject of a nightmare.

Those with disturbed biorhythms may also wake up from a short hibernation and then not be able to get back to sleep. This has to do with the disturbed production of melatonin. A disturbed biorhythm occurs, for example, with jet lag or with people who work in shifts.

What you eat and drink also has an influence on your sleeping pattern. Just think of coffee and alcohol. Alcohol makes you fall asleep easily, but has a negative impact on your rem sleep.

Finally, poor sleep hygiene can also cause you to wake up at night. Give your body rhythm and regularity and you will get a good night's sleep in its place.

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