Overview
- Waking around 3–4 a.m. is common and often reflects normal sleep-cycle mechanics, as arousal tends to rise after completing 90–120 minute cycles.
- Aging typically shortens deep sleep and makes rest more fragile, increasing the likelihood of brief awakenings without indicating illness.
- Specialists advise avoiding clock-checking and screens, using relaxation breathing, getting out of bed briefly if wakefulness persists, and maintaining consistent schedules.
- Short daytime naps of about 10–20 minutes can boost alertness without grogginess, whereas 60–90 minute naps may repay sleep debt but risk sleep inertia or nighttime disruption if mistimed.
- Persistent fragmented sleep can impair mood, attention and cardiometabolic health, and evaluation is warranted if returning to sleep becomes difficult with the defined frequency and duration.