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Why You Keep Waking Up at Night and How to Fix It

Grounded in studies of stress, light exposure, medical conditions, new expert guidelines prioritize personalized routines to prevent night-time awakenings.

Overview

  • Sleep maintenance insomnia is marked by repeated nocturnal awakenings linked to stress, anxiety, depression and psychophysiological hyperarousal.
  • Quality of rest is assessed by sleep latency, number of awakenings, wake time after onset and sleep efficiency, according to U.S. Sleep Foundation guidelines.
  • Medical issues such as sleep apnea, acid reflux and nighttime urination provoke abrupt arousals that disrupt continuous sleep and contribute to daytime fatigue.
  • Specialists warn that blue-light exposure from screens before bed elevates cortisol and delays melatonin release, reducing deep and REM sleep phases.
  • Personalized sleep hygiene—including fixed schedules, screen curfews, morning exercise, cool dark bedrooms and pre-sleep relaxation—is key to restoring uninterrupted rest.