Ideal Range
0-2 brief awakenings per night is normal. More than 3-4 or prolonged awakenings indicate fragmented sleep.
Related Metrics
What is Awakenings?
Awakenings are the number of times you wake up during the night. Brief awakenings are normal, but frequent or prolonged awakenings fragment sleep and reduce quality.
Why Awakenings Matters
Frequent awakenings prevent completion of full sleep cycles, reducing deep sleep and REM. Even if total time in bed is adequate, fragmented sleep leads to daytime fatigue, cognitive impairment, and poor recovery.
How to Improve Awakenings
Common Mistakes
- Ignoring signs of sleep apnea
- Drinking too much water before bed
- Alcohol disrupting sleep in the second half of the night
- Bright or flickering lights in the bedroom
- Partner disturbances (snoring, movement)
The Science
Brief awakenings between sleep cycles are normal and often not remembered. However, the brain needs uninterrupted time to progress through full 90-minute sleep cycles. Sleep apnea can cause dozens of micro-awakenings per hour as the body rouses to restore breathing. Even without full consciousness, these arousals prevent deep sleep and REM from accumulating.
Other Sleep Metrics
Deep Sleep
Deep sleep, also called slow-wave sleep (SWS) or N3 sleep, is the most restorati...
Ideal: 1.5-2 hours (15-25% of total sleep) for
REM Sleep
REM sleep is characterized by rapid eye movements, vivid dreams, and temporary m...
Ideal: 1.5-2 hours (20-25% of total sleep) for
HRV
Heart Rate Variability measures the variation in time between heartbeats. Higher...
Ideal: Highly individual - track your personal
Sleep Efficiency
Sleep efficiency is the percentage of time in bed that you actually spend sleepi...
Ideal: 85-95% for healthy adults. Above 95% mig