Sleep Myth Monday: Nighttime Wakings

This is the latest installment of a regular feature here at SleepBetter.org: Sleep Myth Monday, where we bust sleep myths wide open, or verify that they’re actually not myths at all.

Myth or Truth: Waking up multiple times in the middle of the night is completely normal.

TRUTH

Wakings or partial wakings several times per night are completely normal. According to one study, in fact, we wake up an average of 12 times per night! The kicker is that we don’t remember most of them.  What can be problematic, however, is waking in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep.  If that’s happening to you, then you should examine your sleep environment (bedding, temperature, darkness of your room, etc.) and consider discussing the problem with your family physician or a sleep specialist.