Awake Sleep Stage
% of time in bed
Percentage of time in bed spent awake, including brief arousals and wake-after-sleep-onset periods.
Typical optimal range 2% - 8%
Population median 7%
Key factors
- Stress and anxiety
- Noise and light disruptions in the sleep environment
- Caffeine timing
What affects this metric
- Nighttime bathroom trips are a leading cause of wake time after sleep onset.
- Untreated apnea events cause repeated brief awakenings.
- Alcohol increases awakenings in the second half of the night.
- Caffeine within eight hours of bed raises wake time.
- Noise, light, room temperature, and a full bladder all fragment sleep.
References
Peer-reviewed sources supporting the key factors, contributing factors, and typical optimal range shown above.
- Ohayon M, Wickwire EM, Hirshkowitz M, et al.. National Sleep Foundation's sleep quality recommendations: first report. Sleep Health. 2017;3(1):6–19. doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2016.11.006
- Ohayon MM, Carskadon MA, Guilleminault C, Vitiello MV. Meta-analysis of quantitative sleep parameters from childhood to old age in healthy individuals. Sleep. 2004;27(7):1255–1273. doi.org/10.1093/sleep/27.7.1255
- Drake C, Roehrs T, Shambroom J, Roth T. Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2013;9(11):1195–1200. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.3170
- Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB. Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 2013;37(4):539–549. doi.org/10.1111/acer.12006
- Kapur VK, Auckley DH, Chowdhuri S, et al.. Clinical practice guideline for diagnostic testing for adult obstructive sleep apnea: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2017;13(3):479–504. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6506
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your clinician about your own results.