Why do some people wake up easily during sleep?

For some people, loud noise may disturb their sleep. But for others, it may be easy to wake up if you hear a low sound, such as when the room lights are on or are touched a little. Why does this happen?

A short nap and a deep sleep can go together

During sleep, you experience cyclesrapid eye movement(REM) andnon-rapid eye movement(NREM) alternately and repeats every 90 minutes. You spend about 75 percent of the night in NREM sleep, which is made up of four sleep stages.

The first stage or the phase between waking and falling asleep, which is considered a short nap because it is easy to wake up. Deeper sleep begins in the second stage, when your breathing and heart rate become regular and your body temperature drops.

The third and fourth stages are the deepest stages of sleep, in which breathing slows down, muscles relax, and tissue growth and repair occurs.

After passing through the NREM cycle, you will then enter the REM cycle. This cycle occurs when your eye moves rapidly from left to right and vice versa. It is in this cycle that you have a dream, the activity of the waves in the brain increases, your heart rate and blood pressure increase closer to the state when you wake up.

In general, adults do experience more NREM stages, which lead to less and less restful sleep. Meanwhile, during sleep, children tend to experience more REM, so they are easy to fall asleep in their sleep.

However, experts say the difference between a short and deep sleep is probably largely subjective. A person who sleeps eight hours a night may sleep no more soundly than a person who sleeps six hours.

So, what causes a person to wake up easily?

It is easy to wake up when you hear this low sound which is called a short nap orlight sleep. This state of sleep only occurs in some people, because everyone reacts differently to sounds and other stimuli during sleep.

Although not everyone is easily awakened by the same cause, some experts claim that this may be influenced by genetic factors, lifestyle, and sleep disorders. In addition, several studies have shown that differences in brain wave activity during sleep can also lead to napping or deep sleep.

Brain activity during sleep

Research published in 2010, showed that people's responses to noise during sleep were related to their level of brain activity (sleep spindle).

Researchers found that people who always sleep have high brain activity, are more likely to sleep loudly without waking up at all. However, this still requires further research.

Have a sleep disorder

Some sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), can also play a role in napping or sleeping light sleep by causing waking up throughout the night from irregular breathing.

If you have certain sleep disorders, you should immediately consult a doctor so that your sleep schedule is not disturbed and messy.

Unhealthy lifestyle

However, in most cases, factors under your own control affect the quality of sleep you get. There are many problems related to lifestyle, drugs, alcohol, and caffeine that can make sleep only brief or wake up easily.

Try to start healthy sleep habits by maintaining a regular sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.

Also, limit your use of caffeine and alcohol, and sleep in a cool, dark, and quiet room. In addition, make it a habit to turn off the television, cell phone 30 minutes before bed. This can help you sleep better and be less distracted.