Interrupted sleep is when someone is unable to sleep all through the night. It is most noticeable in people who get up out of bed for example, needing to go to the toilet, yet for others they may not even notice they awake briefly during the night. These breaks to a night’s sleep can be short and brief with the person easily falling back to sleep. For others there can be a long period of time, tossing and turning, before going back to sleep.
Interrupted sleep affects the quality of sleep the sleeper is getting as well as the quantity of not enough sleep.
Stress and anxiety can be a major cause of interrupted sleep. Other (non-medical) causes are being a new parent, a care-giver, lifestyle choices (drinking, drugs, staying up late), jet lag, shift work, too much light or noise, a partner snoring and other disturbances (see the section ‘Causes of Sleep Disturbances’ for other possible causes).
If it is particularly troublesome you may need to consult a medical practitioner to check all is ok.
Otherwise the tools for sleep coaching will go a long way in helping someone to get a better uninterrupted night’s sleep.