WASO

WASO (wake after sleep onset) is defined as an unwanted wake or waking period after sleep onset. By definition, sleep must continue after the wake in order for it to count as a WASO. A wake after sleep onset, after which sleep does not continue, is called a premature wake.

Cause

WASOs occur more frequently during polyphasic adaptation, and are thought to be caused by the brain figuring out the new behavioral state times. In this framework, they are thought to cause no problems and are viewed as a part of polyphasic adaptation.

In addition, there are people with the natural tendency to wake up at night, staying awake for 2-3 hours, and then falling back asleep. People experiencing this frequently are naturally inclined to dual core schedules. In addition, it has been observed that humans automatically develop a segmented sleep schedule, without the need for alarms or other restrictions, if the duration of the dark period is about 14h long.

Furthermore, WASOs can be caused by bad sleep hygiene, including caffeine consumption, as well as by advanced age.

Effects

Typically, WASOs reduce sleep quality dramatically, making them a frequently used parameter for sleep quality in scientific research. Nevertheless, WASOs can cause the opposite effect, namely better sleep quality, if the gap between the WASO and the next sleep onset is 2-3h long, and only if the dark period is not interrupted and sleep is not restricted by an alarm.

Conditions

On monophasic, WASO is a common issue. Those, who often wake up at night, may find polyphasic schedules with a higher segmentation more natural. This includes dual core, tri core schedules, as well as QC0. Other schedules with only short cores and naps, such as E3, are also possible. Nap only schedules can fit in extreme cases as well (e.g. inability to stay asleep for more than ~20 minutes at a time).

On polyphasic, WASO often is a sign of the repartitioning and ongoing adaptation. It is supposed to disappear mostly after being adapted.

Waking up during sleep frequently may be a sign of the low sleep quality, at well as a sign of different sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea.

References

Adaptation to Polyphasic Sleep Mechanism Basics Theory SWS rebound REM rebound SOREM SOSWS Repartitioning Wake time reduction WASO Methods Cold turkey Naptation Gradual adaptation Recovery Reverse gradual adaptation Stages Model Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Symptoms Insomnia Awareness during sleep Premature wakes Sleep inertia Wake time programming Failure Stage 3/4 loop Oversleep syndrome Unstable adaptation