How Often Should You Wake Up At Night? We Asked A Sleep Specialist

The good news is, it's completely normal to wake up during the middle of the night, even more than once. As Tal explains to mbg, this actually used to be the norm. Before the Industrial Revolution, he says, "We would go to bed a little bit earlier than we do nowadays, and we would basically wake up in the middle of the night, go to the bathroom, hang out, maybe have a cup of tea, and then go back to sleep and sleep in a little bit."

When we began consolidating our sleep post–Industrial Revolution, he adds, is when more sleep issues rose to prominence. However, he says, waking up in the middle of the night doesn't necessarily mean you're losing out on deep sleep: "Usually you're waking up between stages of sleep, so you're not really interrupting anything." It's easier to wake up during light sleep (stages 1 or 2), from a noise or the need to pee for example, and that's completely normal, he says.

First, make sure your bedroom temperature is around 65 degrees—any warmer and you'll be more prone to restlessness and nightmares, according to research. You also want to be careful about drinking too much water before bed.

Finally, targeted sleep-supporting supplements, such as mbg's sleep support+, which combines magnesium bisglycinate, jujube, and PharmaGABA®, can help you get deeper and more rejuvenating sleep with fewer wakeups.*

Those who have tried the product agree, with one reviewer noting, "As a mom, I thought waking up throughout the night was normal. Fast-forward to now; my children are grown and married; [I'm] still waking up throughout the night. sleep support+ provides a full, wonderful night's sleep for me."*