I remember reading that the natural sleep cycle is actually interrupted in the middle of the night. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/09/health/sleep-history-well

I remember reading that the natural sleep cycle is actually interrupted in the middle of the night. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/09/health/sleep-history-wellness-scn/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/09/health/sleep-history-well... I'm speculating that this happens: You're very aware of your sleep, keeping your bedtimes. You're getting older. As people get older, they tend to require less sleep. You've not adjusted your bedtime to fit with your decreased need for sleep. You might want to embrace the change, if you can, go to bed a bit earlier, in anticipation for waking up, then spend the time guilt-free, doing something you enjoy, maybe a low intensity activity, or some chores that you didn't do during the day. My own sleep is pretty normal, I have trouble falling asleep, but when I do sleep, I sleep well until I have to wake up for a trip to the bathroom, if I do this quickly enough, I won't have trouble falling asleep again.