Waking up suddenly (hypnic jerk) damages our brain and entire body in more ways than you can imagine. When one experiences lack of sufficient sleep, not only do we feel more exhausted, we are severely hurting out brain.
The reason you're not getting enough sleep could be manifold - a little baby, a party at the neighbors' or intrusive thoughts about your problems. But do not underestimate the amount of sleep you need every single day.
Frequently waking causes severe damage to the brain, the most serious consequences of which you can find out below.
If you start waking up frequently throughout the night, you have to find out what the problem is right away and resolve it because less than 7 hours of sleep could prove catastrophic.
1. You lose sharpness and wit
Frequent waking at night reduces cognitive functions, while chronic fatigue will affect your adequacy. This is not a good thing at all, especially if you drive during the day. Additionally you'll perform worse at work and find it more difficult to take in new information.
2. Memory lapses occur
The lack of the proper amount of sleep makes it impossible for one to gather new information and systematize it. This could also be why you find it harder to remember certain things, to study and to develop new skills.
3. Bad protein accumulates
When sleep is discontinued, harmful amyloidal proteins accumulate in the brain, which have been linked to Alzheimer's disease. This accumulation can be seen using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.
4. You become more irritable
Besides from a health perspective, waking up in the middle of the night affects your mood. You become irritable and more petulant, while your patience threshold plummets, in turn increasing anxiety and the risk of developing depression.
