Awakenings and the return to sleep in an older population.

The return-to-sleep latencies of 36 older females were examined and compared to latencies of a younger population in an effort to further understand the awakenings within sleep associated with aging. Results indicate that in addition to an increase in spontaneous arousals, the time necessary for the return to sleep is also extended as a function of aging. It is suggested that two semi-independent patterns may be found in arousals: frequent, short arousal and infrequent awakenings of longer duration.