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Sleep Onset Latency

Meaning

Sleep Onset Latency (SOL) is a clinical metric defined as the amount of time it takes an individual to transition from full wakefulness to the beginning of sleep, specifically the first stage of non-REM sleep, following the initiation of the sleep attempt. This quantitative measure is a crucial indicator of the efficiency of the sleep initiation process and the degree of underlying physiological and psychological arousal. A prolonged SOL is often a clinical sign of insomnia, hyperarousal, or dysregulation in the circadian and homeostatic sleep drives, which are intrinsically linked to hormonal balance.