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Wake after Sleep Onset

Meaning

Wake after Sleep Onset (WASO) is a key polysomnographic and clinical metric that quantifies the total amount of time a person spends awake after initially falling asleep and before the final morning awakening. It is a direct and objective measure of sleep maintenance, reflecting the fragmentation and overall quality of nighttime rest. Elevated WASO is a hallmark indicator of chronic insomnia and is often linked to underlying physiological disturbances, including nocturnal hormonal dysregulation.