Here's a guide to better understand what actually influence staying asleep based on research. This is a completely different area than what influences sleep latency (falling asleep faster) and focuses mostly on Wake After Sleep Onset. I broke this into 5 main areas: nutrition, supplements, exercise, environment, and demographics. Hope you find it useful overall!

I added a plain english explanation column for each row and short definitions to start which I hope helps make it easier to understand each factor. All sources are linked at the bottom.

I know the tables are difficult on mobile so I take all the data to make it into a free tool that lets you explore the data in a more visually appealing way. Here's the page if interested: kygo.app/tools/staying-asleep-factors

Acronyms:
WASO - Wake After Sleep Onset
PSG - Polysomnography
SMD - Standardized Mean Difference
RCT - Randomized Controlled Trial
SWS - Slow Wave Sleep
AHI - Apnea-Hypopnea Index
SWSD - Shift Work Sleep Disorder
HPA - Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (axis)

Nutrition

Factor	Impact	Key Info (study/effect size)	Plain English	Evidence
Dietary Fiber	Decrease Arousals	St-Onge 2016; n=26, PSG, controlled crossover	More fiber = fewer nighttime wake-ups	Strong
Sugar / Refined Carbs	Increase Arousals	St-Onge 2016; n=26, PSG, significant predictor	Sugar directly increased sleep arousals	Strong
Caffeine	Increase WASO +12 min	Gardiner 2023; meta-analysis, 24 studies	Caffeine adds ~12 min of nighttime waking	Strong
Alcohol	Increase Fragmentation	Spadola 2019; Jackson Heart Study, n=785, actigraphy	Sleep breaks apart as alcohol metabolizes	Strong
Late Eating (<1hr)	Increase WASO 2–2.6× odds	Crispim 2022; British J Nutrition, large n	Eating right before bed doubles wake-ups	Moderate
Tart Cherry Juice	Decrease WASO ~17 min	Pigeon 2010; n=15, RCT crossover, insomnia cohort	Cherry juice cut nighttime waking vs placebo	Moderate

Supplements

Factor	Impact	Key Info (study/effect size)	Plain English	Evidence
Melatonin (immediate-release)	No significant WASO effect	Menczel Schrire 2022; meta-analysis of RCTs, Neuropsychopharmacology	Standard melatonin does not help you stay asleep	Strong
Ashwagandha (600mg/day)	Decrease WASO, SMD −0.39	Cheah 2021; meta-analysis, 5 RCTs, n=400 (3 trials/281 for WASO)	Ashwagandha significantly reduced nighttime waking	Strong
Glycine (3g)	Decrease WASO, faster SWS onset	Yamadera 2007; n=11, PSG-measured, crossover	Glycine reduced waking and deepened sleep	Moderate
Magnesium (500mg)	Increase Sleep efficiency (elderly)	Abbasi 2012; RCT, n=46, 8-week, 65+ years	Improved efficiency but no direct WASO data	Limited
L-Theanine (200–450mg)	Mixed WASO results	Systematic review 2025; benefits at 200–450mg/day	Some maintenance benefit but inconsistent alone	Limited
Valerian Root	No consistent WASO benefit	Shinjyo 2020; meta-analysis, 60 studies, n=6894	Subjective improvement only, no objective WASO change	Weak

Exercise

Factor	Impact	Key Info (study/effect size)	Plain English	Evidence
Moderate Aerobic Exercise	Decrease WASO ~10 min	Riedel 2024; meta-analysis of RCTs, insomnia patients	Regular cardio cuts ~10 min of nighttime waking	Strong
Resistance Training	Decrease Sleep disturbance, Increase efficiency	Kovacevic 2018; systematic review, 13 studies, n=652	Strength training improved mid-sleep disturbance	Moderate
Yoga	Decrease WASO ~56 min	Bu 2025; network meta-analysis, 22 RCTs, n=1348	Yoga showed large WASO reduction in insomnia patients	Low
Evening Moderate Exercise	Decrease WASO	Dolezal 2017; systematic review, 34 studies	Moderate evening exercise helps you stay asleep	Moderate
Vigorous Exercise ≤1hr Before Bed	Increase WASO risk	Stutz 2019; meta-analysis, 23 studies, Sports Medicine	Intense exercise right before bed may fragment sleep	Moderate

Environment

Factor	Impact	Key Info (study/effect size)	Plain English	Evidence
Bedroom Temp (20–25°C)	Decrease WASO at optimal range	Multiple studies; PSG-measured, 20–25°C optimal	Too hot or cold increases nighttime waking	Strong
Light at Night (even dim)	Increase WASO	Cho 2016; n=23, PSG, 5–10 lux, Chronobiology Int	Even dim light during sleep increases wake time	Strong
Noise (>50 dBA)	Increase WASO +30 min	Basner 2018; WHO systematic review, 74 studies	Noise above 50 dB adds ~30 min of waking	Strong
CO2 >1000 ppm (poor ventilation)	Increase Wake time +5 min	Kang 2024; n=36, field-lab, 3 ventilation levels	Stuffy bedroom air measurably fragments sleep	Moderate
Mattress (medium-firm)	Decrease Most consistent WASO	Hu 2025; n=12, PSG, 3 firmness levels compared	Medium-firm mattress gave most stable sleep	Limited

Demographics

Factor	Impact	Key Info (study/effect size)	Plain English	Evidence
Aging (30–60+)	Increase WASO ~10 min/decade	Ohayon 2004; meta-analysis, 65 studies, 3,577 subjects	Each decade adds ~10 min of nighttime waking	Strong
Female Sex	Paradox: more complaints, better PSG	Ohayon 2004; women better objective metrics, more subjective complaints	Women report worse sleep but objectively sleep better	Strong
Menopause (hot flashes)	Increase WASO, 69% flashes  awakening	Joffe 2013; PSG + GnRH model, n=29, hot flashes = 27% of WASO	Nighttime hot flashes are a major wake trigger	Strong
Obesity (BMI ≥30)	Increase WASO significantly	Zhao 2021; Sleep Heart Health Study, n=5,723, PSG	Higher WASO independently associated with obesity	Strong
Shift Work	Increase WASO, Decrease sleep efficiency	Wickwire 2017; narrative review, SWSD patients, Chest	Shift workers have more fragmented daytime sleep	Moderate
Nocturia (≥2 episodes)	Increase WASO +34 min	Fung 2017; SOF study, n=1,520, actigraphy	More bathroom trips = much more nighttime waking	Strong
Obstructive Sleep Apnea	Increase WASO, Increase arousals with severity	Patel 2019; comprehensive review, PSG data	Each breathing event triggers arousal and waking	Strong
Chronic Pain	Increase WASO, large effect	Mathias 2018; meta-analysis, 37 studies, PSG	Pain significantly increases nighttime wake time	Strong
Psychological Stress	Increase WASO via cortisol elevation	Vgontzas 2001; n=24, 24-hr cortisol sampling, PSG	Stress hormones directly fragment sleep	Moderate

Sources

Nutrition	Exercise	Supplements	Environment	Demographic
Fiber & Sugar — St-Onge 2016	Aerobic Exercise — Riedel 2024	Melatonin — Menczel Schrire 2022	Temperature — Akiyama 2021	Age — Ohayon 2004
Caffeine — Gardiner 2023	Resistance Training — Kovacevic 2018	Ashwagandha — Cheah 2021	Light at Night — Cho 2016	Menopause — Joffe 2013
Alcohol — Spadola 2019	Yoga — Bu 2025	Glycine — Yamadera 2007	Noise (WHO Review) — Basner 2018	Obesity — Zhao 2021
Late Eating — Crispim 2022	Evening Exercise — Dolezal 2017	Magnesium — Abbasi 2012	CO2/Ventilation — Kang 2024	Shift Work — Wickwire 2017
Tart Cherry — Pigeon 2010	Vigorous Exercise — Stutz 2019	L-Theanine — Systematic Review 2025	Mattress — Hu 2025	Nocturia — Fung 2017
		Valerian — Shinjyo 2020		OSA — Patel 2019
				Chronic Pain — Mathias 2018
				Stress — Vgontzas 2001

I'm a 22M 5'8 with 102kg of body weight. I'm overly overweight.

My Trainer recommended the absn svelte pro.

Needed advice if its any good for weight loss.

It's available online and the reviews are somewhat positive.

My main concern is the DMHA/2-aminoisoheptane and yohimbe.

If anyone has experience with these ingredients or the knowledge of them it would really help me.