1. Brief, involuntary awakenings or shifts to a lighter stage of sleep, often lasting only a few seconds, characterized by increased brain activity and muscle tension.
Usage: medical/sleep medicine term; plural form; commonly used in sleep studies and polysomnography

Examples

• The sleep study detected multiple hyperarousals throughout the patient's night, disrupting sleep quality.
• Hyperarousals are often associated with sleep apnea and can lead to daytime fatigue.
• The polysomnogram showed an elevated number of hyperarousals, indicating fragmented sleep.
• Stress and anxiety can trigger hyperarousals even when the person does not fully wake up.
• Treatment of the underlying sleep disorder reduced the frequency of hyperarousals.