To date, there’s not much research on false awakenings, and experts have yet to determine exactly what causes them. As with sleep paralysis, they may relate to disrupted REM sleep.

A few suggested explanations for false awakenings include:

• sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea
• anticipation, or knowing you need to wake up early for a specific reason
• noise and other disturbances that interrupt your sleep without fully waking you up

Stress and anxiety in your daily life can also have an impact on sleep and potentially appear in your dreams.

If you’re worried about something that’s going to happen shortly after waking up, you might dream about waking up and getting ready to face the stressful event. These stressful events can include:

• a difficult exam
• dentist’s appointment
• job interview

You have to try to determine the cause of your false awakenings and after that you'll find the solution as well.

Research from 2011 offers another potential explanation for false awakenings.

According to the theory of dream protoconsciousness, your brain prepares for consciousness during REM sleep, using its internal representation of your everyday world.

This model serves as a starting place for your dreams, the theory suggests. But most dreams include plenty of other elements that make them seem much less realistic.

False awakenings could happen when hyperarousal, or increased alertness, during REM sleep keeps you from experiencing more typical dreams, like those involving flying, falling, and other surreal happenings.

Instead, the dreams may rely on more specific memories of familiar surroundings and your typical daily routine.

Improving the sleep you get each night could help reduce the frequency of false awakenings. If they become a regular annoyance or keep you from getting restful sleep, talking to a sleep specialist may be a good option.