The sudden awakening is something I have had my entire life, usually once, maybe twice. Sometimes I'll have a flash dream of falling accompanying this sudden awakening.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea back in 2004 when I was about 90 lbs heavier and when you stop breathing, like with apnea, you body sends an adrenaline shot to wake you up.

This awakening could be tied to sleep apnea, or another sleep disorder. I used to sleepwalk and or sleeptalk when I was younger. If you wake up and change position a lot at night, then you probably do this at least 2x more than you remember, according to the sleep specialist I talked with. If a you are chronically tired, you should talk to a doctor for sure.