And just another thing. Most people have no idea how they will react if they are woken up in the middle of the night, and not trained for such stressful situations.
The crims (how many are there? Are they tooled up? Etc) are full of adrenalin, wide awake and alert.
You were fast asleep a few seconds ago' and probably in your boxers. Completely disorientated.
You don't necessarily react in that situation, anything like how you would in the middle of the day. Your body will make a decision without much thought...... Fight or flight.
If you want to test this, get someone you know who works shifts to come and batter on your front door at 3am-4am (crims favourite time) and see how game you are.
Or put your phone on a really loud alarm right next to your bed (where it should be!!) to go off at that time.
You are right about people not knowing how they will react in the middle of the night by an intruder, I had a break in a few years ago when me and my wife were asleep in bed, the kids also in bed sleeping, it was about 0300. From the look of the door he gained entry through I find it hard to believe that he was very quiet as the lock, door and frame were trashed yet neither me, the wife or any of children were awoken when he gained entry. It was only when my wife yelled my name rather loudly, that I woke up, I was alarmed as she was right next to me and I was like "what are u shouting me for?!!" I had no clue what was happening and as I said that I looked up and there was a man stood at the end of our bed! He didn't say a word! Without even fully realising what was happening and still not fully awake and alert I had leapt out of bed and just pounced on him in a millisecond without even thinking!there was a small struggle which lasted literally seconds and ended in him pleading for me to stop! It was only then that I fully realised what was happening and I was a little confused, noticed my wife was on the blower to the old bill saying someone had broken in, at this point I'm fully cosmus mentus. I grabbed him by his jacket and lead him downstairs to sit him at my dining table to wait for the police, on the way down the stairs he was mumbling "they made me do it" I then had a feeling of fear come over me as this made me think there were people downstairs waiting for him, I grabbed him by the scruff and asked him if there were people downstairs and he just kept saying sorry! I carried on downstairs to find there wasn't anyone there and had the sudden feeling of relief, sat him at my table and waited, the lad was no more than 17/18 years old and clearly terrified. Police arrived and arrested him, interviewed me and the wife, gave me some paperwork and stayed until an emergency lock smith arrived. They called back round the next day and informed me that the lad had my car keys in his pocket when searched at the station so was charged and informed me he had a broken jaw and dislocated wrist, also told me not to worry about him possibly trying to have me done for injuring him because if he did it would be dismissed. But u do hear of people getting in trouble for this kind of thing!
Anyway my point is that u really don't know how u will react and sometimes you just go in to autopilot, especially if awoken suddenly and dramatically. My immediate actions were purely adrenalin and shock, I mean I am really not a violent aggressive person at all, I don't even know why I went for him and I only realised after a few seconds what was happening, by this point he had a broken jaw and dislocated wrist! For this reason I will never keep any sort of deadly weapon within the immediate reach of my bed! But I count myself lucky as it could of gone the other way round, or worse if I had been away and the wife and kids were alone!
Not sure what I would do if I woke up and had time to realise there were people downstairs or in a different room mid robbery, I think it must be pretty terrifying situation to be in.