What is Sleep Quality?
Sleep quality and sleep quantity are very different things. Sleep quantity refers to how much sleep you get each night, while sleep quality is a measure of how good that sleep is.
Measuring sleep quantity is straightforward as it just relates to how much sleep you have, and it’s relatively easy to compare that against the recommended amount for your age group.
But sleep quality is the measurement of how well you’re sleeping—in other words, whether your sleep is restful and restorative. Part of sleep quality is sleep satisfaction which is a measure of how you feel about the sleep you are getting, i.e. are you waking up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead?
Measuring sleep quality is more of an art than a science, but considering the following characteristics can give you an idea of your sleep quality –
Sleep latency
A measurement of how long it takes you to fall asleep. If you are generally falling asleep within 30 minutes of going to bed, then this is a good sign.
Sleep waking
This is a measure of how often you wake up during the night. Waking frequently during the night can disrupt your sleep cycle and impact sleep quality. Waking up once is not unusual and not a concern and suggests your sleep quality is good.
Wakefulness
This is a measurement of how many minutes you spend awake during the night after you first fall asleep. An indication of good sleep quality would be less than 20 minutes of wakefulness during the night.
Sleep efficiency
This is the amount of time you spend actually sleeping while you are in bed. If you spend more than 85% of the time you are in bed actually asleep, then this would be an indicator of good sleep quality
Signs Your Sleep Quality Needs To Improve
If you think you’re getting poor quality sleep, consider the following tell-tale signs –
• It takes you more than 30 minutes to fall asleep after you get into bed.
• You regularly wake up more than once per night.
• If you wake up in the middle of the night, it takes longer than 20 minutes to get back to sleep
• Of the time you spend in bed, less than 85% of it is spent sleeping.
• You feel tired and have difficulty concentrating during the day. You may find that you are drinking more caffeine to stay alert.
• Your skin condition is poor your eyes are puffy and red, or developing dark circles or bags under them.• You feel hungry more often, craving junk food and maybe gaining weight.
• You feel more stressed, anxious, and emotionally exhausted than normal.
Why Is Sleep Quality Important?
Sleep quality is important for a multitude of reasons – The same as breathing, eating, and drinking, sleep is an essential human need and poor quality or lack of sleep can drastically affect energy and concentration levels and impact our mental and physical health and quality of life in a number of ways.
Sleep is vital for human growth; therefore, babies, children, and teenagers need more sleep than adults. But people of all ages need sleep to prevent or recover from illness or injury and be able to perform to their optimum physically and mentally.
Poor sleep quality and lack of sleep can have many negative effects on our physical health, such as an increased risk of having a stroke, heart disease, and high blood pressure. The negative effects can also be psychological, such as increased irritability, poor mood or the exacerbation of anxiety, depression or other mental illness.
What Factors Affect Sleep Quality?
Sleep Hygiene:
Having a regular sleep schedule, a good night time routine, a calming and comfortable sleeping environment and practising good daytime habits can all contribute positively to good quality sleep.
Limiting alcohol and caffeine:
Both can interfere with how effectively we fall asleep OR stay asleep.
Medication:
Some prescription drugs can interfere with effective sleep, and some may increase the need to go to the bathroom, which may wake you during the night. It is important to discuss any medication you are taking with your doctor and consider the impact on your sleep quality.
Snoring:
While some snoring is normal, excessive snoring can affect the sleeper or the partner of the sleeper. Heavy snoring can also be a symptom of a sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnoea. If you think this may be a problem or your sleep partner notices heavy snoring or breathing issues, you should speak to your doctor.
Sleep disorders:
Disorders like insomnia can cause difficulty in falling or staying asleep and lead to poor sleep quality. Vivid dreams, which can affect sleep quality, are among the symptoms of narcolepsy.
Other factors:
Other factors such as your diet, high stress levels, exercise during the day, travel, and pain or illnesses, can all affect the quality of your sleep, and you should consider speaking to a doctor if you think this is the case.