Sleep technology is big business. All those watches, bedside devices, and mattress sensors that measure our sleep have become incredibly popular.
Maybe you received a gadget for Christmas or decided to use the one you already have to improve your sleep this year.
Now you have questions: “How do I understand the information provided by the device?” or “What does improving sleep really mean and how do I do it?”
Fortunately, the answers are simpler than you think.
Most sleep technologies (or consumer sleep technologies) are quite good at determining how much sleep you got at night, how concentrated that sleep was, and when it occurred.
These are the three key factors to consider when trying to maximize the benefits of your sleep: quantity, quality, and timing.
Sleep quantity is simply the total number of hours and minutes of sleep you get. Adults need to sleep an average of at least seven hours per day to maintain optimal health.
Sleep quality, at least when objectively measured, is the percentage of time you are trying to sleep and actually sleeping. No one sleeps for 100 percent of the night. Around 85 percent or more is completely normal.
Sleep timing is exactly what it sounds like: the hours you go to bed in the evening and wake up in the morning.
The key here is regularity. It is currently recommended for good sleepers to go to bed and wake up within the same time window every day.
If you currently have insomnia issues, you probably want that window to be closer to 15 minutes, as curing insomnia requires tighter sleep control.
There are important reasons to focus on sleep quantity, quality, and timing. These are aspects of sleep that are most correlated with our physical and mental health.
Sleep quantity predicts cardiovascular health (hypertension, heart attacks, strokes) and is so strongly associated with it that it is included in eight key factors that protect cardiovascular health (alongside diet and physical activity, among others) by the American Heart Association.
Sleep quality or lack thereof in the form of insomnia is a risk factor for many mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, alcohol addiction, and suicide.
Regulating sleep timing is a newer area of interest in the field of sleep health and has quickly emerged as important for overall mortality and other health issues.
In other words, individuals with the most irregular sleep patterns die earlier, regardless of the cause, compared to those with more regular sleep.
It is worth noting that the measure of regularity in this study included more than just sleep timing. Nonetheless, sleep timing is a significant factor influencing sleep regularity.
Sleep quality and sleep timing are also important for suicide. Specifically, being awake in the middle of the night is associated with a higher risk of suicide attempts and completed suicides compared to being awake during the day.
There are ways to optimize sleep quantity, quality, and regularity.
First, prioritize sleep. Too often, we sacrifice sleep for work or social activities. This undermines all three aspects of sleep health.
Treat sleep as a pillar of health, on par with a good diet and regular exercise. Okay, okay. Maybe you’re not as good in those other two areas.
Second, choose an optimal sleep window and wake-up time. Set your sleep window for at least eight hours so you can get at least seven hours of sleep.
Are you a morning person, a night owl, or something in between? When we are most sleepy and alert is partly regulated biologically by our circadian rhythms. We try to respect our natural rhythm by choosing a sleep schedule.
Of course, daily responsibilities may limit the flexibility of our sleep schedules, but try to find a balance that respects your natural rhythm. To maximize regularity, it is important to maintain the same schedule seven days a week.
If you have to compromise, focus more on a regular wake-up time than on the bedtime. Waking up at the same time every day helps reset your circadian rhythm, which in turn helps maintain a regular sleep schedule.
Third, create a sleep-friendly bedroom. This includes many sleep hygiene recommendations that you have probably heard of: a dark room, a comfortable temperature, free of sleep distractions such as TV and electronic devices; follow a bedtime routine; do nothing in bed except sleep.
Fourth, give yourself plenty of bright light in the morning, especially in the first few hours after waking up. Light is the biggest signal to our brain that we should be awake and the strongest regulator of our circadian rhythm.
In addition to light, physical activity, eating, and social activities help regulate our rhythms. In fact, Social Rhythm Therapy is an evidence-based treatment used in mood disorders that focuses on regulating sleep timing and these other behaviors to stabilize mood. So, focusing on a regular sleep schedule and circadian rhythms can also help improve mood.
Finally, try not to stress about sleep. No one sleeps perfectly, and everyone wakes up multiple times during the night.
Ironically, trying to fall asleep actually makes it harder to fall asleep. One of the biggest factors disturbing sleep for many people is the stress associated with worrying about getting good sleep. Understand that if you don’t sleep well tonight, you may sleep better tomorrow night.
Now the question is, how can technology help you improve sleep.
The good news is that consumer sleep technology typically does a good job of determining sleep quantity, quality, and timing.
Most of these devices use motion, and many also use heart rate, to determine whether you are awake or asleep. They can then calculate sleep length (by counting all the minutes you slept), sleep quality (by dividing sleep duration by time spent in bed trying to fall asleep), and sleep timing (by providing the time of the first and last minute of sleep or inputted by the user).
You can use this information to determine if you meet the basic guidelines described above. If you make changes to your sleep habits, you can track how it affects your sleep.
FAQ section based on the main topics and information presented in the article:
1. What are the three key factors to consider for maximizing the benefits of sleep?
– Sleep quantity, sleep quality, and sleep timing.
2. What is the recommended minimum hours of sleep for adults?
– Adults should sleep at least seven hours per day to maintain optimal health.
3. How can sleep quality be measured?
– Sleep quality can be measured as the percentage of time you are trying to sleep and actually sleeping. Around 85 percent or more is normal.
4. Why is regularity in sleep timing important?
– Regularity in sleep timing is important because individuals with the most irregular sleep patterns die earlier than those with more regular sleep, regardless of the cause.
5. What actions can be taken to optimize sleep quantity, quality, and timing?
– Prioritize sleep and treat it as a pillar of health. Choose an optimal sleep window and wake-up time. Create a sleep-friendly bedroom. Expose yourself to bright light in the morning. Try not to stress about sleep. Use sleep technology to track and analyze your sleep patterns.
The source of the article is from the blog revistatenerife.com