What Is Sleep Quality? - National Sleep Foundation

Sleep quality is the measurement of how well you're sleeping—in other words, whether your sleep is restful and restorative. Youmightbegettingenoughhours,butthatdoesn’tnecessarilymeanyou’regettingthemostrestfultypeofsleep.Thesestrategiescanhelp. Whenitcomestosleep,quantityisimportant—butsoisquality.Mostadultsneedsomewherebetweensevenandninehoursanighttowakeupfeelingwell-rested,butalotdependsonexactlywhathappensduringthosehours.Thequalityofyoursleepensuresthatyougettheessentialphysical,mental,andemotionalbenefitsyouneedfromyourslumber.   HowDoYouMeasureGoodSleepQuality? Sleepqualityisthemeasurementofhowwellyou’resleeping—inotherwords,whetheryoursleepisrestfulandrestorative.Itdiffersfromsleepsatisfaction,whichreferstoamoresubjectivejudgmentofhowyoufeelaboutthesleepyouaregetting.Sleepqualityismorecomplicatedtomeasurethansleepquantity,butit’snotentirelysubjective.Guidelinesgiveanoverviewofsleepqualitygoals,andtheyincludesomeindividualandagedifferences.Fouritemsaregenerallyassessedtomeasuresleepquality: Sleeplatency:Thisisameasurementofhowlongittakesyoutofallasleep.Driftingoffwithin30minutesorlessafterthetimeyougotobedsuggeststhatthequalityofyoursleepisgood. Sleepwaking:Thismeasureshowoftenyouwakeupduringthenight.Frequentwakefulnessatnightcandisruptyoursleepcycleandreduceyoursleepquality.Wakinguponceornotatallsuggeststhatyoursleepqualityisgood. Wakefulness:Thismeasurementreferstohowmanyminutesyouspendawakeduringthenightafteryoufirstgotosleep.Peoplewithgoodsleepqualityhave20minutesorlessofwakefulnessduringthenight. Sleepefficiency:Theamountoftimeyouspendactuallysleepingwhileinbedisknownassleepefficiency.Thismeasurementshouldideallybe85percentormoreforoptimalhealthbenefits.  Ifyou’recurious,thisishowyoucancalculateit:Firstfindyouractualsleepingduration.Takeyourtotaltimeinbed(inminutes)minushowmanyminutesittookyoutofallasleepandminushowmanyminutesyouspentawakeduringthenight.Dividethatfigure(actualsleepingtime)byyourtotaltimeinbed(inminutes).Finally,multiplythatnumberby100toarriveatyoursleepefficiencypercentage.Forexample:480(totalminutesinbed)–30(minutestofallasleep)–0(minutesawakeduringthenight)=450(actualsleeptimeinminutes).450/480=.9375x100=93.75%sleepefficiency Together,thesefourelementscanhelpyouassessthequalityofyoursleep.Theycontributetoanoverallsenseyouhaveofyoursleepbeing“satisfying”ornot.Improvingyoursleepqualitycanhelpensurethatyoursleepcycleswon’tbeinterrupted,whichinturnhelpsassurethatyouwillwakeupfeelingenergized. WhatIsPoorSleepQuality? Notsurprisingly,poorsleepqualityischaracterizedbytheoppositefactors.Ifittakesyoulongerthan30minutestofallasleep,ifyouwakeupduringthenightmorethanonce,orifittakesyoulongerthan20minutestodriftbackasleepafterwakingup,yoursleepqualityisconsideredpoor.You’relikelytofeeltiredthenextday,evenifyougettherecommendednumberofsleephours.Itisimportanttonotethattherearesomeindividualandagedifferencesinthesefactors.Forexample,it’scommontowakeupmorefrequentlyduringthenightaswegetolder.Aslongasyoureturntosleepquickly,thiswon’thurtyoursleep. HowtoImproveSleepQuality Ifyou’reconcernedthatyoursleepqualityissubpar,simplestrategiesmayhelp.Forinstance,makesurethatyourbedroomisentirelydark(useblackoutcurtainstoblockoutsidestreetlights)andthetemperatureiscool(between60and67°Fisideal).Otherlifestylechanges—suchasdrinkinglessalcoholandgettingmoreexercise—mayalsohelpyouupgradeyoursleepquality. Search RecentPosts NationalSleepFoundationAnnouncesNewBoardofDirectors NationalSleepFoundationReleasesRecommendationstoBeYourBestSleptSelf™ThisSummer NationalSleepFoundationApplaudsBipartisanSupportforSleepHealthEquityonCapitolHill NationalSleepFoundationReiteratesSupportforPermanentStandardTime CongressionalResolution984SupportstheDesignationofSleepAwarenessWeek Categories News SleepAwarenessWeek SleepHealthTopics BasicsofSleep HealthySleepHabits SleepandYou SleepDisorders YourSleepEnvironment SleepTechNews TypeandPress“enter”toSearch