What is Sleep Quality?

Most of us aim for 7-9 hours of sleep a night, yet some of us wake up better rested than others. Why? The quality of sleep can vary from person to person. Here’s what you need to know about measuring sleep quality and what to do about it.

How Long Does It Take You to Fall Asleep?

One indicator of healthy sleep quality is how long it takes you to fall asleep. As many as 27% of people take longer than 30-minutes to fall asleep. Drifting off in 30 minutes or less is generally a good indicator of high-quality sleep. 

How Many Times Do You Wake Up?

Waking often throughout the night disrupts your sleep cycle, leaving you tired the next day. A few things that can influence this include drinking alcohol before bed or having caffeine too late in the day. The standard for good sleep quality is waking once during the night, if at all. 

How Many Minutes Are You Awake During the Night?

The total number of minutes you’re awake after initially falling asleep is another indicator of sleep quality. Twenty minutes or less is the goal.

What Percentage of Time Spent in Bed Are You Actually Asleep?

You may spend 8 hours in bed, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you slept that amount. To maximize the health benefits, aim to spend at least 85% of your time in bed asleep. To determine this percentage, take the total minutes you spent in bed and subtract the number of minutes it took to fall asleep plus the minutes you spent awake throughout the night. This equals your total sleep time. Divide sleep time by total time in bed to determine your percentage. 

If after reading this you are thinking woah, my sleep quality needs improvement - you are not alone. If you find yourself falling short on any of the indicators above, it may be time to make some adjustments to your sleep routine. Simple changes like saying goodbye to screen time an hour before bed, setting your thermostat to a cooler temperature, and making sure your room is dark can all improve your odds of catching a good night’s sleep.