Unarguably, a very important contributor to our health and quality of life is sleep. How much sleep you get everyday, and the quality of that sleep can make or mar your health. Ever wondered how you can gauge the quality of your sleep to make sure that you are actually having deep restorative sleep that benefits your health in the long run? Don’t worry because we’ve got you. Keep reading to find out 5 ways you can know whether you had a restful night or not.
1. How long you slept
Sleep duration doesn’t guarantee sleep quality, but spending enough hours in bed every night can certainly help set you up for success.
The number of hours you slept is where you should start looking when trying to gauge how well you slept. Sleep experts recommend that adults get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep everyday.
You can try estimating how long it took you before falling asleep, and how long you were awake in the middle of the night, and subtract it from the total amount of time you were asleep.
2. How you feel when you wake up
Although it is true that some people are morning persons while others are not, how you feel when you’re fully awake and start to take up the activities of the day is an important factor in gauging your sleep quality. Do you feel energized and active, or do you feel very dreary and tired?
3. How often you woke up
It’s perfectly normal to wake up once or twice during the night, whether you have to use the bathroom, have pets or children, or due to any other number of external disturbances. But once you’re waking up more than twice, that could significantly affect the quality of your sleep, especially when it happens consistently.
4. How you feel during the day
You probably saw this coming, but one of the best indications of how well you slept is how you feel during the day.
If you are dozing off during school or work meetings, feeling like you can hardly function without taking a nap, or just generally tired, it is most likely that you are not getting good enough sleep
5. How well your sleep tracker tells you you’re doing
And lastly, when in doubt, consider investing in a sleep tracker if you really want to dive into the ins and outs of your night’s sleep. With most sleep trackers, in the morning you are able to see how long you sleep, how long it took you to fall asleep, and how long you were awake. Some sleep trackers even monitor other metrics such as heart rate, how fast you were breathing etc.
Using sleep trackers or monitors are an easy and convenient way to gauge the quality of your sleep.
The bottom line
Knowing and understanding whether you got a night of quality sleep is important because it allows you to make adjustments as necessary. Listen to your body, and make necessary adjustments to your sleep schedule and hygiene as needed.
DISCLAIMER: These posts should not be used to self-diagnose or self-treat any health, medical, physical or psychiatric condition. Information shared via posts does not replace professional healthcare advice specific to your condition and needs. If you are unsure whether you would benefit from implementing tools discussed in these posts, please contact your healthcare provider.