A good night's sleep can elevate your well-being by leaps and bounds. Good sleep holds the key to mental and physical well-being. Here are some things that good sleep helps with:
- Improved memory
- Pleasant mood
- Decision-making abilities
- Improved reflexes
- Enhanced concentration
If you have bad sleep, it hinders your day-to-day activities. Right from things such as driving and cooking to doing daily chores, everything feels way too complex. Also, lack of sleep can bring a host of health issues such as:
- Diabetes
- Memory disorder
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Depression
Even with such consequences, it is reported that most Americans do not get the much-needed 7-8 hours of sleep daily. Along with this, the problem worsens when sleep quality is bad. People who face the problem of achieving deep sleep (REM sleep) face the same consequences as someone who doesn’t get complete 7-8 hours of sleep.
Let’s delve deeper and understand the difference between good sleep and bad sleep.
The ideal sleep length
Getting a good night's sleep is measured in terms of quality and quantity of sleep. The ideal sleep length varies from person to person. It majorly depends on the concerned person's tiredness and age. As people grow older, they tend to sleep less.
Recommended hours of sleep for people
The sleep duration varies on weekdays and weekends. People tend to sleep more when it is the weekend, and this is known as revenge sleep procrastination. Throughout the week, it is suggested that you sleep for 7 hours at least. On weekends, you can sleep between 8-9 hours to compensate for the lost sleep throughout the week.
Bad Sleep- Is it natural at times?
There should always be a fixed sleep routine. Any change to the routine will lead to bad sleep. Also, certain factors such as stress or work deadlines might make falling asleep difficult. However, no need to worry because it only takes a few days for the normal sleep cycle to be back on track.
How to get good sleep? – Understanding the sleep cycles
Contrary to popular belief, good sleep is not something that continues for a long time. Instead, short 90-minute sleep cycles make your sleep good or bad. Generally, there are 4-6 such sleep cycles throughout the night. A person can be defined as a short or long sleeper based on the number of such sleep cycles.
The different phases of a sleep cycle
- The first stage is light sleep which lasts for around 20 minutes. This is the first step while falling asleep. The cerebral activity starts to slow down in this stage as we smoothly transition into the deep stage of the sleep cycle.
- Next comes Slow Wave Sleep (SWS), known as deep sleep. This is a restorative sleep stage that lasts 60-70 minutes. It is the most difficult to wake up in such a stage of the sleep cycle.
- Rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep) this stage comes after the SWS and lasts for about 15-20 minutes. The brain in this stage is highly active, but the body stays still. This is when we dream mostly.
The mechanism of falling asleep
While falling asleep, our body clock plays a significant role, and here are the two most essential factors-
- Adenosine molecule is created in our body throughout the day. It gradually inhibits the functioning of the brain to allow you to sleep. Once asleep, the molecule gets eliminated. If you have a higher level of adenosine molecules in your body, you will get better and deeper sleep. If you have more physical activity throughout the day, adenosine production is heightened!
- The other hormone that works with adenosine to promote sleep is Melatonin. The production of Melatonin is reduced if you are exposed to blue light. This is why it is recommended that you stay away from the screen at least an hour before sleep.
Common characteristics of Bad sleep
People who suffer from sleep problems have reported waking up at least once for 30 minutes or more! If you stay up for 20 minutes or more between your sleep, it reduces the recovery time. This leads you to be tired and exhausted the following day. It is normal to be waking up for a loo break or due to back pain at night, but the time should always be checked.
These can be treated if you wake up for the reasons mentioned above. With a perfect mattress, you can get rid of back pain. Also, if you do not drink too much water right before bed, the risk of the loo break is lessened!
Another major characteristic of bad sleep is waking up early. This even happens to people who easily fall asleep but wake up after a few hours! Once awake, they find it extremely difficult to get back to sleep again.
Here are some of the ways to improve your sleep quality
Get the perfect mattress
A mattress holds the key to healthy sleep. You spend 1/3rd of your day on the mattress; hence it should always be perfect!
However, mattress preference varies from person to person. If you are looking for the perfect mattress, check out SleepMatch at Mancini's Sleepworld. SleepMatch will provide you with a color-coded guide to help you find the perfect mattress.
SleepMatch technology matches you to the perfect mattress by scanning your body and takes thousands of data points to match you with the perfect mattress.
Here’s a top mattress suggestion for you-
Sealy PosturePedic Plus Hybrid Brenham Soft Mattress 13.5"
The word must be said that Seal hybrid mattress is the best choice for people looking for back pain relief. The PosturePedic Plus Hybrid Brenham Soft Mattress hosts special body-conforming foam and excellent support. Also, for a hot sleeper, this Sealy hybrid mattress has a cool-to-touch cover that keeps you cool all night.
Avoid caffeine
Caffeine can leave you sleepless at night, so you should not consume any caffeine at least 6 hours before going to bed. Also, if you drink alcohol, avoid it at least 3 hours before bed. While it might make you fall asleep, you will wake up early and feel dizzy the following morning.
Consistent Sleep Schedule
A consistent sleep schedule is a key to having a good sleep. If you go to sleep too early, you will find falling asleep difficult. Similarly, if you are tired and still delay going to bed, it will leave you tired even after waking up. This is why sticking to a consistent sleep schedule is extremely important.
Now that you know the difference between good sleep and bad sleep, you can follow the best practices to ensure you sleep well every night. For the best sleep shopping experience and bedding deals, visit your nearest Mancini's Sleepworld today!