How to improve your quality of sleep
Contents
What is sleep quality, and why does it matter?
Analyzing your sleep quality
How to improve your quality of sleep: Tips and treatments
Better sleep for a better life
Are you curious about how to improve your quality of sleep? You’re in the right place. Today, we have a complete guide on sleep struggles and solutions.
Sleeplessness is a common problem. Whether due to illness, stress, or a hectic schedule, most of us have to find a way to rest better. And that’s become harder than ever in the modern world.
Getting enough quality sleep is a mix of lifestyle and biological factors. When either goes out of balance, our slumber suffers. What can you do to fix it?
Keep reading to learn how to sleep well. We discuss how to measure sleep quality, factors that may hinder it, and ways to improve it.
What is sleep quality, and why does it matter?
Sleep improves immune function and keeps you young, sharp, and fit. It repairs the system, flushing out toxins and boosting the overall functioning.
According to scientists, adults need 7–9 hours of sleep and 7–8 as they age. Besides quantity, sleep should be deep, uninterrupted, and consistently high-quality.
Sleep quality is the measure of how well you sleep. It determines whether your sleep is restful and restorative. We calculate it by checking:
- Sleep latency: Whether you go to sleep fast or slow. Taking 30 minutes or less to drift off is good news.
- Sleep waking: How often you wake up during the night. Ideally, you should spend 20 minutes or less awake during the night.
- Sleep efficiency: How much you sleep while in bed. The optimal figure is around 85%.
These elements translate into the quality of your shuteye. Why do they matter?
Good sleep improves mood, health, and brain performance. The inverse is true for people who don’t regularly sleep through the night. Insufficient or poor-quality rest increases the risk of many diseases, including stroke, heart issues, obesity, and dementia.
Analyzing your sleep quality
Data is valuable for figuring out how to improve your quality of sleep. Start by analyzing your current situation to determine what needs changing and why:
- Find your sleeping duration. Take the total time spent in bed and deduct the minutes it took to fall asleep. Subtract any wakefulness minutes you may have experienced.
- Calculate your sleep efficiency. Divide your actual sleeping time by your total time in bed. Multiply that number by 100 to get your sleep efficiency percentage.
Your sleep efficiency should be over 80%. For instance, if you go to bed at 10pm and get up at 6am, at least 6.4 of those 8 hours should be spent sleeping. Most adults have an efficiency of over 90%.
It’s helpful to keep a sleep journal, too. Write down when you went to bed, how well you slept, and when you woke up. Do it for several weeks to gather ample information for analysis.
Seeking out underlying causes of poor sleep
Poor sleep and deprivation can happen due to a myriad of reasons. Lifestyle choices, obligations, sleep disorders, and other health conditions can leave you struggling at night.
Lifestyle choices and obligations are the easiest to pinpoint. The modern lifestyle isn’t conducive to sleep. It carries late nights, early mornings, and plenty of blue light exposure. Shift work is another issue that prevents people from regularly getting enough shuteye.
The easiest way to sleep better is to nip these practical causes, but it’s not always enough. Beyond lifestyle, biology itself could be hindering your efforts.
Sleep disorders are conditions that lower sleep quantity and quality. Insomnia is the most common, causing difficulty in falling and staying asleep. Sleep apnea is another frequent issue, where your upper airway gets blocked and wakes you up.
Some physical and mental health conditions can hinder sleep. People with depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety often experience nocturnal disturbances. Body pains make it hard to get comfortable and doze off. In these cases, prioritize symptom management.
Determining how to improve your quality of sleep depends on the causes of your struggle. But lifestyle and diagnosed conditions aren’t the only potential reasons for it.
We also have hormonal and blood sugar imbalances and vitamin deficiencies. These factors affect your overall health and have a tangible impact on sleep.
Regarding hormones, melatonin and cortisol are two key players in sleep (dys)regulation.
- A lack of melatonin prevents the natural sleep-wake cycle, causing insomnia. It may happen due to old age, some diseases, or neurotransmitter disruptions.
- Elevated cortisol can leave you restless and struggling to doze off. It typically spikes due to stress, diseases, and some medications. Consider cortisol testing to check your stress hormone levels.
High blood sugar could also cause sleep disturbances. Studies found a relationship between blood glucose imbalances and poor sleep. This condition might also cause sleep apnea.
Vitamin D has a role in sleep regulation. Having a deficiency increases the risk of sleep disorders. Notably, it can cause waking up at night and shorter sleep duration.
Lab testing can determine whether you have a sleep-hindering imbalance. Discuss bloodwork and a hormone panel with your doctor if you suspect any of them.
Once you understand the cause, you can move to the solutions stage. Let’s discuss ways to address your troubles and sleep through the night.
How to improve your quality of sleep: Tips and treatments
Daytime behaviors, especially before bedtime, can promote rest or contribute to sleeplessness. So can physical and emotional imbalances, like excessive stress or hormonal imbalances.
Let’s explore ways to address these issues, starting with lifestyle changes.
Optimizing your sleep hygiene
“Sleep hygiene” includes habits, behaviors, and environmental factors that support rest. Those wondering how to get a better night’s sleep can start with these lifestyle changes. You’d be surprised how often they do the trick.
Here are the top ways to enhance your sleep hygiene:
- Be consistent. Our bodies have a natural internal clock: the circadian rhythm. Regular sleep-wake hours synchronize it and boost sleep efficiency.
- Create a sleep-conducive environment. Your bedroom should be around 65°F, quiet, and pitch-dark. Remove electronic devices, use linen sheets, and try lavender-scented candles or oils.
- Watch what you consume. Avoid large meals, caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol 3–4 hours before bedtime. These substances can make it harder to doze off and stay asleep.
- Give yourself time. Check when you have to get up and work your way back to determine your bedtime. Try to be in bed at least eight hours before your alarm clock goes off.
- Move and spend time outside daily. Regular exercise tires out the body, but don’t be active too close to bedtime. Get around 30 minutes of sunlight exposure to regulate the natural rhythm.
- Avoid long daytime naps. “Power naps” of under 30 minutes are empowering. Longer kips confuse your internal clock, though.
- Practice relaxation techniques. Warm showers, meditation, and self-care techniques calm your nervous system. You can also incorporate other things that make you sleepy, like ASMRs and chamomile tea.
What if you’re following these tips to the T and still tossing, turning, and waking up exhausted? It might be time to consider therapies that optimize your sleep cycle from the inside out.
Supporting the natural sleep cycle
Many people use sedatives when facing sleep troubles, but this solution is suboptimal. Such medication suppresses REM sleep and could even impair your next-day functioning. Instead of temporary solutions, turn to treatments that restore balance in the body.
Peptide therapy is the perfect example. It’s a form of regenerative medicine that rejuvenates various bodily functions.
The idea behind this treatment is that healthy sleep is inherent to humans. Lifestyle and health issues disrupt it, but we can give the body a helping hand and re-establish it.
Peptides are short chains of amino acids that occur naturally in the human body. They regulate hormonal balance, immunity, digestion, and sleep. Supplementation augments their function and ensures everything works as intended.
Which peptides help you go to sleep fast and rest well? Sleep is a complex function, requiring many compounds to work in coordination. HGH, DSIP, and CJC-1295 are effective bedtime boosters.
DSIP stands for “delta sleep-inducing peptide.” It’s an emerging treatment for sleep disorders like insomnia. HGH is the “human growth hormone,” and it’s essential for normal functioning. CJC-1295 supports the production of HGH.
Peptide combinations like CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin are optimal. They’re a well-rounded treatment, letting you sleep well and feel rested during the day.
Better sleep for a better life
Finding ways to sleep well makes you healthier, happier, and more productive. Plus, it’s as simple as recognizing the problem and finding its cause.
Start with sleep tracking and lifestyle changes. For most people, these habits are enough to improve rest and life quality. Do blood tests and consider peptide therapy if you find behavioral shifts insufficient.
At LIVV Natural, we’re dedicated to helping you improve your sleep and overall health. Contact us to learn about peptide therapy: a holistic approach to mind-and-body rejuvenation.
Author: Dr. Jason Phan NMD – Founder of LIVV Natural – Anti-aging – regenerative medicine – peptide therapy
