Feeling exhausted even after sleeping?
This may be because you didn’t get enough sleep or because the quality of your sleep isn't good enough. Either way, you will have to face your day without adequate energy. This restlessness may even affect your mood and cognitive functions. If you don't feel rested and recharged after hours of slumber, start evaluating the quality of your sleep.
Achieving 8 hours of sleep is vital, but the quality of your sleep is just as important. A complete "deep sleep" is essential for refreshing your body after a long and exhausting day. However, as complicated as it seems, 6 to 8 hours of sleep isn’t enough to make you feel rested, but quality sleep will.
If you’re wondering why you still end up being a walking zombie after a long snooze, this article will give you the answer. We’ll also list some tips to improve your sleep quality.
What is Deep Sleep?
While you sleep, your body goes through different stages of rest. The sleep cycle begins with the REM stage, where your heartbeat and body functions slow down as your muscles relax. In the second stage, your body temperature will gradually drop and your brain waves will slow down. The next phase will be deep sleep, where many restorative processes take place.
"Deep sleep" is a stage of restorative sleep that is also called "slow wave sleep" or "delta sleep." This slow-wave sleep is the deepest among other stages of the sleep cycle, where the brain waves work at their slowest frequency. During this phase, your muscles become more relaxed as your breathing and heart rate slow.
Deep sleep offers the most restorative benefits among the other stages, as it works to repair and build muscles while also benefiting your immune system.
In this stage of sleep, your growth hormones are released, and your glucose metabolism increases to support both short- and long-term memory. In terms of productivity, getting enough deep sleep can help you improve your cognitive functions, improve your concentration, and boost your positive mood.
Achieving enough deep sleep when you snooze is important for restoring your mind and body and getting you ready for the next day. Your body may reach the earlier stages of sleep, but it's important to reach the stage of deep sleep to be fully rested. This can be the reason why you feel tired even after hours of slumber.
Lack of proper deep sleep can result in decreased energy, poor concentration, and some problems with your memory. Inadequate sleep quality is also linked to various diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Increased fatigue and vulnerability to infection are also a result of poor sleep quality. To prevent these implications, it’s crucial to create a suitable habit and environment to support healthy, deep sleep.
Tips for Improving Your Sleep Quality
From cutting your screen time to buying a new mattress, these tips can help you achieve a deep and restorative sleep.
Watch Out for Your Diet
Protein-rich meals give you energy and help you stay awake, while foods rich in carbohydrates can make you feel sleepy. You can help your body sleep properly by consuming the proteins during lunch instead of bingeing on them at dinner. This can keep you full and energised in the afternoon while also preparing your body for a good night's sleep.
What You Drink Can Also Affect Your Sleep
Drinking coffee or alcohol near bedtime can affect the quality of your sleep. Consuming caffeine or sugary drinks can make your body active and buzzed, affecting your ability to reach a deeper sleep during bedtime. To prevent this, make sure to only consume your coffee in the morning or early afternoon, as it can help you achieve 6 hours of alertness.
A Little Nap Can Help You Survive a Long and Tiring Day
However, it is critical to monitor both the duration and timing of your nap. The advisable time for healthy naps is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., for at least 30 to 60 minutes. Going beyond these will affect your night’s sleep.
Cut Your Screen Time Before Sleeping
Daylight signals to your body that it is daytime and that it should remain awake and alert. If you use your phone, laptop, or television before bedtime, your body may confuse the artificial light for daylight. This affects your body’s production of melatonin, which is a chemical that is supposed to help you fall asleep.
Avoid watching television or using your phone for at least an hour before you go to sleep.
Set a Regular Sleep Schedule
Sleeping at different hours every day can throw off your body’s internal clock. This can give you so much trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. It can also affect your concentration and energy levels in the morning.
Prevent waking up feeling groggy and in a bad mood by setting a regular sleep schedule that you will follow every day. It is okay to somehow follow a varying schedule as long as it does not reach a 45-minute difference.
Make Your Bedroom Conducive for Sleeping
Before sleeping, make sure that your bedroom is clean and cosy so you can enjoy your night’s rest. Moreover, if you work at home, do not use your bedroom as a makeshift home office unless you have no other efficient choices.
If you have to use your bedroom as a home office, make sure that you set a clear boundary between your work and rest hours. In the end, if you have a lot on your mind, you won’t be able to rest properly.
Choose the Right Mattress
The quality of your mattress can greatly impact the quality of your sleep. When choosing a mattress, make sure to consider your sleeping position and your body type. These can affect the size, firmness, and materials of your mattress. Of course, your comfort preferences should also be taken into account.
The best mattresses in Singapore come in a wide variety of materials, dimensions, and firmness levels to cater to various sleeping needs. Some mattresses even combine multiple materials to form hybrid units and maximise the benefits of each mattress component. If your mattress is already old and unsupportive, take the chance to upgrade to a new sleep solution.
Mental Health and Sleep Conditions Can Also Affect Your Sleep Quality
Anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems can greatly affect your sleep quality. Other conditions, like insomnia and sleep apnea, can also cause chronic sleep deprivation. It is important to visit a professional to help you improve your health.
Conclusion
Sleep is a vital factor that affects your health and productivity. While sleep quantity is important, the quality of your rest is also vital to keeping you healthy and alert during the day. If you are having a hard time reaching deep sleep, try following the tips that we listed above. If the problem progresses, we recommend visiting a sleep specialist to address the problem.