Experts generally recommend that adults get about seven to eight hours of sleep per night. That said, some people still don’t feel fully productive after what seems like an adequate night's sleep. One reason for this is the difference between sleep duration and sleep quality - long sleep does not always equate to good sleep.
So-called sleep trackers allow us to get a more accurate picture of our sleep behaviour. In this article, we’ll explain how these trackers measure sleep quality and how you can evaluate the results.
What is sleep quality?
If we want to improve our sleep quality, we should first understand what exactly is meant by this term. Sleep quality is a measure not only of how long we sleep, but how well. Getting an adequate amount of good quality sleep means that we should be able to get up the next morning fully refreshed and able to perform at our full potential.
In a study by the National Sleep Foundation, the following three indicators were found to be important for our sleep quality:
Falling asleep within thirty minutes: Subjects who were able to fall asleep within 30 minutes of lying down had better sleep quality than those who took longer.
The number of waking episodes: While we sleep, we may wake up as we transition from one sleep phase to the next. The wake-up response was used to test how often the participants were awake for more than five minutes during the night. People with less than four waking phases had a good quality of sleep; with more than four, the quality went down.
Waking phase after falling asleep: Shortly after we have fallen asleep for the first time and completed the first cycle of the five sleep phases, we wake up briefly. If we can fall back asleep within twenty minutes, our sleep quality is considered good. If the opposite happens and we need longer, the quality decreases.
So for a good night's sleep, it’s important that we wake up as little as possible during the night, fall asleep quickly and find our way back to sleep in a short time after waking up for the first time.
How do sleep trackers measure sleep quality?
Most sleep trackers today are equipped with a motion/pulse sensor and microphone. These can be used to determine how often we move back and forth during the night, how noisy both we ourselves and our surroundings are and how calm or fast our pulse is while we sleep. By using this data, the sleep tracker can determine when we're in a sleep phase, how often we wake up, etc.
How exactly do these trackers work?
Since sleep trackers only focus on physical reactions, they are not able to provide a definite result. For example, when we lie down in bed, our pulse rate automatically falls, which might cause some sleep trackers to indicate that we’ve reached a sleep phase. However, as bad sleepers know, we don’t always fall asleep as soon as our head hits the pillow.
In addition, most devices can’t give precise or credible information about the individual sleep phases we find ourselves in. These phases can only be distinguished from one another by our level of brain activity, which would require the use of more complex devices, like the ones found in sleep labs.
What different types of sleep trackers are there?
The sleep tracker market is expanding and new devices are being added every year. The most common devices include:
Wristbands, watches and headbands
- Fitness wristbands are especially popular among athletes who want to monitor their pulse while exercising. These bands can not only measure their users’ pulse, but also provide information about our heart rate, breathing, etc.
- Smartwatches are also equipped with sensors that measure our movement. In addition, they have microphones that pick up background noises at night.
- Headbands are able to measure and record brain waves. These devices are suitable for taking a closer look at the phases of sleep during the night. Though their measurements are of course not as precise as those provided by the equipment available to a professional facility, high-quality headbands are a more convenient alternative to spending a night in a sleep lab with electrodes hooked up to your body.
Sleep sensors for the bed
Bed sensors are placed either under the mattress or sheets. Sensors can measure the pressure from your body and provide information about your heartbeat, breathing and movement. However, these sensors are only practical if you sleep in your own bed pretty much every night, as they’re not very portable.
Smartphone apps
There are now also a number of apps that you can download on your smartphone to measure your sleep quality. These also use built-in sensors to record movement and light while you sleep. However, certain apps’ measurements can be rather inaccurate and do not provide an accurate picture of how well we sleep at night. The data they provide should thus be viewed critically and don’t indicate clearly how much sleep we need.
How can we improve sleep quality?
As stated above, sleep quality is mainly about being able to fall asleep quickly, suffering few sleep interruptions and getting plenty of deep sleep. If your sleep environment is right and you routinely practice sleep hygiene, these three goals should be achievable. A few tips to help you sleep better at night are:
Avoid blue light before bedtime: the brain perceives blue light as sunlight, which sends the message to our body that it should produce lower amounts of the hormones that promote sleep. To prevent this from happening, avoid using your mobile phone, laptop or TV for at least thirty minutes before going to sleep.
- Cool bedroom: The optimal bedroom temperature for sleep lies between 15 to 18 degrees Celsius. A room that is too warm makes us feel hot and sweat; a room that is too cold can often wake us up at night.
- Create a sleep routine: A healthy sleep routine helps us to fall asleep faster at night. For example, set aside some time before bedtime in order to do some relaxation exercises, read a book or take a warm bath.
- Keep a regular sleep rhythm: Keeping the same wake up time and bedtime allows our body to get used to these more quickly. Keeping a consistent sleep rhythm helps us fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Zizzz products for better sleep
Good quality sleep and sustainability are our top priorities, which is why we have developed our products according to these concepts. A good pillow is an important part of sleeping better at night and feeling refreshed. At Zizzz we offer pillows with wool filling, goose down and duck down. Our European down is ethically sourced and wrapped with a layer of soft and breathable organic cotton.
Conclusion
Sleep trackers can provide information about our movement, heart rate and the noise level of our bedroom at night. They are very easy to use and give us an overview of how long we sleep at night. However, the measurements they give regarding our sleep quality should be viewed with caution, as they are not 100% accurate and detailed enough. In order to permanently improve your quality of sleep, you should try out the methods described above.
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