Sleeping seven to eight hours is the standard benchmark, usually reiterated by health professionals time and again. Quality sleep is essential for everything from brain function to heart health. In fact, some studies suggest that consistently sleeping late may accelerate brain ageing, while poor sleep habits can also place added stress on your cardiovascular system- meaning sleep deprivation is a precursor for many health issues. But here’s the oversight: even if you are getting those recommended seven to eight hours, it still doesn’t guarantee good-quality sleep. You can clock in a full night’s rest and yet wake up feeling anything but refreshed, productive, or mentally sharp.
ALSO READ: Eyes twitching often? Cardiologist reveals this habit may be the reason behind it
In a conversation with HT Lifestyle, Pranav Kaistha, sleep diagnostics specialist and co-founder at SomniScan, revealed that actual sleep quality does not solely come from the hours you sleep. While clocking in the time is useful, only focusing on it will be like misplacing your priority. Broaden your horizon and learn to detect signs of low-quality sleep.
“You can spend eight full hours in bed and still wake up feeling tired, heavy, or mentally foggy. That’s because real sleep isn’t just about clocking time. It’s about whether your brain and body actually got the chance to recover,” he said. He debunked the belief that sleeping the standard seven to eight hours can make you feel refreshed and well-rested the next day. Despite sleeping enough, you still may feel tired the next morning. The sleep specialist too acknowledged, “It’s not just about how long you sleep — it’s about how well you sleep.”
Sleep health, therefore, requires a dual-pronged approach to ensure truly well-rounded rest. One part involves clocking in the recommended number of hours, while the other is rooted in habits that support and protect your REM sleep cycle, allowing your body and mind to fully recover.
How do you know you are not getting quality sleep? The sleep specialist shared these signs:
1. You wake up unrefreshed
- Lacking enough deep sleep and REM sleep makes people wake up in the morning feeling tired.
- Deep sleep is responsible for physical repair and recovery, while REM sleep helps in the brain’s processing, from sorting emotions and strengthening memories. Both are essential to wake up refreshed.
- If sleep is getting ‘broken,’ and you are waking up in the lighter stages (Stage 1 and Stage 2), you are less likely to feel rested the next day.
2. Snoring
- Loud snoring is a typical warning sign of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- OSA causes repeated interruptions in breathing while asleep, resulting in fluctuations in oxygen levels, which adds additional stress to the heart and brain.
- OSA can also disrupt the deeper stages of sleep, making you feel tired the next day.
3. Daytime sleepiness or ‘brain fog’
- Brain fog is that heavy, cloudy feeling where thoughts seem slower than usual.
- You may struggle to focus, forget simple things, or feel mentally drained even early in the day.
- Poor sleep is a major reason. During the night, the brain clears out metabolic waste, restores energy, and resets important hormones. If sleep is disturbed, this process does not take place, causing brain fog.
4. Mood changes and irritability
- Sleep loss affects the connection between the logical centre (prefrontal cortex) and the emotional centre (amygdala).
- The disruption of the natural regulation system will lead to an increase in emotional reactions, such as irritability and mood swings.
5. Frequent night-time urination (nocturia)
- Many people think that they wake up because their bladder is full. However, the truth is that the body may produce more urine at night because of poor sleep.
- When a person is in deep sleep, the body produces more antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which decreases the production of urine.
- If the body is not getting enough deep sleep, the body’s hormonal regulation will be affected, and the bladder will be filled more often.
In the end, Pranav explained that achieving the deep stages of sleep is critical, going beyond stages 1 and 2. He suggested a test which helps to detect sleep-related problems: “A diagnostic sleep test called polysomnography can record the brain waves, breathing patterns, oxygen levels, heart rate, and stages of sleep to diagnose conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea.”
If you feel your sleep quality is not adequate, consider visiting a health professional and getting it checked, as poor quality sleep may mean some underlying health issues. The sooner you get it detected, the better it is for your health. The sleep specialist recognised that one sees improvements in heart health, mental clarity, energy levels, and overall quality of life if their sleep quality improves.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
