We all know just how important getting a good night’s sleep is to your health, the time we spend sleeping allows our bodies and minds to rest, recover and recuperate from our day-to-day lives. And on the flip side, if you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll find that your physical and mental health can be negatively impacted.
But one area of sleep that isn’t often talked about enough is sleep continuity, which is a good way to measure the quality of your sleep. So, if you’d like to find out more about sleep continuity and how you can improve yours, read on.
What Is Sleep Continuity?
Put simply, sleep continuity is a measure of how much or little your sleep is disrupted. If you sleep all the way through the night without disruption, you’ll have continuously been asleep all night and as such have a good level of sleep continuity. But if you’re woken throughout the night and your sleep is disrupted, you’ll have a poor level of sleep continuity.
How Can You Measure Your Sleep Continuity?
Up until recently, most people would have no way to measure their sleep continuity levels, but thanks to modern wearable technology like smartwatches you can track your sleep continuity to see how disrupted your sleep is.
So, as long as you have a smartwatch or another piece of wearable technology, you can easily track your sleep continuity by wearing it at night and setting it to track your sleep.
How Will Good Sleep Continuity Affect You?
If you’re sleeping well most nights with minimal disruptions, you’ll find that you get a lot more out of your sleep. When you can sleep undisrupted, you’ll find that you will wake up in the mornings with more energy, in a better mood and in general you will feel much better than you would if your sleep was disrupted.
How Will Poor Sleep Continuity Affect You?
If you have regular disruptions to your sleep, you’ll quickly notice the negative effects of poor sleep continuity.
Disruptions in your sleep can lead to you getting less overall sleep, waking up with low energy levels, can create a sense of confusion when you wake up, cause weight gain and regularly disrupted sleep can also cause issues like depression or even Alzheimer’s.
What Causes Sleep Disruption?
There is a wide range of factors at play that may cause your sleep to be disrupted, including personal issues, health issues and environmental issues.
Common personal reasons that cause sleep disruptions include: stress which can disrupt your sleep, which unfortunately will increase your stress levels the next day; your consumption of caffeine and alcohol, which can both disrupt your sleep cycle; and even using electronic devices before getting into bed!
Common health issues which can cause sleep disruption include: sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnoea or restless leg syndrome; prescription drugs, which may cause sleep disruption when taken; medical issues which cause frequent urination, which will cause you to wake up at night; and some underlying issues like cardiovascular disease or lung issues may also cause disrupted sleep.
Common environmental issues which cause sleep disruption include: light pollution, lights from streetlamps and passing cars can wake you during the night, so you should have double roller blinds in your bedroom to prevent light pollution disrupting your sleep; noise pollution, which can wake you during the night if a loud car passes; and even the temperature of your room may disrupt your sleep if it is too hot or cold.
Now you know about sleep continuity, why it matters and what can cause sleep disruptions, so you can better identify and treat issues which may be negatively impacting your sleep continuity.
If you believe that you’re having issues with your sleep continuity, you can either try to remove disruptors like using blackout blinds to avoid light pollution, treating underlying issues which may exacerbate your sleep issues, or speak to your doctor about ways you can improve the quality and continuity of your sleep at night.
Author bio:
Buzz Carter is a marketer working for UK-based homeware retailer DotcomBlinds. Helping to communicate the benefits of exquisite home décor and how it can be used for so much more than just decoration.
