Improving sleep quality is the main goal of sleep interventions. However, this can be hard if you are unsure of what sleep quality entails. And if you are unsure, don't worry - you're not alone. Nonetheless, it's still very important to understand what sleep quality is so you can get a good night's rest.
The best definition of sleep quality is that it is the ability to have refreshing and restorative sleep that can improve daytime function and overall health. You can be in bed for 7-9 hours, but if you're only getting quality sleep for 6 hours, then it doesn't matter. Restful sleep allows you to improve your immune function, exercise better, and repair your body from the day so you wake up feeling restored. Continue reading to get a better idea of what sleep quality really is so you can start making some better decisions to improve your sleep.
Defining Good Quality Sleep
Good quality sleep is a combination of factors. This may include the total time of sleep, sleep latency (the amount of time you spend in bed before falling asleep), number of nighttime awakenings, and wake time.
Sleep quality is how well sleep quality contributes to you being healthy and feeling healthy, energetic and metabolically refreshed. Essentially, good quality sleep is determined by how much your sleep is able to maximize the processes in your body in which sleep affects.
Measuring Sleep Quality
You can measure sleep through a variety of methods. One is a sleep study that can look at your sleep stages and also identify sleep disorders that may be detracting from your sleep quality like sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome.
If your sleep problems are not severe enough for a sleep study, then you can also measure your sleep at home using wearable devices like bracelets, rings, watches, and apps. They are able to detect the difference between light sleep, being awake, and the number of times you move throughout the night.
Technology is not the only way to measure your sleep quality. You can also just determine how you feel when you wake up. Are you energized? Are you groggy? Do you have various pains? Are you excessively tired throughout the day? These are all questions to ask yourself. Write down a few notes to keep track how you feel after various nights. Those nights you feel great, write down what you did to prepare for bed, and try to repeat that every night.
Improving Sleep Quality
The best way to improve sleep quality is to take out the aspects of your life that can disrupt sleep. This includes alcohol, caffeine, lights, and restless bed partners (including kids and animals). Stress and anxiety can also severely interrupt your sleep quality, as well as sleep disorders.
If you are struggling with poor sleep quality, then it's important to follow a few tips. This can include:
- Have a consistent bedtime and wake time
- Keep your sleep environment cool, dark, and noise-free
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, or heavy meals before bedtime
- Use your bed only for sleep and sex, NO WORKING
- Manage your stress and anxiety by seeing a professional or finding pre-bedtime relaxation techniques
If none of these work, then the issue could be deeper. Please click the orange button below to take a free online sleep test and talk with one of our sleep health professionals to see if there is an underlying sleep disorder. 
https://www.sleep.com/sleep-health/sleep-quality