ANCSLEEP BLOG

We often emphasize the need for good sleep. But sometimes, it can be hard to know what defines "good sleep". You may ask yourself, how do you know if you're sleeping well, or if you need some improvement? 

That's why understanding how to measure sleep is useful, because you'll have a parameter against which to judge how good or bad your sleep is. Once you know how to measure your sleep, you can then determine if you are getting adequate sleep, or if you need to talk to a sleep specialist. Here are the best ways to measure sleep.  

If you have ever woken up in the middle of the night, you have experienced what is called wakefulness after sleep onset, or WASO. WASO is more than just a minor inconvenience throughout the night. It can severely impact sleep quality. Continue reading to find out more about WASO, how it's used, and what its implications are for your life. 

Melatonin is a naturally produced hormone, that helps your body go to sleep. It is released by the lack of light that hits your retina, signaling that it's probably time to go to bed. This release jumpstarts the process of shutting things down so your body can get some rest.

For one reason, or another, certain individuals cannot produce that much melatonin. Therefore, they may need exogenous, or outside sources. Melatonin tablets are a common exogenous source, but a new supplement form in a patch is becoming more available. Continue reading to find out what they are and if they work.  

Babies go through more growing and learning than any other age, and at a faster rate. Therefore, they need adequate amounts of sleep throughout this stage in order to ensure they are learning and growing as fast as they should. There are many milestones that babies should hit in their first year, and getting good sleep can help ensure they stay on track. 

it can take some time for both parents and kids to get into a good sleep routine and learn how to ensure that babies are getting the adequate amount of sleep they need. Continue reading to find out more about babies' sleep and how to improve your child's sleep. 

It's no secret that our entire world is becoming increasingly digital by the moment. Sleep apps are just the latest representation of this new way of life. But how exactly do sleep apps track sleep? 

Well, the sleeptech market is growing. Research and Markets estimates that the sleep-tech-device revenue will increase from $12.9 B - $49.9 B from 2020 to 2030. More and more people are paying attention to their health and turning to wearables, sleep tracker apps and other accessories that can be used to help everyone get a good night's sleep. 

Day sleepers, however, have a different set of needs and challenges. Nontraditional sleepers, like shift workers, create an additional challenge to the way companies collect data and offer sleep recommendations. Continue reading to see how some sleep apps are accounting for day sleeper's routines and what is to come. 

When you are working on getting more sleep, it's important to think about sleep quality as well as sleep quantity. We overwhelmingly emphasize the importance of getting a certain number of hours of sleep, which is always a great goal. However, if you are tossing and turning during these hours, or lying awake, then you are not getting the intended benefit from them.

Therefore, as you make a goal to get into bed at a certain time and wake 7-8 hours later, it's important to also make sure that you are getting good quality of sleep as well. Here are some tips to think about as you are trying to get quality rest. 

Comfort is a huge part of getting good quality sleep. If you are uncomfortable, then chances are you spend more time tossing and turning than actually getting decent sleep. Adults are recommended to get 7-9 hours of sleep in order to properly function. Part of ensuring that you're getting that time is making sure when you're in bed, you're getting great sleep. Part of that is finding either the right mattress or right mattress topper. Continue reading to find out how to choose the best bed for you!