If you woke up this morning feeling rested and refreshed, you probably got what’s called restorative sleep. In basic terms, restorative sleep happens when brain activity during sleep helps restore your body and mind, essentially resetting you for another day of activity.
Experts continue to study the process of sleep, but they’ve found evidence to suggest your body and brain accomplish a lot during sleep, including muscle repair, protein synthesis, and tissue growth. Not getting enough restorative sleep can affect your health, not to mention your ability to function during the day.
Restorative vs. non-restorative sleep
Only the last two stages of sleep, deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, are considered restorative. During deep sleep, the body repairs and regrows tissue builds bone and muscle, and strengthens the immune system. REM sleep, the stage where you typically dream, is essential for learning, memory, and cognition.
Sleep is non-restorative when you wake up feeling unrefreshed despite having slept the recommended number of hours. While feeling a little tired from time to time is normal, regularly feeling so tired you can’t focus or find yourself falling asleep at your desk is not.
What causes non-restorative sleep?
Conditions that can cause non-restorative sleep include:
Keep in mind, though, that when you have trouble getting quality sleep that leaves you feeling refreshed, underlying health concerns aren’t necessarily to blame. The stresses of life can also negatively impact your ability to get a good night’s rest, as can poor sleep hygiene. Both can contribute to non-restorative sleep.
Other things that can disrupt your regular sleep cycle include:
- shift work
- jet lag
- having young children
- providing regular care for someone with an illness
- anxiety
- chronic pain
- certain medications
What happens when you don’t get enough restorative sleep?
Not getting enough restorative sleep can affect your health in a variety of ways.
Short-term consequences include:
- difficulty getting through the day without dozing off
- trouble with memory
- problems with concentration and focus
Over time, poor sleep can also factor into chronic conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Regular non-restorative sleep can even affect mental health and contribute to depression and other mental health conditions.
Adults should be getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night, ideally going through 4 to 5 sleep cycles. And newborns need a whopping 14 to 17 hours of sleep a night.
As you get older, your chances of developing a sleep disorder or experiencing poorer quality sleep tend to increase. Research suggests that as you age, you’re more likely to develop conditions or experience stressors that lead to sleep troubles, which can, in turn, decrease the time you spend in deep or REM sleep.
If you’ve ever struggled to fall asleep, you’re probably aware that dozing off and staying asleep for the perfect 8 hours is usually a lot more complicated than it sounds. Still, a few small changes can make it easier to get the amount of restorative sleep you need regularly.
Improve your sleep hygiene
Sleep hygiene doesn’t mean showering before bed — though if that’s what helps you fall asleep, go for it. Rather, sleep hygiene refers to habits that contribute to quality sleep.
Improving sleep hygiene
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source suggests a few habits that can improve sleep health:
- keeping a consistent sleep schedule
- maintaining a sleep environment that promotes a good night’s sleep — for example, keeping your bedroom dark, quiet, and on the cooler side
- leaving your computer, phone, and other screens outside of the bedroom
- sticking to smaller meals or light snacks before bed
- avoiding caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine in the hours before bedtime
One method of remembering proper sleep hygiene has taken off on social media and with sleep professionals alike. This solution is something called the 10-3-2-1-0 formula. It’s a simple memory aid that packs a lot of sound sleep and productivity advice into a just a few lines. Here it is:
- 10 hours before bed: No more caffeine
- 3 hours before bed: No more food or alcohol
- 2 hours before bed: No more work
- 1 hour before bed: No more screen time
- 0: The number of times you hit the snooze button in the morning
Stress relief
Ever found yourself lying awake, worrying about problems that popped up during the day, or the challenges tomorrow has yet to reveal?
You’re not alone in the least — stress is common, and high levels of stress can hurt your sleep. You may not be able to completely cut all sources of stress from your life, but finding ways to better manage stress can go a long way toward helping you get more restorative sleep.
A few coping strategies to consider:
Practice good self-care
Taking care of your physical health can also lead to better sleep.
- getting regular exercise
- staying hydrated
- eating a balanced diet
Melatonin supplements could also help you fall asleep faster and potentially get better sleep when taken at the correct time. It’s always a good idea to ask your doctor before trying melatonin. They can offer more guidance on whether it’s right for you.
When to see a healthcare professional
Everybody feels tired sometimes, but excessive sleepiness isn’t normal. It’s not always possible to address sleep problems yourself, especially when you have a sleep disorder. So, if you’ve already tried a perfectly relaxing pre-bedtime routine and still have trouble falling asleep — and staying awake during the day — it may be time to consider professional support.
Connecting with your primary care physician or a sleep specialist through Alaska Sleep Clinic becomes even more important when you:
- doze off involuntarily throughout the day
- have problems remembering things or concentrating on tasks
- struggle to fall asleep
- can’t stay asleep
- snore loudly
- experience involuntary leg movements while sleeping
- notice symptoms of depression
You should also connect with a sleep specialist if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or lung disease. These conditions may sometimes result from sleep apnea, a treatable but serious condition where you temporarily stop breathing during sleep.
Trouble getting restful sleep regularly can happen as a symptom of sleep disorders or other health conditions. If restorative sleep regularly evades you, seeking professional sleep support is a good next step.
