8 Hours Isn't The Whole Story
New research is changing the way we think about a good night’s sleep.
For years, we’ve been told that getting enough sleep is one of the best things we can do for our health. And while the number of hours you sleep absolutely matters, new research suggests there’s another piece of the puzzle we should be paying attention to:
What’s actually happening during those hours.
A major new study published in PLOS Medicine looked at the sleep patterns of 95,559 adults using data from wearable devices. Instead of simply asking people how long they slept, researchers examined their actual sleep architecture, including REM sleep, deep sleep, light sleep, sleep interruptions and sleep regularity, and followed participants for a median of nearly nine years. PLOS
What they found makes the whole “I got eight hours, so I’m good” conversation a lot more interesting.
First, what exactly is “sleep architecture”?
Think of your night’s sleep as a series of cycles rather than one long stretch of unconsciousness.
Throughout the night, your body moves repeatedly through different stages of light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep. A typical night contains roughly four to six of these cycles, averaging around 90 minutes each. Harvard Health
Each stage is different, and getting enough sleep gives your body the opportunity to move through this architecture throughout the night.
That’s why two people can both technically “sleep eight hours” and wake up feeling completely different.
The study found something pretty fascinating.
Researchers examined sleep patterns in relation to 1,049 different health outcomes.
Higher amounts of REM sleep were associated with a lower risk of 83 different conditions across 12 disease categories.
More deep sleep was associated with lower risk of seven conditions, including type 2 diabetes and major depressive disorder.
Meanwhile, greater sleep irregularity and spending more time awake after initially falling asleep were associated with higher risks for several conditions. PLOS
One important distinction: this was an observational study. It shows strong associations, but it doesn't prove that getting more REM or deep sleep directly prevents these diseases.
Still, when nearly 100,000 people are studied, it's worth paying attention.
And yes, the number of hours still matters.
The researchers also found that sleep duration had significant relationships with dozens of health outcomes.
For most of those conditions, the lowest-risk sleep duration clustered within the 6-to-8-hour range, while people sleeping fewer than five hours showed the most widespread adverse associations. PLOS
So this isn't permission to start sleeping five hours a night because you've decided your REM is fabulous.
The takeaway is bigger than that:
Good sleep appears to be about both quantity and quality.
Here’s where it gets even more interesting: what you eat may matter, too.
Another study published in Nature Health in August looked at 4,793 nights of real-world food logs paired with wearable sleep measurements.
Researchers found that days with a higher concentration of dietary fiber were associated that night with more deep sleep, more REM sleep, less light sleep and a lower nighttime heart rate.
Greater plant diversity and higher intake of whole plant foods were also associated with favorable nighttime measures. Nature
Again, this isn't proof that eating a bowl of broccoli at dinner will magically send you into deep sleep.
But it adds to a growing body of research suggesting that our daytime habits and our nighttime health aren't nearly as separate as we once thought.
So how do you support better sleep?
You don't need to become obsessed with every number on your sleep tracker.
Instead, think about the things you can control.
Keep your sleep and wake times relatively consistent. Give yourself enough time in bed to move through multiple complete sleep cycles. Get daylight and movement during the day. Build meals around whole foods and fiber. Be mindful of alcohol, which can alter normal sleep architecture. And create a nighttime routine that tells your brain and body that the day is ending. Sleep cycles themselves can also be affected by factors including stress, illness and alcohol. Harvard Health
Because better sleep usually isn't about one giant lifestyle overhaul.
It's about the little things you do consistently.
Your nighttime ritual matters.
At Glotrition, we've always believed that small daily rituals can create big results.
Your nighttime routine is one of them.
Dim the lights. Put the phone down. Take a shower. Read a few pages of a book. Make your bedroom cool and dark. Take your Glotrition Sleep Gummies as part of your wind-down routine.
Whatever your ritual looks like, the goal is the same:
Don't just make time for sleep. Make room for good sleep.
Because eight hours is only part of the story. 😴