Healthy sleep refers to adequate quantity, quality, and timing of sleep. Healthy sleep also includes the absence of a sleep disorder. While specifics vary by individual, people getting healthy sleep usually sleep 7-8 hours per night, take between 5 and 30 minutes to fall asleep once in bed, and spend 85-90% or more of their time asleep while in bed. Excluding other health problems, getting healthy sleep allows you to function at full capacity, maintain attention and wakefulness throughout the day, feel energetic, develop memory, and more.

Many people that do not necessarily have sleep disorders become sleep-deprived due to time constraints that reduce their opportunities for healthy sleep. While these individuals may feel that they are functioning at a "normal" level, they may not be at their true highest level of functioning. One way to briefly assess whether or not you are getting adequate sleep is to consider these few questions:

1. How many hours would you sleep tonight if you had no schedule or responsibilities tomorrow?
2. What time would you go to sleep and what time would you wake up?
3. Do you ever feel the need to sleep during the day while in a dark room or boring environment?

If your answers to the first two questions are discordant with your current sleep patterns, it is possible that you may not be getting healthy sleep. If you ever fall asleep during the day or feel the need to sleep during the day, at any times except for planned nap times, this can be another indication of sleep deprivation. Explore the Healthy Sleep topics below to learn more about each of the issues specifically. If you are concerned that you are not getting adequate sleep, talk to your doctor.

 

Click on any of the Healthy Sleep topics below to learn more:

• Circadian rhythms and sleep timing: natural daily rhythms of sleepiness and wakefulness, rising and falling hormone levels, and more
• Hours of sleep: generally 7-8 hours of sleep per night, but varies by individual
• Napping: intentional short naps can be a healthy sleep practice with many potential benefits
• Sleep architecture: sleep stages during the night, can be clinically analyzed
• Sleep hygiene: proper preventive health sleep habits

 

Sleep problems (including insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and others) all disturb healthy sleep. Discuss any potential sleep problems with your doctor.