Sleep satisfaction is more than just a ‘good night’s rest’ in hours. It’s also more than ‘how well you sleep’. Sleep quantity and quality contribute to sleep satisfaction, but how much so, varies from person to person. Sleep satisfaction is how feel your sleep has benefited you, and how your sleep impacts on your life. It is a subjective.
The subjective part is all important for well-being. Why is it that you can have eight hours of sleep and still wake up feeling exhausted? You may have slept, and slept ‘well’, but something has impacted on how that sleep makes you feel, and this has lessened your sleep satisfaction. We are always on the look out for ways to improve our sleeping patterns and what can effect our sleeping patterns.
Some of the factors that may (or may not) impact on sleep satisfaction:
- Disrupted sleep cycles – from noise or lights being switched on and off, or sleeping in a room with a light on, or light coming through windows.
- Room temperature – too hot or cold.
- Sleeping times. Natural biorhythms that aid sleep are disrupted when you sleep during the day instead of at night or go to bed very late at night, waking late in the morning.
- The effects of technology. This includes cell phones next to your bed, watching TV before you go to sleep, or reading or watching a movie on your laptop while in bed
- Stress. This needs no explanation!
- Diet. Certain foods eaten at night can affect the quality of your sleep due to digestive processes.
- Illness –acute and chronic conditions.
The factor that always has negative impact on sleep satisfaction:
Sleep disorders! Including ones that you may not be aware of! You’ll need a sleep disorder test.
The first indicator of a sleep disorder is low sleep satisfaction. When the sleep disorder is obstructive sleep apnea or sleep apnea originating in the brain stem, it can be life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated. At the very least, it will affect your sleep satisfaction on an ongoing basis, your health and your quality of life.
If you suspect that you have a sleep disorder, you can get a sleep disorder test from your GP or a sleep clinic.
