Most individuals assume that the longer one sleeps, the healthier he or she is. They concentrate on the amount of hours in bed and do not care about the quality of sleep at all. This misconception causes frustrations, since despite the eight hours of sleep, most individuals still wake up feeling fatigued, lack of concentration and mentally exhausted. This is because it is all about the quality of sleep, as opposed to the length of sleep. Extra time does not make any real-life recovery without sleep cycles which are of quality.

Sleep is not a state of uninterrupted existence. It consists of series of cycles that involve light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep. The functions in every stage are the physical repair, memory processing, emotional regulation, and hormone balance. The body fails to get the full recovery despite the long time in bed when the sleep cycles are interrupted by stress, screens, noise or irregular schedules.

Physical recovery is of great importance when one is in deep sleep. When one is in deep sleep, the body is repairing the tissues, boosting the immune system, and discharging growth hormones. Individuals that do not get enough sleep tend to be physically weary, aching, or feeble throughout the day. This recuperation cannot be substituted with any amount of caffeine. The human nervous system becomes relaxed and safe, and thus, deep sleep occurs naturally.

REM sleep plays a very crucial role in mental vividness and emotional stability. It is at this stage that dreams take place and the brain interprets emotions and memories. Due to poor REM sleep, anxiety, lack of focus and emotional instability are likely to occur. Most individuals attribute the cause to stress or work load yet the problem is mostly discontinuous REM sleep.

Bedtime consistency has a strong influence on the quality of sleep. Randomly going to bed distorts the internal clock of the body. The body is more inclined to predictability. With a regular sleep schedule, the body will adjust to sleep and it becomes easy to fall and maintain sleep. Abnormal sleep patterns interfere with hormone secretion and decrease sleep performance.

Stimulation before sleep is another significant contributor to the quality of sleep. The nervous system is activated by bright screens, loud content, heavy meals and stressful conversation. Stimulation of the brain at the late hours suppresses the onset of deep sleep. Even in case one falls asleep, the sleep gets light and disrupted.

Environment in which one sleeps is also important. Sleep depth depends on light exposure, noise, room temperature and comfort of the mattress. Excessively bright or hot room makes the body unable to go into a deep sleep. Without medication, simple environment modifications will go a long way in enhancing the quality of sleep.

Daily energy stability also depends on the sleep quality. Sleep deprivation leads to energy crashes and sugar cravings as well as mood swings. Individuals in turn become dependent on caffeine, and it further interferes with sleep during the night. This generates the cycle of fatigue. Good sleep eliminates this process and balances energy in a natural way.

Having a better understanding of sleep quality changes the emphasis to sleep more to sleep better. Even with a little less sleep, when the sleep cycles are conserved and nurtured, even the short sleep will seem more refreshing than the long troubled sleep. Sleep is the key to healing, concentration and health.