Poor sleep quality refers to sleep that is interrupted or unrestful. This usually involves difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night, waking too early, or feeling tired after waking up. Poor sleep has many potential causes, ranging from lifestyle factors to underlying medical issues.
What are common signs of poor sleep quality?
Some key indicators of poor quality sleep include:
- Difficulty falling asleep within 30 minutes of going to bed
- Waking up during the night and not being able to fall back asleep easily
- Frequent tossing and turning throughout the night
- Waking up earlier than desired, often before your alarm
- Still feeling exhausted, irritable, and sleepy after waking up
If you consistently experience one or more of these symptoms, it likely indicates your sleep is not deep and restorative enough.
What causes poor sleep?
Poor sleep can happen due to varied reasons from day-to-day
lifestyle choices to diagnosed
sleep disorders:
- Stress - Being under constant high stress can significantly disrupt sleep cycles
- Poor sleep habits - Inconsistent bedtimes/waking times, using screens late at night, uncomfortable sleep environment
- Medications - Some prescription drugs like stimulants or steroids can impair sleep
- Health issues - Chronic illnesses, pain conditions, breathing problems, etc. affect sleep
- Anxiety/depression - Racing thoughts or emotions when trying to sleep
- Sleep disorders - Insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, etc. biologically disrupt sleep
If lifestyle and environmental factors are ruled out, it's important to meet with your doctor and explore potential underlying health or sleep issues contributing to the problem.
What are consequences of poor sleep?
Over the short- and long-term, poor sleep takes a major toll both physically and mentally:
- Daytime fatigue, sleepiness, lack of motivation
- Weakened immune health and frequent illnesses
- Impaired memory, concentration, decision-making
- Increased errors, accidents or injuries
- Mood changes like irritability, anxiety, depression
- Increased risk for chronic diseases like obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes
Poor sleep is often connected to larger
hormonal imbalances as well, particularly tied to improper melatonin, cortisol and testosterone rhythms. Hormone clinics like
Vital Hormones Clinic specialize in sleep and hormonal health treatments to combat poor sleep at the root.
How can you improve poor sleep quality?
Start with tweaking daily habits and environment around sleep:
- Maintain a truly restful, cool, dark and quiet sleep environment
- Follow a regular bedtime routine and stick to consistent sleep/wake times
- Avoid stimulants like caffeine, smoking, and screen use before bed
- Reduce evening alcohol intake which can fragment sleep
- Rule out any pain issues or discomfort from mattress/pillows
- Consider stress management and relaxation techniques before bed like meditation apps, baths, light yoga stretches, journaling, etc.
If self-help tips don't resolve chronic poor sleep within a month or two, make an appointment with your doctor for next steps. Treatment may involve specialized behavioral sleep coaching, adjusting medications that impair sleep, diagnosing/treating underlying conditions, prescription sleep aids, or referral to a sleep specialist if symptoms are severe. Hormonal imbalance is another avenue to explore--consult clinics like Vital Hormones Clinic to determine if customized bioidentical hormone regiments could improve sleep.