Exploring the Four Pillars of Sleep

It’s amazing how easily we can take sleep for granted. We’ll sacrifice rest — one of the body’s most important processes for protecting physical and mental health — for the demands of a busy day. Even though 33% of people don’t get a good night of rest each night, we’ll trade sleep for a few more hours of productivity, entertainment, or socialization.

The four pillars of sleep — duration, continuity, depth, and regularity — represent the key factors that create a rejuvenating night of rest.

1. Sleep Duration

Sleep duration refers to the total amount of sleep you get each night. The recommended amount varies depending on age and individual needs, but on average, adults should aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Children and teenagers may require more sleep, while older adults might need slightly less.

Adequate sleep duration is essential because it allows your body to go through a full circadian rhythm, including rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep, each serving specific functions in restoring and maintaining your physical and mental health.

How Can I Improve My Sleep Duration?

Here’s what you can do to improve your sleep duration:

• Establish a consistent sleep schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps regulate your body's internal clock and reinforces a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
• Create a relaxing bedtime routine: Develop calming pre-sleep rituals, such as reading, taking a warm bath, or practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing or meditation.
• Limit exposure to artificial light: Minimize exposure to screens (phones, tablets, computers, and TVs) before bedtime. Emitted blue light can disrupt your body's production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep.

Aiming for a full night of sleep goes a long way toward stabilizing your physical health, mental well-being, and emotional stability.

2. Sleep Continuity

Sleep continuity is the second pillar and focuses on the uninterrupted nature of your sleep. It's not enough to spend the recommended number of hours in bed, if your sleep is frequently disrupted. High-quality sleep means smooth progress through each sleep stage.

Several factors can affect sleep continuity, such as sleep disorders, environmental disturbances like noise and light, uncomfortable bedding, and lifestyle choices such as caffeine intake or late-night screen time. To enhance sleep continuity, create a comfortable sleep environment, adhere to a consistent sleep schedule, and adopt healthy sleep habits.

How Can I Improve My Sleep Continuity?

Here’s what you can do to improve your sleep continuity: 

• Limit naps: While short power naps can be rejuvenating, excessive daytime napping can disrupt your regular sleep pattern. If you need to nap, try to keep it brief (20-30 minutes) and earlier in the day to minimize its impact on nighttime sleep.
• Stay active during the day: Regular physical activity can help regulate your circadian rhythms and improve sleep regularity.
• Manage shift work effectively: If you have a job with irregular or shift hours, aim for a consistent sleep schedule during your workdays.

Sleep continuity should focus on a continuous progression from one cycle to the next, creating deeper, more meaningful sleep.

3. Sleep Depth

The third pillar, sleep depth, emphasizes the quality of your sleep. Deep sleep is essential for the body's restoration and recovery. It's during deep sleep that your body repairs tissues, strengthens the immune system, and consolidates memories.

Factors that can influence sleep depth include stress levels, sleep disorders, and alcohol or drug use. Prioritize relaxation techniques and create a bedtime routine that promotes relaxation to enhance the depth of your sleep. Avoiding stimulating activities close to bedtime can also contribute to a more profound and restorative slumber.

How Can I Improve Sleep Depth?

Here’s what you can do to improve sleep depth: 

• Limit caffeine and alcohol intake: Avoid consuming caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime, as these substances can disrupt deep sleep stages. It's best to avoid caffeine for at least 6 hours before bedtime and limit alcohol intake, as it can fragment sleep patterns.
• Darken your sleep setting: Minimize exposure to light in your bedroom by using blackout curtains, blinds, or an eye mask. Darkness promotes the secretion of melatonin, which aids in achieving deeper sleep.
• Stress management: Practice stress-reduction techniques such as mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, or yoga to lower stress levels. Reduced stress and anxiety can lead to deeper sleep.

You can also improve sleep depth by using white noise or otherwise eliminating distracting background noise in your sleep environment.

4. Sleep Regularity

The fourth and final pillar, sleep regularity, ties sleep duration, continuity, and depth together. Regularity means maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, ensuring you get the recommended duration of sleep each night, preserving the quality of your sleep, and aligning your sleep patterns with your body's natural rhythms.

Inconsistent sleep patterns, such as frequently changing your bedtime or wake time, can disrupt your internal body clock and make it challenging to achieve restful sleep. To establish sleep regularity, establish a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, and aim to stick to them consistently, even on weekends. Exposure to natural light during the day and minimizing screen time before bedtime can also help regulate your internal clock.

How Can I Improve Sleep Regularity?

Here’s what you can do to improve sleep regularity:

• Consistent meal times: Regular meal times can also help reinforce your body's internal clock. Try to eat meals at roughly the same times each day to support your sleep-wake cycle.
• Enjoy relaxing pre-sleep activities: Engage in calming activities before bedtime, such as reading a book, taking a warm bath, or practicing relaxation exercises. These rituals signal to your body that it's time to wind down and prepare for sleep, promoting sleep regularity.
• Avoid irregular sleep patterns: Parenthood, education, and other lifestyle factors can make regular sleep difficult to come by. When possible, go to bed and wake up at the same time each day to avoid irregular sleep patterns.

Achieving and maintaining a regular sleep schedule can take time and effort. The benefits for your overall sleep and daytime alertness are well worth the effort.

There’s another way to improve your sleep regularity, depth, duration, and continuity: upgrade the quality of your mattress. That’s why we created bedMATCH, a sleep diagnostic program that pairs you with mattresses that can deliver the sleep that you need. The bedMATCH program analyzes your entire sleep profile — from your height to your body type to your sleep position — before recommending mattress options made for sleepers like you. Visit your local Mattress Warehouse to try bedMATCH today, or take the five-minute online bedMATCH quiz to browse your options right now.