Sleep Regularity

It's not necessary to sleep longer to "catch up" on a night of poor sleep. When you stay awake longer than usual on a given night, your body's need for sleep builds up faster on the following day. This is the concept of sleep pressure.

Dr Caroline Arbour explains why this increased sleep pressure helps drive you toward deeper, more restorative sleep on the subsequent night. However, oversleeping the next day to compensate for lost sleep can disrupt your biological rhythms and make falling asleep more difficult the following night. The key is to focus on getting back to a regular sleep routine instead of trying to sleep more.

The concept of sleep pressure is straightforward. The longer you stay awake, the more the balloon fills up, indicating an increasing need for rest. When you fall asleep, the balloon starts to deflate, reflecting the recovery process during which the pressure decreases and your body repairs itself.

Aside from sleep pressure, sleep regularity is influenced by several modifiable factors, including:

Environmental factors

  • Light exposure: Both natural and artificial light (from screens, LED lights) affect melatonin production, the hormone that helps you regulate sleep.

  • Noise and temperature: A noisy or uncomfortable environment can disrupt falling asleep and staying asleep.

  • Mattress and pillow: Poor support can cause frequent awakenings and affect sleep continuity.

Behavioral and lifestyle factors

  • Bedtime and wake-up time: Going to bed and waking up at irregular times can throw off your biological clock.

  • Screen time: Blue light from phones and computers suppresses melatonin and delays sleep onset.

  • Stimulants: Caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants can delay sleep if consumed late in the day.

  • Physical activity: Regular exercise promotes better sleep, but intense workouts late at night may make it harder to fall asleep.

Psychological and social factors

  • Stress and anxiety: Negative thoughts and chronic stress can prolong the time it takes to fall asleep and fragment your sleep.

  • Work and social commitments: Irregular schedules, night shifts, or late social events (parties, studying) can shift your sleep cycle.

  • Travel and jet lag: Changing time zones disrupts the alignment of your body clock with local daylight and darkness.

By keeping consistent sleep schedules and managing these factors, you can help stabilize your biological clock and improve the regularity of your sleep.

Recommendations on how to improve sleep regularity

  • Focus on Quality Over Quantity: Prioritize deep, restorative sleep rather than just increasing the number of hours slept.

  • Avoid Oversleeping: Even after a poor night, let your body naturally compensate—sleeping excessively can disrupt your biological rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep later.

  • Maintain a Consistent Routine: Stick to a regular sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day to support your biological clock.