What is sleep efficiency?

Sleep troubles affect millions of people around the world. Reasons why we struggle to fall asleep, cannot stay asleep or wake up too early include: psychological stress, chronic pain or other physical and mental health conditions.

These sleeping difficulties impact what is known as sleep efficiency. Sleep efficiency refers to the amount of time you spend in bed relative to the amount of time you spend asleep in bed. In other words, if you are in bed for eight hours and are asleep for seven of those hours, your sleep efficiency is 87.5%, which falls within the normal range. For those with low sleep efficiency, there are a number of strategies to try to help prepare your body for sleep with the goals of reducing the amount of time it takes to drift off and staying asleep.

How to prepare for sleep

There are several things that people can do to improve their sleep. For example, you can try meditation, yoga or light therapy to help you relax and wind down before you get into bed. You can also try the following strategies.

Create a consistent nighttime routine and morning routine to help regulate your body’s circadian rhythm
Practice stress management every day to reduce your cortisol levels and encourage your body to properly relax each night
Avoid using devices shortly before you go to bed, as blue light can disrupt your melatonin production and make it harder for you to fall asleep
Avoid being on your phone or doing work in bed, as this can cause your brain to associate being in bed with being awake and busy
Optimize your bedroom environment by ensuring it’s the right temperature and minimize the amount of light coming in through the windows