Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep/restorative-sleep
Key takeaways
- Restorative sleep happens during deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Deep sleep repairs tissue and strengthens immunity, while REM supports learning and memory.
- Nonrestorative sleep means waking up unrefreshed even after enough hours. Causes include sleep disorders, stress, poor sleep hygiene, shift work, jet lag, alcohol, caffeine, and some medications.
- Too little restorative sleep can hurt focus and memory short term. Over time, it’s linked with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and depression.
If you woke up this morning feeling rested and refreshed, you probably got what’s called restorative sleep.
In basic terms, restorative sleep happens when brain activity during sleep helps restore your body and mind, essentially resetting you for another day of activity.
Although experts continue to study what happens during sleep, they’ve found evidence to suggest your body and brain accomplish a lot during shut-eye, including muscle repair, protein synthesis, and tissue growth.
Not getting enough restorative sleep can affect your health, not to mention your ability to function during the day.
In this article, we offer more insight into what happens when you don’t get enough restorative sleep, plus tips on getting quality shut-eye.
Restorative vs. nonrestorative sleep
Only the last two stages of sleep, deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, are considered restorative, Nicole Avena, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, told Healthline.
“During deep sleep, the body repairs and regrows tissue, builds bone and muscle, and strengthens the immune system,” Avena said.
REM sleep, the stage where you typically dream, is essential for learning, memory, and cognition.
Sleep is nonrestorative when you wake up feeling unrefreshed despite having slept the recommended number of hours.
Avena explains that while feeling a little tired from time to time is normal, regularly feeling so tired you can’t focus or find yourself falling asleep at your desk is not.
What causes nonrestorative sleep?
Conditions that can cause nonrestorative sleep include:
Keep in mind, though, that when you have trouble getting quality sleep that leaves you feeling refreshed, underlying health concerns aren’t necessarily to blame.
Life stressors can also impair your ability to get a good night’s rest, as can poor sleep hygiene, Avena said. Both can contribute to nonrestorative sleep.
Other things that can disrupt your regular sleep cycle include:
- shift work
- jet lag
- having young children
- providing regular care for someone with an illness
- anxiety
- chronic pain
- certain medications
- hot flashes from menopause
- alcohol
- caffeine
What happens when you don’t get enough restorative sleep?
Not getting enough restorative sleep can affect your health in a variety of ways.
Short-term consequences include:
- difficulty getting through the day without dozing off
- trouble with memory
- problems with concentration and focus
Over time, poor sleep can also factor into chronic conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Regular nonrestorative sleep can even affect mental health and contribute to depression and other mental health conditions, said Avena.
Additionally, one 2020 study involving 2,827 Chinese teens suggests a link between not getting enough restorative sleep and lower quality of life.
Adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, ideally going through four to five sleep cycles.
As you get older, your chances of developing a sleep disorder or experiencing poorer quality sleep tend to increase.
According to the American Psychological Association, research suggests that as you age, you’re more likely to develop conditions or experience stressors that lead to sleep troubles, which can, in turn, decrease the time you spend in deep or REM sleep.
Increasing restorative sleep
If you’ve ever struggled to fall asleep, you’re probably aware that dozing off and staying asleep for the ideal 8 hours is often a lot more complicated than it sounds.
Still, a few small changes can make it easier to get the amount of restorative sleep you need on a regular basis.
Improve your sleep hygiene
Sleep hygiene doesn’t mean showering before bed — though if that’s what helps you fall asleep, go for it.
Rather, sleep hygiene refers to habits that contribute to quality sleep.
Stress relief
Ever found yourself lying awake, worrying about the problems that popped up during the day or the challenges tomorrow has yet to reveal?
You’re not alone in the least. Stress is common, and high levels of stress can have a negative impact on your sleep.
You may not be able to completely cut all sources of stress from your life, but finding ways to better manage it can go a long way toward helping you get more restorative sleep.
A few coping strategies to consider:
Practice good self-care
Taking care of your physical health can also lead to better sleep.
Avena recommends:
- getting regular exercise
- staying hydrated
- eating a balanced diet
The bottom line
Trouble getting restful sleep on a regular basis can happen as a symptom of sleep disorders or other health conditions.
If restorative sleep regularly evades you, seeking professional support is a good next step.
Quality sleep doesn’t have to be the stuff of dreams. You can try these 17 tips to sleep better right now.