What Is Your Sleep Score?
So I got a B+ on my sleep score last night!!!
My FitBit watch is giving me all kinds of stats, including stats on my sleep, so the least I can do is investigate a little deeper.
It divided my sleep into four categories:
- Awake
- REM sleep
- Light sleep
- Deep sleep
I’m pretty sure we get what “Awake” means 😄, so I’ll spare you the research there.
I got these definitions of sleep stages from the National institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
REM sleep is the sleep that occurs after falling asleep. REM is an acronym for “Rapid Eye Movement.”
In this phase, your eyes move from side-to-side behind your lids. It’s where most of your dreaming occurs and your legs and arms become paralyzed to prevent you from acting out your dreams.
Your breathing is faster, your body is functioning at near wakefulness.
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Then, you enter a period of “Light Sleep” where your breathing and your heart rate begin to slow down and your muscles relax. Your body temperature drops and all that eye movement stops.
Lastly, you enter “Deep Sleep.” This is the important stage of sleeping to feel recharged and refreshed in the morning. Your body is the most relaxed in this state.
Just writing this makes me want to know how to achieve this state more often!
I’ve noticed that my daytime practices support my night time sleep score.
For that reason, I started avoiding foods that upset my stomach, such as:
- Dairy
- Sugar
- Alcohol
Since I’ve been doing this, I have had four months of SOLID sleep! I guess you really are what you eat.
Sweet dreams,
Coach Monica
