Worse than staying up late! How harmful is “fragmented sleep”?

Review expert: Wang Xuejiang, professor at Capital Medical University

Recently, the topic of whether fragmented sleep is as harmful as staying up late has become a hot topic.

So what exactly is fragmented sleep?

Does waking up at night mean fragmented sleep?

How to judge?

today

Let's talk about what fragmented sleep is.

How to improve sleep quality

PART 0 1 Fragmented sleep

Fragmented sleep refers to the situation in which a person's sleep is interrupted or they wake up frequently due to interference from various external or internal factors during sleep, making it impossible to enter a deep sleep state and having difficulty falling asleep again after waking up, which destroys the continuity of sleep and reduces the quality of sleep.

However, not all awakenings during sleep are fragmented sleep. Sometimes, people may have some short, almost imperceptible interruptions during sleep, which only last for a few seconds, or even have no memory of it after waking up. In contrast, the interruptions of fragmented sleep have obvious characteristics. People will have a clear consciousness when they wake up and can clearly feel that they are "awake".

If you wake up repeatedly during the night, feel as if you didn't get enough rest even though you did, and feel very sleepy and unable to concentrate during the day, you may be experiencing fragmented sleep.

PART 0 2 The dangers of fragmented sleep

Similar to staying up late, fragmented sleep deprives the body of the opportunity to enter deep sleep, which is a key stage for restoring physical and mental strength. Short and discontinuous sleep time prevents the body and brain from getting continuous and stable rest, which has a certain impact on physical and mental health.

Being in this sleep state for a long time will lead to problems such as decreased memory and basal metabolic rate, inattention, and mood swings, which will in turn affect cognitive function, cause metabolic disorders, put tremendous pressure on the cardiovascular system, weaken the immune system, and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.

PART 0 3 How to improve sleep fragmentation

Fragmented sleep is often not caused by a single reason, but the result of multiple factors. In order to improve sleep quality and minimize sleep fragmentation, the following methods can be used to improve it:

Get enough sleep. Try to get enough rest each night so that your body and mind can fully recover.

Develop and maintain a regular sleep schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day. This helps to form a stable biological clock, reduce the occurrence of sleep fragmentation, and make sleep more consistent and deep.

Take a nap appropriately, but control the duration of the nap. Generally speaking, it is ideal to keep the nap time at about 15-30 minutes, which can relieve fatigue without affecting normal sleep at night.

Find a sleeping environment that suits you. Everyone has different requirements for their sleeping environment. Some people may need a quiet environment, while others may need a little light or sound. Adjust the temperature, light, and sound of the room according to your needs to create a comfortable sleeping environment.

Do not use mobile phones or other electronic devices for a long time before going to bed. The blue light emitted by mobile phones and other electronic devices can irritate the eyes and affect the secretion of melatonin in the human body, which in turn affects the quality of sleep and leads to fragmented sleep.

Avoid drinking coffee, strong tea, alcohol and other beverages before bedtime, or eating too much for dinner. These factors will interfere with normal sleep patterns, making it difficult to fall asleep or reducing sleep quality. You can choose to drink some hot milk before bedtime, and try to eat a lighter dinner and avoid overeating.

If necessary, medical measures can be considered. If it is caused by neurasthenia, anxiety, etc., it is recommended to use medication under the guidance of a doctor.