You can sleep through anything — dogs barking, bangs, sirens, the telly on full blast because your other half wants to watch just one more episode. Or maybe you wake up at the slightest noise — a sneeze, a cough, or even a surprise toot in the middle of the night. It doesn’t matter how subtle the noise might be. You’re a light sleeper, so you wake up. Believe it or not, waking up even just a few times throughout the night can significantly impact the length and quality of your slumber. Even if we wake up for just a few minutes, we must calm our bodies and drift back to dreamland (easier said than done).
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about being a light sleeper and how to get a good night's sleep. Are you ready? Let’s dig in!
What’s a Good Night’s Sleep?
Everyone is different, so the amount of sleep that works for some may need to be increased for others. However, on average, the amount of quality shut-eye we require tends to lessen as we age:
- Adults need 7-8 hours
- Teens need 8-10 hours
- Kiddos need 10-13 hours
- Tiny tots need 11-14 hours (including naps)
- Babies need 12-16 hours (including naps)
Are You a Light Sleeper?
See for yourself! These symptoms define the light sleeper meaning:
- Receiving less than the recommended amount of sleep
- Fully awake during the night
- Struggling to nod off
- Feeling sleepy throughout the day and needing to nap
- Being easily disturbed
- Wakes up easily
Due to poor sleep quality, light sleepers’ personality traits — good and bad — can sometimes be enhanced. They can be irritable, and experience heightened emotional reactivity. Light sleep has also been linked to anxiety .
What Are the Stages of Sleep?
Did you know that your sleep consists of cycles of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement)? Yup, it’s true. We spend roughly 75 percent of our sleep in NREM, which is then broken down into various stages of relaxation. Light sleep vs deep sleep? Allow us to explain:
Light Sleep vs. Deep Sleep:
Light sleep falls under stage one, where your body switches between awake and asleep. If you are a light sleeper, you’ll tend to stay in this stage for most of the night, meaning it is much easier to be awakened.
REM is the stage where you are in the deepest part of your snooze. If light sleepers generally stay in one stage of NREM, they miss out on the crucial REM sleep, allowing the body to fall into a deep sleep stage. REM is also the stage of sleep where you do most of your dreaming, so if you find it challenging to remember your dreams -- or don’t have any at all -- it’s a telltale sign that you’re a light sleeper!
There’s no concrete explanation for why some of us are heavy sleepers while others are light sleepers. While sleep experts haven’t found any conclusive reason as to why this is, some likely causes include:
- Genetics (thanks, mom and dad!)
- Brain activity while you snooze
- Sleep disorders
- Lifestyle choices (poor diet, drug abuse, not doing enough physical activity, etc.)
How Much Light Sleep Do You Need?
The amount of light sleep you need depends mainly on age, gender, and current state of health. Generally, adults spend around 50% of their total sleep time in light sleep mode, with the remaining 50% split between the deep and REM phases.
Why Am I A Light Sleeper?
Sleep experts agree that the length and quality of one's snooze are critical to overall health. Sleep affects almost every process, from digestion to immunity to illness.
Researchers have investigated what truly differentiates heavy sleepers from light sleepers. They conducted a three-night study in which thirteen random volunteers had their brain wave patterns studied. On the first night of the study, the researchers recorded the volunteers' brain waves while they slept comfortably without any disruptions. Various sounds were played through speakers next to their beds for the next two nights.
The study's lead researcher measured the thalamus, a region deep in the brain that processes auditory and visual stimuli. He found that the number of pulses (a.k.a. sleep spindles) generated by the thalamus varied among the volunteers. Sleepers with higher numbers of sleep spindles slept through loud sounds more quickly than those with fewer spindles. In this specific study, the researchers wanted to know if counting the spindles the first night would predict anything about their sleep for the next two nights.
Indeed it did! If volunteers had more spindles, they were more likely to be protected from sleep disruption. So, in a nutshell, those with more sleep spindles tend to sleep more deeply than those with fewer spindles, typically light sleepers. The downside ? Doctors have not yet identified how to encourage more sleep spindles in the brain. sigh
How To Become A Light Sleeper?
Considering light sleepers get less than the required amount of shuteye and tend to crash and burn mid-day, we don’t necessarily recommend striving to join the club. They can also be linked to poor lifestyle choices; nobody needs to be making those!
Sleeping Tips for Light Sleepers
Several great tips and tricks help you wake up less often at night and stay asleep. Here are a few of the best ones:
Drink Hot Water or Tea
Drinking hot beverages such as tea or water has impressive health benefits and an excellent calming effect. However, stay far away from caffeinated teas, as they will keep you up at night.
And while you’re at it, stay away from alcohol and heavy meals, as well. Being too full before bed can make falling asleep challenging because your body doesn’t get the chance to burn off all the calories. Additionally, alcohol may make it easier to drift off to snoozeville initially, but can often lead to interrupted sleep. Many people who consume boozy drinks right before hitting the hay find themselves waking up just a few hours later.
Reduce Light from Windows
Many people don’t realize that the smallest amount of light can wake you up at night by tricking your brain into thinking it’s morning. That's why it’s so important not to go to bed without turning the TV off first.
Make sure all the lights are completely turned off or dimmed so your room is as dark as possible. If there are lights that can’t be turned off, try wearing a quality sleeping mask so that the lights don’t bother you. And if the sun tends to wake you up in the morning, invest in good quality light-blocking curtains.
Get a New Mattress
On older spring mattresses, if one partner shifts in their sleep, the entire mattress can vibrate, quickly waking up a light sleeper. Mattresses made from foam or with individual pocket coils lessen motion transfer and can keep your side of the bed still -- and while you’re at it, opt for a mattress designed for plus-size peeps, like the one from Big Fig.
Big Fig Mattress is the first — and only — mattress explicitly designed for bigger figures. Traditional mattresses have inferior components that tend to soften over time as the materials break down. In fact, for big and tall, plus-size, and curvy sleepers, the firmness and comfort level of the mattress can diminish significantly within just a few months of use.
Big Fig’s hybrid construction of high-quality pockets, springs, and foam, on the other hand, provides the ultimate mix of comfort and support. Individually wrapped coils support the layers of foam to maintain their shape and resilience over time. Plus, they’ll help keep the entire bed from moving if the person you’re sharing a bed with is doing the mambo while they’re sleeping. What more could you want from a mattress?
Not too soft and not too firm , The Big Fig Mattress is perfect for light sleepers looking to snooze a little more soundly and sleep more deeply throughout the night.
Light Sleepers Love Big Fig
When you put money into a Big Fig Mattress, you’re also investing in a good night’s sleep — one where you won’t wake up every two minutes! The Big Fig is the ultimate mix of comfort and support for plus-sized sleepers. We make a hybrid innerspring mattress featuring high-density layers of foam, high-quality edge support , individually wrapped coils, and layers of THERMOGEL COOLING ® technology to keep night sweats at bay.
If you consider yourself a light sleeper and it’s interfering with your ability to get a good night’s rest, try our tips above to help encourage better sleep habits and get yourself a Big Fig Mattress . The only problem you’ll have is not wanting to get out of bed!
