Can’t Sleep? Experts Say Your ‘Sleep Type’ May Explain Why—See the Easy Fixes
Discover which of the 5 sleep types you are and the best bedtime habits tailored to you
What defines your sleep—restlessness, reliance on sleep aids or mornings that come too soon? Your sleep patterns can reveal important clues about your mental health and even suggest ways to improve your slumber, according to researchers at Concordia University in Montreal. In a new study published in PLOS Biology, they identified five distinct sleep types. Keep reading to discover which one best fits you and learn easy ways to drift off to dreamland.
What are the 5 sleep types?
After studying 770 adults, neuroscientist and co-lead study author Aurore A. Perrault, PhD, discovered five specific sleep types: poor sleepers, resilient sleepers, sleep-aid users, short sleepers and disturbed sleepers.
“[These profiles were] linked to distinct biopsychosocial outcomes, including mental and physical health and cognitive performance,” she says. “Diverse sleep patterns have distinct associations with health and daytime functioning.” In fact, one of her biggest takeaways is that sleep is far more nuanced than most of us think.
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“[The study] highlights the importance of considering the full picture of an individual’s sleep to help clinicians make more accurate assessments and guide treatment,” she continues. “We need to move beyond simply labeling sleep as ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ or focusing only on how long someone sleeps, and instead consider all the different aspects of sleep.”
How to get a good night’s rest based on your sleep type
“It’s important to note that our profiles are not strict categories, like the chronotypes ‘early riser’ and ‘night owl,’” says Perrault. “Rather, they exist [on a spectrum] in everyone. A person could score high on profile 1 [poor sleeper], for example, but medium on profile 4 [short sleeper]. This gives a more nuanced and personalized investigation of their sleep and biopsychosocial profile.”
Simply find the profile that sounds most like you to discover easy ways to snooze more soundly.
You may be a POOR SLEEPER if you…
- Have a hard time falling and staying asleep
- Often lie awake with anxious thoughts
Poor sleepers often experience higher levels of stress and negative emotions, which can interfere with truly deep, restorative sleep.
Your sleep-soundly Rx: “Focus on any mental health issues you might have” that could be interfering with healthy sleep, advises Perrault.
“If anxiety is an issue, we usually see insomnia, too,” adds Shelby Harris, PsyD, DBSM, clinical associate professor at the Einstein College of Medicine in NYC and author of The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia. “I’d recommend practicing daytime meditation for just five minutes a day, as that can help at night with anxiety. Getting better at letting go of busy thoughts and refocusing helps strengthen the mental muscle.”
You may be a RESILIENT SLEEPER if you…
- Struggle with inattention or ADHD
- Don’t see yourself as a poor sleeper
Like its cousin, the poor sleeper, this profile is also defined by negative, slumber-robbing emotions, like anxiety and depression. However, people who fall into this category are considered “resilient” because they don’t complain about the daytime effects of poor rest, such as grogginess or irritability.
That’s not a good thing, because it implies a disconnect between your emotions and how you perceive your sleep quality. In other words, these two things are intimately linked, and realizing that is the first step to getting a good night’s sleep.
Your sleep-soundly Rx: “It may help to prioritize a regular sleep schedule as well as a good sleep environment, even if you don’t feel that your sleep is affected,” says Perrault. “Indeed, the sleep resilience profile might also be a warning sign of sleep symptoms that may develop in the future.”
If you use SLEEP AIDS you…
- Tend to have fewer daytime sleep-related complaints
- May have trouble with recall and episodic memory
“Sleep aids are amazing when you’re in crisis and can’t sleep, but they are recommended for a very short time—two to four weeks max,” says Perrault.
Your sleep-soundly Rx: “If you have issues sleeping when not using sleep aids, you might consider going to a sleep therapist who can provide cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia [CBT-I], for example.”
“A sleep specialist well-versed in CBT will guide you—as well as the person prescribing the medication—through tapering your medication while also building skills like limiting your time in bed and creating a plan to help you with rough nights, both in and out of bed,” adds Harris.
You may be a SHORT SLEEPER if you…
- Get fewer than six to seven hours of sleep per night
- Have memory blips or trouble concentrating
“If you feel that you don’t sleep enough because you’re tired during the day and have trouble with memory and sustained attention, then I would recommend increasing your sleep window daily,” says Perrault.
Your sleep-soundly Rx: Just going to bed 10 minutes earlier each night can help you gently shift your circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle, so you can clock the restorative bedtime hours you deserve.
That said, “there’s no single relaxing bedtime routine, believe it or not—and some people become hyper-fixated on it, which creates anxiety about sleep,” adds Harris. Just find something quiet, calm and relaxing to do for about 30 minutes before bed, ideally without a screen so you don’t get caught up with work or texting.
You may be a DISTURBED SLEEPER if you…
- Experience interruptions like breathing issues or nocturia
- Tend to get up several times during the night
Though Perrault’s study involved young adults (the oldest was 32), she did find the only sex difference pertained to the disturbed sleep category. “Women scored higher on this profile than men,” she reveals. “It makes sense, as women often report more awakenings and thermoregulation issues—temperature changes across the menstrual cycle due to progesterone fluctuation.”
“And we would expect perimenopausal women to also score higher on this profile because sleep disturbances are one of the main issues reported by women in perimenopause, often due to hot flashes,” she continues.
In fact, one major sleep disruptor, sleep apnea, is more common in women, adds Harris. “As women reach perimenopause, the rates increase significantly.”
Your sleep-soundly Rx: To help take back control of your sleep and reduce nighttime disruptions, Harris recommends doing a bit of sleep hygiene for two weeks: “Think about limiting liquids, heavy meals and alcohol within three hours of bed,” she advises. “Keep the bedroom quiet, dark, cool and comfortable.”
And if you’re still struggling after adjusting your sleep habits, consider treatment for insomnia, such as cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). “It’s a short-term treatment that’s the gold standard, ahead of medication. Hormone replacement and medications are other options to discuss with your medical provider.”
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