Scientists have identified four different types of sleep and their impact on health

A new study has identified four different types of sleep and explained how each can affect a person’s long-term well-being. The study was published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

While research has shown that poor sleep is a risk factor for numerous chronic diseases, most tests measure one sleep feature at a time, potentially missing key information.

A total of 3,683 participants in the new US study were surveyed between 2004 and 2006 and again between 2013 and 2017. They talked about their sleep patterns, how tired they felt during the day, and any chronic conditions they had.

According to the researchers, each type of sleep pattern has different effects on health. They also found that people were unlikely to change their sleep habits over time.

“These results may indicate that changing our sleep habits is very difficult because healthy sleep is an integral part of our overall lifestyle,” explains sleep specialist Sumi Lee. “This may also indicate that people are still unaware of the importance of their sleep and how to behave during sleep.”

The researchers identified four different categories of people who sleep poorly, based on combinations of conditions across various measures.

Those who slept well had healthy sleep patterns, with optimal regularity in timing and quantity, satisfaction, daytime alertness, appropriate bedtime, sleep and wake efficiency, and duration.

There were also weekend catch-up sleepers who had below average sleep duration overall but caught up on weekends or non-working days.

In addition, there were people with insomnia who showed the classic signs of insomnia: trouble sleeping, feeling tired during the day, and taking a long time to fall asleep.

The fourth type of day sleeper was those who generally slept well and dozed off frequently during the day.

During the second phase of the study, more than half of the participants either suffered from insomnia or slept during the day, meaning their sleep patterns were not optimal, according to the researchers. People who suffered from insomnia for 10 years were more likely to develop a range of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and depression.

More needs to be done to educate people about the benefits of good sleep and the link between poor sleep and poor health, according to the research team. Sleep has a huge impact on memory and creativity.

“Sleep is a daily behavior,” Lee explains. “Sleep is also modifiable, so if we can improve the quality of our sleep almost every day, what kind of results could we see in a few months or even years?”

Statistics showed that those who spent less time in education or experienced job insecurity were more likely to fall into the insomnia group.

“There are sleep hygiene practices that people could use to improve their sleep, such as not using mobile phones in bed, exercising regularly and avoiding caffeine in the afternoon,” concludes Sumi Lee.