Good sleep for good health

“Health is wealth”– The age-old popular saying discovered a renewed meaning when the coronavirus made its way into our lives. Since the pandemic began, people throughout the world have been prioritizing their health and well-being more than ever. The crisis made human beings realize that good health is the most valuable possession one can have, and it begins with eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting an adequate amount of sleep.

Sleep is a reset for the mind and body. A good night’s sleep strengthens both physical and cognitive health and helps people perform intense tasks without any fatigue. For instance, a well-rested person can work more productively and think more clearly compared to someone with insufficient rest. Among the many impacts that the Covid-19 pandemic had on our daily habits, sleep is one particular aspect that has been affected equally, if not more.

Let us take a closer look at how sleep duration and efficiency have changed across the globe since the start of the pandemic. 

Sleep quantity vs. quality: Why it matters

When it comes to sleep, longer duration does not necessarily mean better quality. When people think of healthy sleep, they often think of getting a certain amount of sleep every night, meaning sleep quantity. While sleep quantity is definitely important, it is not the only factor in getting good quality sleep. Sleep quality essentially means getting healthy, consistent sleep that allows your body to go through all of the restorative processes that are necessary to maintain overall health. During the pandemic, despite people in all countries enjoying longer sleep times on average, we actually experienced an overall decrease in sleep efficiency. 

The pandemic’s impact on sleep habits 

Samsung took up the challenge to dive deep into 16 countries where individuals use Samsung Health the most to see how sleep habit trends varied by region. While all 16 countries saw an increase in sleep duration with people, on average, waking up later than they used to – the effect on sleep efficiency was mixed. 

While Indonesia was the region with the lowest sleep efficiency before the pandemic, this distinction now belongs to Vietnam. Out of the 16 countries studied, Indonesia saw the highest increase in sleep efficiency from pre- to post-pandemic levels. Indonesia also saw a wake-up time delay of 11 minutes on average following the start of the pandemic. It was and remained the region recording the earliest wake-up times. Additionally, countries like India had a sleep duration of 6h 30m before the pandemic and 6h 39m afterward. 

How to improve quality of sleep 

It is often said that healthy sleep for the average adult is 8 hours a night. However, according to the study results, it can be deduced that sleep quality may also be an important factor to consider. Sleep tracking is one way we can better understand our sleep patterns to ensure that we are getting a good and quality sleep. To help you track sleep in a comprehensive manner, Samsung has recently launched the latest Galaxy Watch– your new sleep companion. 

With the Galaxy Watch5, keep track of your sleep patterns using the “Sleep Score” feature that provides you with detailed data on when you enter deep sleep, REM sleep, and how your sleep and wake-up times vary. Through Blood Oxygen monitoring and Snore Detection, you can learn more about your sleep patterns as well as your overall health. In the latest Galaxy Watch5, you don’t need to have your smartphone around— the watch can do it all by itself. 

Moreover, Sleep Coaching feature will give you a tailored sleep guide program based on your actual habits, represented by one of eight dedicated sleep symbol animals, in order to help you understand and improve your sleep. Sleep coaching can be activated from the Samsung Health app. This feature analyzes the sleep patterns for a week and then builds you a personalized 4-week sleep coaching plan, providing useful tips and guidance for improving sleep habits.

Given that where you sleep is just as important as how you consider adding an auto-setting on the temperature and light controls in your home to ensure the environment is ideal for rest. With the latest Galaxy Watch 5 launch, Samsung has started offering a more robust sleep tracking program in its Samsung Health app. 

There is no denying the fact that our sleep patterns have changed since the pandemic began, and it is now time to bring it back to shape. Sufficient and quality sleep is essential for human beings, and technological advances have made it easier for us to ensure both. So, get ready to keep your health in check in the most hassle-free manner!