How To Become A Light Sleeper

In the increasingly fast-paced world where people barely have time to rest and slow down, the need for a good night’s sleep has become more critical as people struggle with poor quality of sleep and its disorders. Individuals constantly find themselves pushing their bodies to test the limits of their capacity and looking for alternative ways to compensate.

However, as Marishka Brown, an expert at NIH, quotes, “There’s more to good sleep than just the hours spent in bed.” This emphasizes the importance of its quality, as it improves brain performance and reduces the risk of diseases and disorders such as heart disease, stroke, and dementia.

Light sleepers typically face challenges with their sleep quality, as they wake up quickly in response to the slightest noise in their sleep environment. Any environmental changes disrupt sleep and affect their ability to enjoy enough quality sleep. These changes could be a light turned on in the house, external noise in the neighborhood, their partner snoring, or turning in bed.

Hence, there is a need to learn about sleep disturbances to provide help for light sleepers, improve their sleep cycle and ensure good sleep.
In this article, readers will understand who a light sleeper is, the differences between light and heavy sleepers, and the impact of poor bedtime quality on overall health. They will also be able to answer the question: What is a light sleeper?

Who Is a Light Sleeper?

Simply put, a light sleeper is someone who wakes up easily. This refers to people who are simply woken by minor disturbances. They may only enter deep sleep stages or stay in it for a short time.

Typically, every individual has a defined sleep cycle they should encounter every night. It consists of four sleep stages, and the time we spend in each stage varies from individual to individual and from cycle to cycle.

These stages consist of three non-rapid eye movement (NREM sleep) and one rapid eye movement (REM sleep) stage. The time spent in each stage as an individual moves through NREM 1, NREM 2, and NREM 3 to REM increases progressively from 5 to 10 minutes for NREM 1 to 60 – 90 minutes for REM.

Image Source: sleepfoundation.org

Interestingly, deep napping occurs during the NREM 3 stage, and therefore, being a light sleeper means that you may not cycle through the natural cycle progression and do not enter the deep sleep stages.

Heavy sleepers, on the other hand, spend extended amounts of time in the NREM 3 stage and, as such, enjoy a deeper sleep and remain undisturbed by noise and movement.

Furthermore, studies have proved that using spontaneous brain rhythms from electroencephalography (EEG) can predict an individual’s ability to maintain sleep in the face of sounds that cause sleep disruption. The rate of occurrence of the sleep spindle (a thalamocortical rhythm capable of modulating the influence of external stimuli) varies across people and determines their resilience to disruptive stimuli.

People who generated high-frequency sleep spindles had better sleep patterns, as they exhibited a higher tolerance for noise, even during a noisy night.

The Difference Between Light and Deep Sleep

Understanding the stages and how they cycle through the night can best explain the difference between light and deep sleep.

Stage 1

The first stage involves light sleep. It is the transitional stage, where we go from awake to asleep, and waking up from any slight disturbance is effortless.

It accounts for about 5% of an individual’s total rest time, lasting for one to five minutes, and is the shortest stage. A good example is dozing off while watching a film.

Stage 2

Typically, it accounts for about 50% of the total time and is the passageway into the other deeper stages.

Furthermore, in this stage, you sleep slightly deeper; therefore, your brain and muscle activities decrease, your body temperature drops, and your heart rate slows. Occasionally, you may move from this stage to stage 3 and return to this stage before you move to the REM.

Stage 3

This is the deepest resting stage and is characterized by slow waves. This means that brain waves slow down even more, which is the hardest stage to wake up from. It is generally known as deep sleep and essential for physical growth and restorative functions because the brain is in a seemingly automatic resting state, and certain functions are optimised.

Additionally, most growth hormones responsible for growth, healing, and recovery are secreted during this stage. Similarly, according to research, stage 3 is the state where the immune system is strengthened.

This stage accounts for about 20% of the total rest time of an individual, and a light sleeper may miss out on it.

REM

This is the final stage, sometimes known as dream sleep. REM is crucial for mental restoration, and an individual is less likely to be awakened by external noise.

Brain waves are more prominent, muscles are paralysed, and vivid dreaming occurs. This stage is necessary to help regulate emotions and enhance creative problem-solving

Typically, it accounts for about 25% of our total time through the night, and light sleepers may miss out on this stage when they need to stay longer.

Causes of Being a Light Sleeper

Many people discover that they have become light sleepers over time and wonder how they become a light sleeper from a heavy sleeper.

Usually, the slightest noise awakens light sleepers, while heavy ones sometimes have trouble waking and require sounds much more stimulating, like a blaring alarm clock, loud music and noise to wake up.

These differences in sensitivity are due to varying levels of reactivity to stimuli, known as an arousal threshold. This shows how strong a stimulus has to be to cause sleep disruption and wake them up. Light sleepers have a lower arousal threshold than heavy ones.

Below, we explore what causes light sleeping and explain how these factors affect the sensitivity and arousal thresholds.

1. Age

Although all adults are generally required to have at least eight hours of sleep every day, the amount of time individuals spend in the different stages varies over time.

For example, infants naturally go straight to REM, where they spend more of their total sleep time. Furthermore, they spend more time in the NREM 3 stage and have multiple shorter periods and overall cycles than adults.

As we age, the time spent in stage 3 declines, especially in men, with the change reflecting from as early as their 30s.

It is from this period that we begin to see a heavy sleeper become a light sleeper, with the body adjusting to the less time spent in this stage.

However, the reduced time spent in the NREM 3 stage doesn’t automatically relate to requiring less overall rest time. Instead, there is an increase in the amount of time spent in the NREM 1 and 2 stages.

This means that the older we become, the lower our arousal threshold as our sensitivity to stimuli increases.

2. Lifestyle choices

Aside from the natural progression of age, one certain way to make yourself a light sleeper is by making certain lifestyle choices.

Alcohol intake affects the ability to go through the defined cycle throughout the night as required, which inevitably leads to a lower arousal threshold over time.

Similarly, using certain substances influences an individual’s ability to spend the required amount of time in the four sleep stages. For example, benzodiazepines typically suppress both stage 3 and REM.

Read also our research post on effective exercises for better sleep.

3. Sleep disorders

People who suffer from these disorders do not have the required eight hours of sleep their body needs to recuperate and recharge.

Stress, anxiety, or hypervigilance are factors that contribute to these, which make people sleep lighter. They begin to have a lower arousal threshold and experience sleep disturbances.

With less sleep time, NREM 2, NREM 3, and REM stages are essentially being cut off, affecting sleep patterns and makes someone a light sleeper.

4. Genetics

Recent research found that some individuals with a slight generic variation in their genes are more at risk of loss and adverse effects such as light sleeping, with about 10% and 20% having similar conditions.

Furthermore, people with such genetics are more likely to be light sleepers and will be more stimuli-sensitive than the average person.

Effects of Poor Sleep Quality

We all experience restless nights. However, consistently having trouble falling asleep deteriorates one’s physical and mental fitness. Whether you are accustomed to light sleeping or a deep sleeper, you need to know the effect of poor nighttime rest.

Short-Term Consequences

In the short term, consistent sleepless nights increase fatigue and irritability and leave you foggy-headed. Furthermore, it affects cognitive abilities, which decreases focus, making decisions, and learning new things.

You might need help recalling past events, react slowly, and experience difficulty with problem-solving. Inadequate rest disrupts emotions, making you more vulnerable to stress, anxiety, and many more. Eventually, you’ll get frustrated and impatient at the slightest inconvenience.

Long-Term Impact

Chronic sleep deficiency makes you more prone to developing several severe health complications, including:

1. Obesity. Poor sleep results in hormonal imbalances that stimulate appetite and leave you craving junk foods. It often results in overeating and massive weight gain.
2. Diabetes. Sleep disruption influences how well the body controls blood sugar levels. Poor sleep quality reduces glucose breakdown and insulin sensitivity. It leads to unbalanced glucose tolerance and makes one more prone to type 2 diabetes.
3. Cardiovascular diseases. These include strokes, coronary artery disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and several others. When you sleep, the body rests and repairs itself. This process involves blood pressure regulation. Insufficient rest disrupts this process, resulting in high blood pressure levels, increasing the strain on the heart and causing it to fail.
4. Mental health. Lack of sleep increases depression and anxiety. The relationship between mental health works both ways – irregular sleep negatively impacts mental health, while existing mental health disorders worsen sleep patterns.
5. Weak immune system. Inadequate sleep is not advisable for the immune system. It makes it more vulnerable to diseases and infections. The body needs it to produce proteins that fight illnesses and inflammation. Without enough sleep, the body cannot adequately make these proteins.

The effects of poor quality sleep range from mood swings and increased stress levels to chronic health disease risk. Prioritize good sleep hygiene and solve your problems to improve overall well-being.

How to Improve Sleep as a Light Sleeper

Do you spend hours on your smartphone even after tucked into bed? Do the slightest noises wake you up and make you toss and turn? If you have experienced any of these, you are a light sleeper. No one likes to turn all night, wishing for a good night’s rest.

Being a light sleeper can be tricky, as light sleepers often need help achieving quality rest. This usually occurs because they are quite sensitive to the slightest noise, light, and other elements disturbing their sleep.

You require as much help as possible as a night owl to get a good shut-eye. There are several strategies to convert your bedroom into an appropriate sleep environment. Even better, you can customize your bedtime routine to improve its quality.

You can pick up a relaxing hobby or start working out. There are numerous ways to conquer your sleep demons and wake up refreshed and ready to seize the day that awaits you.

Here are some tips for light sleepers to get healthy sleep.

Follow Good Sleep Hygiene

Good sleep hygiene is the basis. It includes habits and routines that encourage frequent and undisturbed sleep. Maintaining good sleep hygiene can help light sleepers.

• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule: Consistency is an excellent way to ensure good sleep hygiene. For example, you can create and follow a sleep schedule to ensure you go to bed and get up in the morning at the same time every day. This will help you control the body’s internal clock and get eight hours of sleep every night your body needs as an adult.
• Draft a relaxing bedtime routine: If you want a good night’s sleep, indulge in some relaxing activities such as reading, having a nice, warm bath, or listening to soothing music.
• Reduce caffeine and alcohol use: Try to avoid taking caffeine and other stimulants during the day and close to bedtime. Caffeine stays in the body’s system for hours. Alcohol might make you feel sleepy, but it also ruins sleeping cycles and yields poor quality sleep.
• Diet and exercise regularly: Maintain a balanced diet and exercise regularly for a healthy lifestyle. Although exercising helps to induce sleep, avoid strenuous workouts close to nighttime. Otherwise, you will be high on energy, and it will be more difficult to get a good night’s rest.

Reduce Stress

Another factor to consider when trying to improve sleep quality is stress. You are unlikely to get a good night’s rest if you are stressed and anxious. To tackle this, you should integrate some relaxation practices into daily life.

One of these is meditation. Certain platforms provide tailored meditation exercises to alleviate stress and induce relaxation. Likewise, you can take up yoga as a hobby to relax one’s mind.

Aromatherapy involves using lavender, chamomile, and other essential oils to calm the body. Setting up these oils in a diffuser in the bedroom helps create a calm sleep environment.

Deep breathing exercises help muscles relax. A good exercise is to deeply and slowly inhale oxygen through your nose and exhale through your mouth at defined intervals. Furthermore, engage in progressive muscle relaxation and visualize yourself in a calm and soothing environment.

Block Noise and Light

Light sleepers are prone to waking up at the slightest noise and light they pick up on while asleep. To minimize these sleep disturbances and get quality sleep:

• Invest in white noise machines: White noise has recently become a popular and effective aid to improve sleep quality, even for those with sleep disorders. Devices that provide white noise, pink noise, or other noise colours associated with boosting sleep help reduce sleep disruption by traffic or snoring companions.
• Buy earplugs: If you have trouble falling asleep, try to get high-quality earplugs. They will be a great help for light sleepers, especially those living in populated and noisy areas. Earplugs mask such noise and let you sleep deeper and longer.
• Fit bedroom with blackout curtains: These curtains are special – they keep external light out and create a dark sleep environment. Ideally, a bedroom’s temperature ought to be in the range of 15 to 19 °C. Comfortable pillows and mattresses help you get good sleep. If possible, avoid watching TV shows and movies or using gadgets in the bedroom.
• Eye masks: If you can’t afford blackout curtains, get a nice, comfy eye mask. They perform the same task of preventing light from disrupting your rest.

Medication

If the above-listed tips do not work, then it is time for sleep medicine. However, you need to consult a medical professional before you get started. A couple of options that may be recommended to you are:

• Melatonin. This over-the-counter medication is a natural hormone that controls the body’s internal clock. Melatonin supplements help light sleepers adjust to a new sleep cycle.
• Antihistamines. The aids often contain antihistamines, which are known to stimulate drowsiness. However, using these long-term is not recommended, as there may be significant side effects.
• Benzodiazepines and Non-Benzodiazepines. These include zolpidem and eszopiclone. While they are good for battling insomnia, these drugs are to be taken under strict medical supervision because of side effects.
• Antidepressants. Antidepressants administered in low doses might be a suitable solution for light sleepers who might be faced with depression or anxiety.

Remember that no single solution fits everyone when dealing with sleep. Try as many practices as possible until you find which suits you.
The goal isn’t to stop being a light sleeper but to find a balance between dreaming deeply and waking up easily. By developing a consistent and healthy bedtime routine, you can avoid sleepless nights and wake up refreshed every day.

Tips For Heavy Sleepers Who Wish To Wake Up More Easily

While light sleepers struggle to go to bed, others face the exact opposite — trouble waking up easily. The struggle is real — the consistent beeping of the alarm, the rush to hit the snooze button five times, and the weakness following the clingy drowsiness.

As a heavy dreamer, there are ways to set yourself free from the chokeholds of your bed. You can adjust your habits and integrate certain techniques that get you out of dreamland when the day comes.
If you want to train yourself to be a light sleeper, here are some techniques to become a lighter sleeper from a heavy sleeper:

• Embrace light. Coming in contact with bright light in the morning suppresses melatonin. Open curtains or get a sunrise simulator to get you up naturally. Avoid exposure to blue light from gadgets during nighttime, as it causes sleep disruption.
• Create a regular sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up consistently in the morning monitors the body’s internal clock and makes it easier to sleep light and wake up.
• Start the day active. If you want to wake up more easily, boost your blood flow with exercises such as jumping jacks, quick walks, or stretches as soon as you wake up. This helps to lighten sleep and improve alertness.
• Drink water. Typically, the first thing you should do when you wake up is drink a glass of water. Dehydration promotes grogginess.
• Set strategic alarms. Set several alarm clocks that progressively get louder across the bedroom, preferably far away from the bed. Hence, you will be forced to get up and switch them off. Additionally, use upbeat sounds that get you out of bed and help you become a lighter sleeper.
• Evaluate medications. If you are on medication, review your drugs to determine if they make you drowsy. Consult a doctor to discuss possible solutions.
• Reduce room temperature. You are more likely to get up easily in a cool room. Set the thermostat to a temperature between 15.5 to °C. Open a window or two to stop you from hitting the snooze button and encourage you to sleep lighter at night.

Also, check out our five tips to help you sleep better.

Conclusion

Many people have struggled with light sleeping because they have been unable to understand the science behind it, the factors that make them light sleepers, and the effects of poor nap quality on their short-term and long-term health. This article provides a detailed explanation so readers can understand these points and get tips on improving rest as light sleepers. It also provides heavy dreamers with the necessary information to help them wake up more easily and maximize their day with the requisite energy.

However, consult your doctor if you still need further research after following the steps to improve your sleep hygiene and find the balance between dreaming deeply and waking up quickly. Based on your personal medical history, they can make additional recommendations that are more specific to you or refer you to a specialist if there are other underlying factors related to you.