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Wellness Wednesday – Key Metrics to Track for Optimal Sleep

by Scott Shortmeyer3 min read

Key Metrics to Track for Optimal Sleep: A Foundational Guide

Tracking key metrics related to sleep can provide valuable insights into the quality of your rest and overall well-being. In this blog post, we will explore four essential metrics to monitor: the four stages of sleep, heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate (RHR), and respiration rate. Understanding these metrics will empower you to make informed decisions about your sleep habits and work towards improving your sleep quality.

1. Four Stages of Sleep:
• Stage 1 (N1): The transition between wakefulness and sleep, characterized by light sleep and easily disrupted by external stimuli.
• Stage 2 (N2): The onset of true sleep, marked by decreased brain activity and the appearance of sleep-specific brain wave patterns.
• Stage 3 (N3): Deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep, where the body repairs and regenerates tissues, strengthens the immune system, and consolidates memories.
• REM Sleep: Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is associated with vivid dreaming, heightened brain activity, and rapid eye movements. It plays a crucial role in memory consolidation and emotional processing.

2. Heart Rate Variability (HRV):
• HRV measures the variation in the time intervals between consecutive heartbeats. Higher HRV indicates a healthy autonomic nervous system and better resilience to stress.
• Tracking HRV during sleep can help assess the quality of your rest and recovery, with higher HRV values reflecting better sleep quality and overall health.

3. Resting Heart Rate (RHR):
• RHR is the number of times your heart beats per minute when you are at complete rest.
• Monitoring RHR during sleep can provide insights into your overall cardiovascular health and stress levels. Lower RHR values are generally associated with better fitness and cardiac efficiency.

4. Respiration Rate:
• Respiration rate measures the number of breaths per minute. It is an essential metric for understanding sleep quality and respiratory health.
• Monitoring respiration rate during sleep can help detect irregular breathing patterns or sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. A healthy respiration rate typically falls within a specific range depending on age and overall health.

Summary:

By tracking these key metrics, you can gain a deeper understanding of your sleep patterns and overall health. This knowledge enables you to make informed decisions and implement necessary changes to improve the quality and duration of your sleep. Prioritizing healthy sleep habits and addressing any potential concerns related to these metrics can contribute to better physical and mental well-being, ultimately enhancing your overall quality of life.

Looking to score a new Sleep PR, check out my FREE or share it with someone who needs the help “Best Sleep Blueprint”

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How the Podcast can Help You

On The Rest & Recovery Podcast, you will learn from some of the foremost professionals and experts on the best ways to help you rest & recover. My hope is that you can bring your best self to life in your fitness pursuits, marriage, or as a parent to ensure your one life is lived well. The idea of the podcast came from a personal mission to help bring my best self to all things in my life.

My initial goal was to improve on my fitness pursuits as an endurance runner. However, as I began to examine the various components of my life, I realized some of the challenges started with some bad habits dating back to my 20’s. I would just keep going to work, college, and into late nights with friends with little sleep or consideration for the effects it was having on my body, mind, and spirit. It would always catch up with me and I would end up sick. This didn’t really stop over the years…the burn-out…it just occurred for different reasons.
Yes, I matured…a little… yet now I was married and a growing family with 3 little girls, a corporate job and still trying to pursue endurance sport’s goals. Up until a few years ago, I burned out in every way possible - physically and emotionally and mentally to the point I went into a season of ambiguity, indifference under performance devolving into depression. Since then, I have been on a journey to reclaim my life for myself and my family. This helped me learn about a variety of influencers that can help enable the proper level of rest and recovery to ensure I could show up with strength and stability.

My hope is my personal discovery story, along with the people from all walks of life discussing the various approaches, will lead you to the proper rest and recovery. So join me in the journey to learn how to live this one life to the fullest!