The average person spends about a third of their life in bed. For many, that time is spent in restful slumber – the chance to have one’s energy restored while development, growth and healing occur. For others, time spent in one’s bed each night is less relaxing and rejuvenating – often spent tossing and turning or waking in the middle of the night.
Some people have issues to blame like sleep apnea, sleep paralysis that hits when they wake up or poor sleep hygiene. But other individuals are simply afflicted with a broken, sometimes called fragmented, sleep routine that affects the quality of their sleep and how they feel the next day.
What causes a broken sleep schedule?
Broken sleep schedules are caused by many factors, including sleeping in a room where the temperature is too hot or too cold, slumbering next to a restless or snoring sleep partner, travel plans, napping too much during the day or sleep interruptions such as a newborn crying or children waking a parent up at night.
“Waking between sleep cycles is common for all of us at any age, but the hope is that our sleep environment and our own ability to get back to sleep allow for a smooth transition between sleep stages so we don’t fully wake causing that fragmented, broken sleep,” says Aubrie DeBear, PsyD, a practicing sleep consultant in San Diego and co-founder of Baby Sleep Dr.
Jaime Tartar, PhD, a professor of neuroscience at Nova Southeastern University and sleep expert for the National Academy of Sports Medicine, says that other factors that contribute to fragmented sleep include health issues or conditions such as sleep apnea, waking from anxiety, drinking caffeine too close to bedtime or a noisy neighborhood. “Most of the issues that we have with our sleep schedule are a direct result of a ‘mismatch’ between the conditions under which our sleep system evolved and the conditions in which those of us in industrialized societies find ourselves such as noisy cars in the street or sirens in the distance,” she says.
Another cause of fragmented sleep is going to bed or waking up at inconsistent times. “When we wake consistently at a certain time during the week for work or school then we sleep in hours later on the weekends, that will throw off our natural rhythm,” explains DeBear.
What are the symptoms of a broken sleep schedule?
The symptoms of fragmented sleep are as numerous as the causes and include insomnia, memory lapses, difficulty concentrating, moodiness, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches and sleep deprivation. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute warns that sleep deficiency is linked to many chronic health problems such as heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity and depression.
How long does it take to fix a sleep schedule?
Because many environmental, health and family factors contribute to a broken sleep schedule, it isn’t always easy to fix all at once. “Resetting our circadian rhythm or fixing a broken sleep schedule usually takes some time,” offers DeBear. “I find it can take about a week and even up to two weeks based on how significant the sleep deprivation was and how much effort you’re putting toward being mindful and consistent in changing things.”
Tartar agrees that it takes time and effort to fix a broken sleep schedule, but also requires finding what works best for each individual. “Resetting a broken sleep schedule is highly individualistic to the person and the specific reason or reasons their sleep hygiene is impaired,” she says.
How do you fix a ruined sleep schedule?
The good news is there are many specific steps one can take to improve the quality of one’s sleep and avoid fragmented or interrupted sleep.
These include addressing the issues causing sleep interruptions directly (i.e. sleeping in a separate room if your sleep partner is too disruptive), plus the mindful avoidance of napping, caffeine and device screens too close to bedtime, controlling one’s sleep environment through fans/heaters, a sound or white noise machine, blackout curtains, and seeking treatment for conditions such as insomnia or sleep apnea.
“It is also so important to have a consistent bedtime for children and adults,” advises DeBear. “A consistent wake time is also a huge factor in how rested you are.”
Read more about sleep struggles here:
Are you getting enough REM sleep? The answer might be in your dreams.
What is sleep apnea? This sleep disorder could be the reason you’re always tired.
Magnesium is more popular than ever. But can it help you sleep better at night?
What is sleep paralysis? It could be why you feel like you can’t move in the morning.
What is sleep hygiene? What to know to do it right and some tips for better sleep.
