Sleep and recovery
Sleep is essential for physical and mental recovery and takes part in processes fundamental to health. Sleeping too little, sleeping badly or keeping very irregular hours can affect how we feel and function during the day.
That is why we do not look only at how many hours you sleep: we also look at regularity, sleep quality and how you wake up.
Sleeping well is an essential part of health.
Sleep duration and quality are associated with different health outcomes. Persistently short sleep is associated with a higher risk of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and obesity.5 And in mortality studies, both short and long sleep appear associated with higher risk: sleeping more hours does not necessarily mean sleeping better.1
That is why we look at sleep beyond duration: regularity, perceived quality, awakenings and how the person wakes up help build a fuller picture.
What is asked and what is measured.
Hours, time to fall asleep, awakenings
How many hours you sleep, how long you take to fall asleep and how often you wake during the night. Duration matters, but it does not tell the whole story.
How you wake up
Do you wake rested or tired? How you feel on waking adds context to the hours of sleep and the perceived quality of rest.
Hooper index
A simple questionnaire that follows sleep, fatigue, stress and wellbeing over time. It helps observe trends, not make a diagnosis.3
STOP-Bang
A screening questionnaire used to identify people with a higher probability of obstructive sleep apnoea. It does not establish a diagnosis.4
Heart rate variability
Heart rate variability (HRV) can add context about the body's response to training and stress.6,7 The trend over time is usually more informative than a single value.6
Alcohol
Alcohol can change the architecture and continuity of sleep: it helps you fall asleep, but increases awakenings in the second half of the night and, at moderate to high doses, reduces REM sleep.8 It is considered together with the other habits and indicators.
None of these pieces is read alone.
Hours of sleep are interpreted together with the regularity of sleep times, awakenings and how the person wakes up. Duration alone does not allow sleep quality to be assessed.
Questionnaires such as the Hooper add information about fatigue, stress and wellbeing, while wearable data, when available, can help observe trends over time.
Factors such as pain, stress, physical activity and alcohol can also influence sleep and should be part of the context.
The platform organises and presents the information. Interpreting the whole belongs to the health professional.
Habits that help you care for your sleep.
Go to bed and wake at similar times
Keep relatively consistent sleep and wake times. In a study of more than 60,000 adults, more regular sleep was associated with lower mortality, and was a stronger predictor than sleep duration.9
Sleep enough to wake rested
For most adults, recommendations point to 7 to 9 hours a night.2 Duration matters, but so do quality and how you feel during the day.
Natural light in the morning, less bright light at night
Light exposure influences the circadian rhythm and sleep. Consensus recommendations point to bright light during the day and little light in the evening and at night.10 Seeking natural light during the day and reducing bright light near bedtime can help prepare the body for sleep.
What people ask about sleep.
How many hours of sleep do I need?
For most adults, recommendations point to 7 to 9 hours a night (National Sleep Foundation, 2015). In mortality studies, both persistently short and long sleep are associated with higher risk (Cappuccio et al., 2010): sleeping more hours does not necessarily mean sleeping better.
Does a regular schedule matter more than sleeping a lot?
In a study of more than 60,000 adults, more regular sleep was associated with lower mortality and was a stronger predictor than duration (Windred et al., 2024). That is why we look at regularity, awakenings and how you wake up, not only at the hours.
Does alcohol help you sleep?
It helps you fall asleep, but it changes sleep architecture: it increases awakenings in the second half of the night and, at moderate to high doses, reduces REM sleep (Ebrahim et al., 2013).
What is the STOP-Bang?
A screening questionnaire used to identify people with a higher probability of obstructive sleep apnoea (Chung et al., 2012). It does not establish a diagnosis: a high score is a reason to talk to your doctor, not a conclusion.
References (10)
- Cappuccio FP, D'Elia L, Strazzullo P, Miller MA. Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep. 2010;33(5):585-592. doi:10.1093/sleep/33.5.585
- Hirshkowitz M, et al. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations. Sleep Health. 2015;1(1):40-43. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.010
- Hooper SL, Mackinnon LT. Monitoring overtraining in athletes: recommendations. Sports Med. 1995;20(5):321-327. doi:10.2165/00007256-199520050-00003
- Chung F, et al. High STOP-Bang score indicates a high probability of obstructive sleep apnoea. Br J Anaesth. 2012;108(5):768-775. doi:10.1093/bja/aes022
- Itani O, Jike M, Watanabe N, Kaneita Y. Short sleep duration and health outcomes: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression. Sleep Med. 2017;32:246-256. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2016.08.006
- Plews DJ, et al. Training adaptation and heart rate variability in elite endurance athletes: opening the door to effective monitoring. Sports Med. 2013;43(9):773-781. doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0071-8
- Kim HG, Cheon EJ, Bai DS, Lee YH, Koo BH. Stress and heart rate variability: a meta-analysis and review of the literature. Psychiatry Investig. 2018;15(3):235-245. doi:10.30773/pi.2017.08.17
- Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB. Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(4):539-549. doi:10.1111/acer.12006
- Windred DP, et al. Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration: a prospective cohort study. Sleep. 2024;47(1):zsad253. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsad253
- Brown TM, et al. Recommendations for daytime, evening, and nighttime indoor light exposure to best support physiology, sleep, and wakefulness in healthy adults. PLoS Biol. 2022;20(3):e3001571. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3001571
The references describe results observed in populations. They do not determine what happens to each person. Individual interpretation belongs to the health professional.
Caring for health means thinking long term.
In the appointment, we look at your health, movement and context to define an approach suited to your needs.