What is Sleep Efficiency and how to calculate?
Sleep efficiency is a percentage calculated based on the time you are asleep compared to the total amount of time you are in bed. If you spend 8 hours in bed, but only 4 of those hours are spent asleep, then your sleep efficiency is very low. If, on the other hand, you spend 8 hours in bed, and more than 7 of those hours are spent asleep, then your sleep efficiency is high. Using sleep restriction, we will try to reduce your total time in bed as much as possible to match your total time asleep, thereby increasing your sleep efficiency.
We will explain in more detail later how to calculate sleep efficiency, but the goal is to achieve an average sleep efficiency of 85%.
Health and safety- things to be aware of!
Changing a longstanding, interrupted sleep pattern is no easy task; it requires hard work, determination and a degree of openness to changes to your current lifestyle. Some of the techniques we use to treat insomnia may seem counterintuitive and involve introducing a very mild form of sleep deprivation to hasten sleep onset and consolidate sleep. You should, therefore, be prepared that your sleep might feel like it ‘gets worse’ before getting any better. Although your therapist will work closely with you to make sensible adjustments to your weekly sleep/wake schedule, we would suggest you do not drive or operate machines if you feel drowsy and excessively sleepy during the day throughout the treatment period.
How to Calculate Sleep Efficiency?
In this next interactive video, we explain how to calculate your sleep efficiency based on your sleep diary data. You don’t need to worry about learning how to do this on your own, as your therapist will guide you through the process during the sessions for the duration of the programme. As the video plays, you will notice several pauses. Click on the circular green plus signs on the screen to get further explanations.
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Do you want to calculate your sleep efficiency easily yourself? Input your data in this spreadsheetLink opens in a new window and calculate your sleep efficiency!