I’m a Light Sleeper: Tips to Get Better Sleep

Mark Gurarie
·8 min read

Medically reviewed by Smita Patel, DO

You’re a light sleeper if it’s hard for you to fall asleep and easy for you to wake up; even the slightest stirring, smell, or noise disrupt your rest. Researchers aren’t sure why some people are light sleepers. However, sleep disorders like insomnia, genetic differences, hormones, and lifestyle factors all play a role in this issue.

People of any age can be light sleepers and experience drowsiness, irritability, and other symptoms of sleep deprivation.

This article breaks down the potential causes of light sleeping, what helps with it, and what caregivers can do for children or infants with this issue. It also discusses the long-term risks of not getting enough rest.

<p>Dean Mitchell / Getty Images</p>

Dean Mitchell / Getty Images



What’s a Heavy Sleeper?

Heavy sleepers have more difficulty waking up and often remain drowsy throughout the day. Researchers believe this may be because heavy sleepers produce more sleep spindles than light sleepers. Sleep spindles are certain brain patterns produced during deep sleep. These sleep spindles make it more difficult for noise or sound to interrupt rest.



I’m a Light Sleeper: What Helps?

Since light sleeping can lead to sleep deprivation and contribute to adverse health effects—such as depression and heart disease—it’s important to understand what you can do to improve sleep quality. Specific lifestyle changes, such as those listed below, can help you improve the quality and quantity of your sleep.

Get Enough Sleep

The goal is to get seven to eight hours of uninterrupted rest a night if you’re an adult, with adolescents and children needing more. Organize your time to get at least this amount (but not more than 9 hours) a night.

Stay Consistent

Be sure to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, whether on a weekday or weekend. Many people set bedtime reminders and wake-up alarms on their smartphones to help them maintain consistency. Try to avoid napping, especially in the late afternoon or early evening.

Relax Before Bed

Develop a relaxing bedtime ritual. Whether you take a bath, listen to music, meditate, or do breathing exercises, winding your body and mind down will make falling asleep easier. And if it takes you longer than 20 minutes to fall asleep, don’t toss and turn; get up and walk around a bit before trying again, avoiding electronics.

Create a Comfortable Space

Make sure your bedroom is a good space for rest: quiet, cool, and comfortable. Make sure that your bed is only for sleeping or sex; don’t do work there.

Make Your Bedroom Screen-Free

Watching TV or using smartphones, laptops, or other devices in bed can make falling asleep more difficult. Make your bedroom a screen-free zone. Also, avoid bright light or screen exposure for at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

Get Exercise

Researchers have consistently found links between physical activity and sleep quality. It’s a bidirectional relationship, meaning that those who get more activity get more sleep, and those who are less active usually get less sleep. An excellent way to promote heavier sleep is to get regular exercise. Make sure to give yourself three hours before going to bed after exercising.

Watch What You Eat

Diet can also influence your sleeping patterns. For better rest, avoid large, heavy meals at night and steer clear of the caffeine in chocolate, coffee, or tea, as well as alcohol, which can disrupt rest. If you need a snack at night, choose something light and healthy.

Insomnia and Light Sleeping

While the two can go hand in hand, insomnia and light sleeping aren’t the same thing. Insomnia, a clinical disorder that affects 33% to 50% of adults, is an inability to fall and stay asleep, leading to consistently poor-quality sleep.

Researchers have linked this to disruptions of the circadian rhythm, your body’s chemically mediated sleep-wake cycle.

Light sleepers have a low arousal threshold, meaning sounds or stimuli wake them more easily. This can happen alongside insomnia, but other factors can contribute.



Sleep Stages and Light Sleeping

Sleep is a complex physiological process that goes through distinct phases of brain and body activity. There are two types of sleep—rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep—broken down into four stages.



Other Reasons for Being a Light Sleeper

Researchers aren’t certain why some people are lighter sleepers than others. Alongside insomnia, several other factors may play a role, including brain activity, genetics, hormones, and lifestyle choices.

Brain Activity

Researchers have noted differences in brain activity during sleep between light sleepers and others. During earlier stages of sleep, your brain produces sleep spindles: sudden spikes of brain wave activity. These play a role in preventing outside noises or stimuli from waking you up. Studies found those with less sleep spindle activity have a lower sleep threshold, meaning they’re more likely to be light sleepers.

Other Sleep Disorders

Along with insomnia, light sleeping can also be a characteristic of other sleep disorders. Among these is sleep apnea, characterized by snoring and breathing difficulties at night, which can interrupt rest.

Genetics

Genetics also influence the quantity and quality of sleep you get. Researchers have identified several genes that affect our circadian rhythm, including CLOCK, BMAL1, PERIOD, and cryptochrome 1 and 2. In addition, certain genes predispose you to sleep disorders, such as insomnia, contributing to light sleeping.

Hormone Activity

Sleep is also influenced by the activity of certain hormones and neurotransmitters (brain chemicals). Among others, melatonin, growth hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and cortisol all influence circadian rhythms and are tied to sleep quality and quantity.

Medications

Certain medications can also affect sleep quality, leading to insomnia or other issues. Medications that may cause light sleeping include:

  • Beta-blockers, such as Lopressor (metoprolol) and Tenormin (atenolol)

  • Statins like Lipitor (atorvastatin) or Lescol XL (fluvastatin)

  • Corticosteroids, such as Cortone (cortisone acetate) and Cortef (hydrocortisone)

  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), including Prozac (fluoxetine) and Zoloft (paroxetine)

  • Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as Effexor (venlafaxine)

  • Stimulants like Ritalin (methylphenidate) or Adderall (dextroamphetamine/levoamphetamine)

Lifestyle Factors

Certain lifestyle choices can also factor into a light sleeping problem. Consuming alcohol and nicotine affects sleep quality, as can insufficient physical activity. In addition, those who work overnight or outside of daytime hours are also more prone to sleep disorders and insomnia.

Parenting a Younger Light Sleeper

Sleep is critical for infants and children; it’s associated with memory, self-regulation and organization (executive function), language, and cognitive development. But, as many parents and caregivers can attest, light sleeping can affect kids, too. In the research, 20% to 30% of children under 2 experienced constant night awakenings.

This can be challenging for the caregiver and child. The following steps may help support better sleep:

  • Limit co-sleeping: While there are benefits to co-sleeping or room sharing with your infant, there’s evidence that this can increase sleep disturbances and lead to more sleep problems in preschool. Current recommendations are that you should do this only for the first six months.

  • Create a cozy bedroom: To promote better sleep and prevent fussiness, keep the nursery or bedroom cool at night, dimly lit, comfortable, and quiet. Use dark curtains to block out light, and—if your child lets you—close the door to keep noise, pets, and family out.

  • Try sound machines: Soft music or devices that create quiet, white noise can also be soothing for infants and children, helping them to sleep.

  • Monitor with care: Infants and toddlers sometimes stir and make noises when they sleep, especially during REM and early non-REM phases. If you use a monitor and hear something, wait a minute before checking on your child.

  • Walking: Not only is exercise helpful for sleep, but—if done outdoors—it allows for sun exposure. Walking or playing outdoors with your child may help regulate their circadian rhythm.

Long-Term Effects of Being a Light Sleeper

You’re more likely to experience sleep deprivation when you’re a light sleeper. Over time, this can significantly impact your health and well-being. Insufficient rest can adversely impact your performance at work or school, affect mood and cognitive function, and raise your risk of injury or accident. Adolescents and children may have more behavior problems or engage in more risk-taking behaviors.

In addition, chronic sleep problems can lead to a host of health problems, such as:

When to See a Healthcare Provider

While you can expect occasional sleep problems, knowing the warning signs of a sleep disorder is important. Call a healthcare provider if you experience any of the following:

  • Constantly feeling unable to move when you wake up

  • Consistent trouble falling asleep or sleeping through the night

  • Drowsiness that interrupts your ability to work, go to school, or drive

  • Feeling very tired throughout the day, even if you’ve had plenty of sleep

  • Loud snoring, gasps, or gaps in breathing when asleep

  • Sensations of tingling or crawling in your limbs that improve with movement or massage

Summary

A light sleeper wakes up easily due to outside sounds or stimuli. Light sleepers often experience sleep deprivation, which causes drowsiness and crankiness and increases the risk for a range of diseases over the long term.

Researchers aren’t sure why some people have more trouble with sleep than others but theorize that genetics, hormones, and brain activity may be at the root. Exercise, consistent bedtimes and wake-up times, and dietary changes are among the means to improve sleep quality.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.