How can we measure sleep?

We can look at sleep in different ways: how much we sleep, the pattern of our sleep, and how well we sleep. We can measure sleep through surveys, diaries, or more technical methods like polysomnography and actigraphy. Polysomnography records brain activity, eye movements, and muscle activity, while actigraphy uses movement to estimate sleep.

Sleep quantity and pattern include things like how long it takes to fall asleep, how long we sleep, and how often we wake up. Sleep quality is about how well we sleep and how it affects us during the day. Not getting enough good sleep can lead to problems at school and even impact our mood and emotions.