While much attention is paid to how many hours of sleep a person gets, health experts increasingly emphasize that sleep quality can matter just as much, if not more, than total duration.
Fragmented sleep, where a person wakes frequently during the night even without fully realizing it, can leave someone feeling tired even after logging a full eight hours in bed.
Factors like consistent sleep schedules, reduced screen exposure before bed, and a cool, dark sleeping environment are commonly cited as ways to improve sleep quality rather than simply extending time in bed.
Experts recommend paying attention to how rested a person feels upon waking as a more meaningful indicator of sleep health than the number of hours slept alone.