Sleep Quality Over Quantity: How to Know if You're Getting the Right Kind of Shut-eye

Getting the recommended eight hours of shuteye each night doesn't mean it's the quality sleep your brain and body need. If you're still tired or groggy after waking up, it could be a sign that you're not getting the sleep quality you should be getting.

Thankfully, quantifying how good or bad our sleep patterns are is now easier than ever. Smart beds, sleep trackers and wearables like wrist bands and rings can help us track and monitor our sleep. Each morning, you can review your heart rate, breath rate and sleep graphs with information about how much light, deep and REM sleep you had the night before. But all that data only makes sense if you know what it means and what you're aiming for.

Here's how to decode your sleep cycles to make the most of your shut-eye.

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