# Sleep Scoring Guide

Endurain uses a sleep scoring system to help you understand the quality of your sleep. This guide explains how your sleep is evaluated and what the scores mean.

## What is Sleep Scoring?

Sleep scoring is like a report card for your sleep. The system analyzes your sleep data and gives you:

- **An overall sleep score** (0-100 points)
- **Individual component scores** with quality labels
- **Easy-to-understand ratings**: Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor

## How Are Scores Calculated?

### Overall Sleep Score (0-100)

Your overall sleep score combines several important factors:

- **30%** - How long you slept (Duration)
- **40%** - How well you slept (Quality)
- **10%** - How many times you woke up
- **20%** - Your stress levels during sleep

**What the scores mean:**

- **90-100**: Excellent sleep! You're well-rested and recharged
- **70-89**: Good sleep. You got decent rest with room for improvement
- **50-69**: Fair sleep. You might feel somewhat rested but could do better
- **0-49**: Poor sleep. You likely feel tired and need better rest

---

## Understanding Each Score Component

### 1. Sleep Duration Score

**What it measures:** How many hours you slept

**Why it matters:** Your body needs enough time to go through all sleep stages and recover properly.

**Scoring guidelines:**

| Hours of Sleep | Score | Rating |
|----------------|-------|--------|
| 7-9 hours | 90-100 | **EXCELLENT** - Perfect amount! |
| 6-7 hours | 70-89 | **GOOD** - A bit short but okay |
| 9-10 hours | 70-89 | **GOOD** - A bit long but okay |
| 5-6 hours | 50-69 | **FAIR** - Not enough rest |
| 10-11 hours | 50-69 | **FAIR** - Possibly oversleeping |
| Less than 5 hours | 0-49 | **POOR** - Seriously insufficient |
| More than 11 hours | 0-49 | **POOR** - Too much sleep |

**The sweet spot:** 7-9 hours, with 8 hours being ideal for most adults.

---

### 2. Sleep Quality Score

**What it measures:** How your sleep was distributed across different sleep stages

**Why it matters:** Quality sleep isn't just about quantity - your brain and body need the right mix of sleep stages to fully recover.

**The four sleep stages:**

1. **Light Sleep** - Transition period, your body starts to relax
2. **Deep Sleep** - Body repairs muscles and tissues, strengthens immune system
3. **REM Sleep** - Brain processes memories and emotions, vivid dreams occur
4. **Awake** - Brief wakeful moments (some are normal!)

**Optimal percentages:**

| Sleep Stage | Ideal Range | Why It Matters |
|-------------|-------------|----------------|
| **Deep Sleep** | 13-23% (peak: 18%) | Physical recovery and healing |
| **REM Sleep** | 20-25% (peak: 22.5%) | Memory and emotional processing |
| **Light Sleep** | 45-55% (peak: 50%) | Transition between stages |
| **Awake Time** | Less than 5% | Normal brief awakenings |

**How it's scored:**

- Each sleep stage gets its own score based on how close you are to the optimal percentage
- The scores are combined with these weights:
  - Deep sleep: 25%
  - REM sleep: 30% (most important for mental recovery!)
  - Light sleep: 25%
  - Awake time: 20% (penalty applied)

---

### 3. Awake Count Score

**What it measures:** How many times you woke up during the night

**Why it matters:** Frequent awakenings disrupt your sleep cycles and prevent deep, restorative sleep.

**Scoring:**

| Awakenings | Score | Rating | What It Means |
|------------|-------|--------|---------------|
| 0-1 times | 90-100 | **EXCELLENT** | Uninterrupted, restorative sleep |
| 2-3 times | 70-89 | **GOOD** | Some interruptions but still decent |
| 4-5 times | 50-69 | **FAIR** | Sleep continuity affected |
| 6+ times | 0-49 | **POOR** | Very fragmented sleep |

**Note:** It's normal to wake up briefly 1-2 times per night. You might not even remember them!

---

### 4. REM Sleep Percentage Score

**What it measures:** What percentage of your sleep was REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep

**Why it matters:** REM sleep is when your brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and boosts creativity. It's essential for mental health and learning.

**Optimal range:** 20-25% of total sleep time (about 1.5-2 hours for 8 hours of sleep)

**What different levels mean:**

- **Too low (<20%)**: May affect memory, mood, and cognitive function
- **Optimal (20-25%)**: Brain is fully processing and recovering
- **Too high (>25%)**: Unusual and may indicate sleep disorders

---

### 5. Deep Sleep Percentage Score

**What it measures:** What percentage of your sleep was deep sleep

**Why it matters:** Deep sleep is when your body does most of its physical repair - healing muscles, strengthening bones, and boosting your immune system.

**Optimal range:** 13-23% of total sleep time (about 1-2 hours for 8 hours of sleep)

**What different levels mean:**

- **Too low (<13%)**: Less physical recovery, may feel physically tired
- **Optimal (13-23%)**: Body is fully recovering and strengthening
- **Too high (>23%)**: Rare, but may indicate sleep debt recovery

**Did you know?** Deep sleep decreases naturally as you age, which is normal!

---

### 6. Light Sleep Percentage Score

**What it measures:** What percentage of your sleep was light sleep

**Why it matters:** Light sleep serves as a transition between sleep stages and makes up the largest portion of your sleep.

**Optimal range:** 45-55% of total sleep time (about 3.5-4.5 hours for 8 hours of sleep)

**What different levels mean:**

- **Too low (<45%)**: You may be spending too much time in other stages
- **Optimal (45-55%)**: Healthy balance of sleep stages
- **Too high (>55%)**: May not be getting enough deep or REM sleep

---

### 7. Sleep Stress Score

**What it measures:** Your average stress level during sleep and how restless you were

**Why it matters:** High stress during sleep indicates your body isn't fully relaxing, which affects recovery quality.

**Stress levels explained** (based on Garmin scale):

- **0-25**: Rest state - fully relaxed
- **26-50**: Low stress - mostly relaxed
- **51-75**: Medium stress - moderately elevated
- **76-100**: High stress - not relaxing properly

**Scoring:**

| Stress Level | Base Score | Rating |
|--------------|-----------|--------|
| 0-25 (Rest) | 100 | **EXCELLENT** |
| 26-50 (Low) | 70-90 | **GOOD** |
| 51-75 (Medium) | 50-70 | **FAIR** |
| 76-100 (High) | 0-50 | **POOR** |

**Restless moments penalty:** Each restless moment during sleep reduces your score by 2-3 points.

---

## Tips for Better Sleep Scores

### To Improve Duration Score:
- Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night
- Keep a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends. Be consistent on the time you go to bed and awake not only the sleep hours
- Go to bed when you're tired, not too early or late

### To Improve Quality Score:
- Create a dark, quiet, cool sleeping environment
- Avoid screens and high intensity brain tasks 1 hour before bedtime (blue light disrupts sleep)
- Avoid caffeine 6 hours before bed
- Exercise regularly, but not right before bed

### To Reduce Awakenings:
- Limit fluid intake 2 hours before bedtime
- Keep your bedroom cool (60-67°F / 15-19°C is ideal)
- Use white noise or earplugs if needed
- Address any underlying sleep disorders with a doctor

### To Reduce Sleep Stress:
- Practice relaxation techniques before bed (meditation, deep breathing)
- Keep a regular exercise routine during the day
- Avoid stressful activities or conversations before bedtime
- Consider journaling to clear your mind before sleep

---

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Q: Why is my score low even though I slept 8 hours?

**A:** Duration is only 30% of your overall score. You might have had poor quality sleep, many awakenings, or high stress levels. Check your individual component scores to see what needs improvement.

### Q: Is it bad if my scores vary day to day?

**A:** Some variation is normal! Factors like stress, exercise, diet, and life events affect your sleep. Look for trends over weeks rather than individual nights.

### Q: What's more important - duration or quality?

**A:** Both matter! Quality is weighted slightly higher (40% vs 30%) because you can sleep for 10 hours but still feel tired if the quality is poor. Aim for both good duration AND quality.

### Q: My REM/Deep sleep percentage seems low. Is that bad?

**A:** Not necessarily. These percentages are averages based on research. Individual needs vary by age, genetics, and lifestyle. If you feel rested and energetic, your sleep is probably fine!

### Q: Can I compare my scores with friends?

**A:** While you can, remember that everyone's sleep needs are different. Focus on improving YOUR scores over time rather than comparing with others.

### Q: What if I have a sleep disorder?

**A:** These scores are educational tools, not medical diagnoses. If you consistently get poor scores or feel tired despite good scores, consult a healthcare professional or sleep specialist.

---

## Understanding Your Data

### When are scores calculated?

Scores are automatically calculated when you:

- Create a new sleep record
- Update an existing sleep record
- Important: If sleep data is imported from Garmin Connect, no calculations are made. Garmin Connect data is used

The system recalculates all scores to ensure they reflect your current data.

### What data is needed?

For the most accurate scores, provide:

- ✅ Sleep start and end times
- ✅ Total sleep duration
- ✅ Sleep stage breakdowns (deep, light, REM, awake)
- ✅ Number of awakenings
- ✅ Stress levels (optional but recommended)

**Partial data:** Even with incomplete data, the system will calculate scores for the metrics you provide. Missing metrics won't break the scoring system.

---

## Technical Details

For developers and technically-minded users:

- **Algorithm**: Based on sleep research (provided by Claude Sonnet 4.5 and double checked by me)
- **Scoring method**: Weighted average of normalized component scores
- **Data source**: Compatible with Garmin Connect and manual entry
- **Score range**: All scores normalized to 0-100 scale
- **Labels**: Threshold-based categorization (90+=Excellent, 70+=Good, 50+=Fair, <50=Poor)

---

## Summary

Your sleep scores provide valuable insights into your rest quality. By understanding what each score means and following the improvement tips, you can work towards better, more restorative sleep.

**Remember:**
- 🎯 Focus on trends, not single nights
- 💪 Small improvements add up over time
- 😴 Consistency is key to good sleep
- 🩺 Consult a doctor for persistent sleep issues

Sweet dreams and happy tracking! 🌙✨