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:

Light Sleep - Transition period, your body starts to relax
Deep Sleep - Body repairs muscles and tissues, strengthens immune system
REM Sleep - Brain processes memories and emotions, vivid dreams occur
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! 🌙✨