Proof: Sleep quality beats sleep quantity

New research reveals waking up refreshed depends more on how deeply you sleep than on how many hours you get. Here, easy ways to ensure your best summer slumber

Between longer days and hotter nights, you’re clocking fewer hours with the sandman this summer. The good news? A new study in PLOS ONE shows sleep quality improves health more significantly than sleep duration. In fact, top-notch Zzzs enhance memory and even help you maintain a healthy weight by curbing hunger hormones. “Quality sleep indicates how much deep sleep you’re getting, which is important for your brain in particular,” explains sleep medicine physician Valerie Cacho, MD, founder of Sleephoria.com. “That’s when the glymphatic system, housekeeping for the central nervous system, comes ‘online,’ clearing out gunk and toxins.”

Quality sleep is also a powerful anti-inflammatory tool that can protect your heart from overworking—and that’s vital during menopause, when cardio-guarding estrogen dips. Read on for the simple strategies to help you dodge summer sleep sappers and usher in revitalizing rest.