Figure 1: A graphical display of terminology used in this report for measuring sleep duration and sleep timing.
Notes.
Items in black font refer to event times (e.g., time into bed) while items in blue font refer to durations (dark blue: sleep onset latency; light blue: sleep durations or time spent with the intention to sleep).
The diagram represents a sleep schedule with a nap lasting approximately 45 minutes at approximately 3:30pm, first attempt to sleep at approximately 10:30pm and a fall asleep time of 10:45pm. This schedule also outlines a wake time of approximately 7:00am and a time out of bed at approximately 7:30am.
This review distinguishes between studies with different “event definitions” of sleep, such as nocturnal and 24-hour sleep. For instance, a researcher interested in capturing 24-hour sleep may combine nap and major sleep episode durations.