Photo by Fabian Oelkers on Unsplash
Advantages of Good Sleep
Increases memory, focus, and mental cognition
Makes you more creative and better problem solver
Lowers your anxiety, decrease your depression, and improve your relationships
Speeds recovery times and protects from plethora of diseases
Sleep Cycles
Healthy sleep involves a fascination, repeating cycle of Non-REM and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stages.
Non-REM stage: First Stage which causes our heart to slow, and body temperature to drop
Deep Non-REM stage: Body repairs and grows tissues and strengthens our immune system
REM stage: Dream state where brain becomes more active and processes all the information from the day, storing what we have learned into memory.
The full cycle through non-REM and REM lasts about 90 minutes and it continuously repeats.
Sleep Strategies
Maintain Schedule: Studies show 8 hrs, but the best way to choose your duration is to set a fixed time window to go to sleep (e.g., 10-11 PM) and time to wake up (e.g., 6-7 AM). Keep the schedule no matter it’s a workday or weekend.
Turn Down the Lights: Regulate home lighting and turn off all unnecessary lights after dark. Limit screens in the last hour of sleep and first hour on wakeup. This signals your brain to get you into right mode.
Establish Rituals: Having a consistent bed time and wake up ritual functions as cues to our brain to allows our bodies adjust to what’s coming next. The rituals could include few things such as exercise, reading a book, meditation, short walk etc.