Sleep Cycles

or How to get the most our of ¼ of your day.

Who is this guy?Who is this guy?

Overview

• Average Sleep Needs• Sleep Cycle Overview• REM vs Non-REM• REM Duration and Windows• Example of Cycles at Night• When did You Fall Asleep?• Sleep Trackers and Apps• Maximize your Sleep Benefits• Sleep Myths• Naps• Polyphasic Sleeping

6 hours of sleep is NOT ENOUGH for 97% of us.

Average Sleep Needs

Sleep Cycle Overview

We sleep in 90 Minute cycles.

Source: Wikipedia

REM vs Non-REM

• Non-REMYour Body Rests and Repairs– Stage 1

• Light Sleep• Falling Sensation – Body Jerks

– Stage 2• Deeper Sleep

– Stage 3 / (4)• Deepest Sleep

• REMYour Mind Rests and Collates Data and …– Lightest Sleep– Most Likely to Awaken

REM Duration and “Windows”

Let’s look at that graph again:

Stage Lengths Change with Subsequent Cycles

Example of Cycles at Night

10:45pm – In Bed11:00pm – Beginning of 1st Cycle• Stage 1 – 10 minutes• Stage 2 – 10 minutes• Stage – 3 / 4 40 minutes• Stage 2 – 10 minutes• Stage 1 – 5 minutes• REM – 20 minutes (12:15am – 12:35am)12:35am – Beginning of 2nd Cycle

How Long Does it Take You to Fall Asleep?

• Can you remember your dream vividly?(or did you wake up during it?)

• The Key Trick• Calculate backwards in 90 minute increments.

Sleep Trackers and Apps

• Sleep Tracker Zeo Wakemate

• Android– Sleep as Android– Sleepbot Tracker– Stopwatch & Timer +

Maximize Sleep Benefits

Unbroken sleep yield the best results!• Minimize Disturbances• Eliminate Before Bed• No Intake Within 30 Minutes of Bed• Ear Plugs and/or White Noise• Keep Pets Out• Keep the Room Dark

Sleep Tips

If you have a hard time sleeping, try these tips:• Create a consistent routine for yourself• Meditate – sitting or lying down• Check the temperature• Phones and TVs• Make your bed for sleeping and sex only• Sleep with intention

Sleep Myths

• Sleep Debt and Weekend Sleep-Ins• 6 Hours is Plenty• Getting Lots of Sleep = Getting Good Sleep• Alcohol helps you sleep better• Caffeine wakes you up• A mid-afternoon nap is ALWAYS a good idea• You’ll feel great if you sleep as long as possible

Phased Sleeping

• Monophasic– Single Large Chunk of Sleep– Example: 10pm – 5:30am

• Biphasic– Two Large Chunks of Sleep– Example: 6pm to 9pm / 2am to 5am

• Polyphasic– Multiple Small Chunks of Sleep– Example: 30 minute naps at 10pm, 4am, 10am, and 4pm

Naps

• Not always as beneficial• Could make up for 1 missed REM cycle• Can make up for sleep debt• Can help you feel refreshed in middle of day• Monophasic sleepers should avoid naps within 6 hours

of ideal sleep time• Biphasic sleepers should consider a nap to supplement

sleep cycles• Polyphasic sleepers need to be consistent –

spontaneous naps could be detrimental

Create a Sleep Plan• How many cycles do you want?• Can you schedule a nap?• How long does it take you to fall asleep?• What time do you need to be up by?

Example:I want 5 cycles and can’t schedule a nap, so I need to sleep 7.5 hours at night. I take 15-20 minutes to fall asleep and need to be up by 6am.

6am - 7.5 hours = 10:30pm - 20 minutes = 10:10pmOR

10:00pm + 20 minutes + 7.5 hours = 5:50am

Don’t take the extra 10 minutes of sleep!

Reading Suggestions

• Wikipedia (Google: Wiki Sleep Cycles)• LifeHacker (Google: How I Achieved Better Sleep)• WebMD (Google: Stages of Sleep WebMD)• Steve Pavlina (Google: Polyphasic Sleep One Year)

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