90 minute sleep cycle for a better life
Tips for a better life #3
It has been shown that an average sleep cycle lasts for around 90 minutes. The
90 minutes consist of 2 distinct states rapid Eye Movement, REM, sleep
and nonREM (nREM) sleep. There are various cycles within this 90 minutes
cycle but the main ones are REM and nREM.
I have read a lot about this but only tried messing about with it last year. I
now usually have around 3 sleep cycles which sees me getting up at around 5am. I
go to sleep around 12. If I go to bed earlier I get up earlier. So
I am basically functioning on 3 sleep cycles.
My tip is to experiment with this 90 minute sleep cycle and see how it works
for you. You can squeeze an extra 8.5 hours per week by getting up 1
sleep cycle earlier and not requiring to take a nap during the day.
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Comment by Danielro on 15 April 2007:
This is a great idea, Steven. I’ve just started playing with this and it can be a real life-saver. It can also be a real pain if I don’t get the timing right on my cycle and I end up getting jolted out of the tail end of a dream. Most of the time, however, it works like charm and it really is a great help to be able to wake up feeling refreshed for once rather than dragging myself into the day.
This a tip everyone ought to at least try. Keep up the great work, Steven!
–Danielro
Comment by Ravi on 15 April 2007:
Interesting. I worked hard to get into a routine of getting up at 5am…but had to go to bet prior to 10pm to have this work without feeling tired later in the day.
I also find it challenging to get by on less than 7 hrs/sleep since I am an athlete. I find that my performance suffers if I don’t get enough shut eye.
Do you do any sort of training/exercise? Have you found your performance drop with your new (shortened) sleep schedule?
Ravi
Comment by Steven Aitchison on 16 April 2007:
Hi Daniel, do you use an alarm clock? I have not used an alarm clock for about 10 years and this helps with getting the timing right. I tell myself, before going to sleep, that I want to get up at 5am or 4.30 and I usually do. I find I wake up every hour, very briefly.
Ravi, I don’t do a lot of training, just the gym and a bit of tennis and squash. I really believe the body can get used to whatever you tell it. If I slept 7 hours now I would get a headache. I have found motivation to get up is also important. I get up at around 5am now (it’s 04.45 as I write this) and it’s to blog and catch up with comments and to write a blog post. I do this for 2 hours and then start getting the kids ready for school and me ready for work.
Comment by somniquest on 4 May 2007:
Hi,
You don’t comment on dream recall after your sleep cycle. However, dream recall may help those wanting to ‘tune’ their cycles, and choose when to take an extra cycle to develop a more pronounced dream. For example, thematic dreaming is known to occur and can compound across cycles; becoming more complex and conferring a ‘concept’ worth remembering during concious activity. Consider archiving your dreams in a confidential manner on our new site http://www.somniquest.com and you might be amazed at how it can help even minor personal or social discord we all experience over time. Our site is but a few weeks old.
thanks for your blog on the sleep cycle - would you consider posting some research or references too? clearly your approach is practical and yet not one to interfere w/ the necessary dreaming we need as humans to live full lives.
Comment by Notebook Repair Guy on 5 May 2007:
OK, for example I want to adjust my body to a four cycle sleep schedule. It means I have to sleep 360 minutes, lets say from 11pm-5am (never go to bed so early). What if I go to bed at 11pm and cannot sleep, do I have to reschedule my wake up time?
Comment by Michael M on 21 February 2008:
Love the concept Steven.
People don’t understand our sleep cycles. You have used this power to your own advantage. Having all that extra time in the week is awesome.
Goes to show that it is all in the mind and how we conceive the world around us.
Michael