reviewed on 9 august-2023

HOW LONG IS A SLEEP CYCLE?

Your natural sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes. During this time your brain moves through five different stages

1. Your brain begins to slow down. You are lightly sleeping, drifting in and out.
2. Your eye movement stops and the brain begins to relax. This is a period of light sleep before you enter a deep sleep.
3. Your brain waves begin to slow even more. They are preparing for the deepest stages of sleep.
4. This is the deepest stage of sleep. It’s important for you to reach this stage for a good night’s sleep and it’s also important that you are not awoken during this stage. That will make for a very grouchy morning.
5. This is the rapid-eye-movement (REM) stage of sleep. Most of your DREAMING occurs during this time. Again, make sure you are not awoken during this stage because you will likely feel disoriented.

BACK TO STAGE 1
(hence the word cycle)

Here you will start the sleep cycle over. This is also the best time to wake up and feel refreshed!

Steps to better sleep

If you are suffering in getting a quality sleep and you keep turning sides in bed unable to sleep well. Consider simple tips for better sleep, from setting a sleep schedule to including physical activity in your daily routine.

1. Stick to a sleep schedule

Set aside no more than eight hours for sleep.

2. Pay attention to what you eat and drink

Don't go to bed hungry or stuffed. Avoid any stimulants in your diet before bedtime like caffeine or nicotine and energy drinks

3. Create a restful environment

You can take a warm shower before bedtime; this will help your body to relax. Make sure avoid to not use any electronics like TV, Mobile..etc before bedtime, and turn the lights off

4. Reduce daytime naps to not more than 30 minutes

5. Stay physically active

Regular physical activity can enhance better sleep. Better to do the exercise in the morning away from your regular sleeping hours

6. Manage worries:

Stress management might help. Start with the basics, such as getting organized, setting priorities and delegating tasks. Meditation also can ease anxiety.

Benefits of sleep

Sleep is a catch-all that benefits your physical, mental and emotional health. When you’re sleeping, your body has the chance to rest and recover — and these restorative properties even occur on a cellular level. Some major benefits of sleep include:

1. Boosting your immune system.
2. Strengthening your emotional processing.
3. Improving your mood and decreasing stress.
4. Improving memory function.
5. Improving cellular growth.
6. Repairing tissue and muscle recovery.
7. Increasing productivity.
8. Improving exercise performance.

Know when to contact your doctor

Nearly everyone has an occasional sleepless night ,But if you often have trouble sleeping . Contact your doctor. Identifying and treating any underlying causes can help you get the better sleep you deserve.

References :

1. Bonnet MH, et al. Treatment of insomnia in adults.
2. Sleep deprivation and deficiency. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. 
3. Sleep hygiene tips. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
4. Mayoclinic 2021. healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/sleep

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