Polyphasic sleep often associated with the brilliant artist and inventor of the Middle Ages Leonardo da Vinci. To implement numerous ideas, he needed time, which was always sorely lacking. Being a resourceful man, Leonardo da Vinci decided to find new reserves of time in his daily sleep.
He broke the usual night's rest into several parts, making it polyphasic. Now he slept for fifteen minutes every four hours. As a result, the total duration of sleep was reduced to just one and a half hours a day. Leonardo could now use the time freed from rest for creativity.
He used this type of polyphasic sleep for many years of his life without experiencing fatigue. Perhaps this is precisely the mystery of the great artist’s unique ability to work, thanks to which his works have survived centuries and still continue to delight humanity.
What is the phenomenon of polyphasic sleep?
It is known that physiologically the most productive time for work and creativity is the time after sleep. At this time, the body’s performance is especially high. Interrupting wakefulness every four hours followed by a short rest leads to a sharp increase in the time of increased performance.
Before we get into the stories of specific people who have experienced the benefits of polyphasic sleep, I would like to convey to readers a warning formulated by the director of the sleep disorders department at the Massachusetts General Hospital Matt Bianchi: “Each organism is individual. One person may be suitable for a polyphasic form of sleep, while another, as a result of such an experiment, may fall asleep while driving and crash into a pole.”
So if you decide to try to switch to polyphasic sleep, we recommend that you temporarily stop driving, operate any heavy equipment, and do not make life-changing decisions - until you decide exactly how many hours you can reduce your sleep time .
According to rumors, many famous thinkers managed to reduce their sleep time by breaking it into several parts, among whom, in addition to the already mentioned Leonardo Da Vinci, are Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. However, the very first documented case of transition to polyphasic sleep is associated with the name of an architect, inventor and philosopher Buckminster Fuller.
Fuller conducted experiments with sleep in the mid-1900s and developed a regime called “Dymaxion” (Fuller gave the same name to his trademark, which combined several inventions).
The “Dimaxiton” sleep technique provided for half an hour of sleep every six hours - that is, about two hours a day. The scientist outlined his experiments in a book that was a resounding success. Fuller’s ability to fall asleep within 30 seconds amazed his contemporaries. However, after some time the scientist returned to normal monophasic sleep - but only because of his wife's nagging.
But be that as it may, Fuller’s work did not die, and the idea of polyphasic sleep found many fans and successors. In the 1980s, Italian neurologist Claudio Stampi also began studying the benefits of polyphasic sleep patterns. He noticed that his fellow sailors were accustomed to sleeping in fits and starts without much harm to their well-being or side effects.
During his experiments, he examined the Swiss actor Francesco Jost, who tried to master the technique of polyphasic sleep for 49 days at home. At first, Yost’s body experienced shock, but then his concentration and mental condition returned to relative normalcy, although at times it was difficult for him to wake up. With minimal side effects the actor managed to reduce his usual sleep time by five hours. True, this is in the short term - the long-term effect has not been studied.
Nowadays, enthusiasts from the Internet are also making attempts to study the possibilities of polyphasic sleep. A woman with the nickname PureDoxyk has developed her own technique called Uberman, which consists of six sleep stages of no more than 30 minutes each: at 2 pm, 6 pm, 10 pm, 2 am, 6 am, and 10 am. This averages out to about three hours of sleep a day.
Specialist in personal development Steve Pavlina mastered this technique and achieved impressive results. The main problem, by his own admission, turned out to be boredom - and not at all difficulties with concentrating or insomnia. He returned to his normal lifestyle only because he wanted to spend more time with his wife and children.
The same PureDoxyk developed another polyphasic sleep mode, called “Everyman” (that is, “every person”), which, according to her own statements, allowed her to find more time for hobbies, self-education and communication with her daughter.
Different polyphasic sleep techniques
What Science Says
One theory regarding alternative sleep patterns is that polyphasic sleep is generally more natural. A 2007 report published in the Journal of Sleep Research states that many animals sleep several times a day, and humans most likely followed the same pattern in ancient times.
It is known that most people sleep lasts several hours and consists of alternating periods of slow-wave sleep (about 90 minutes) and short periods REM sleep. We do not know the exact purpose of this alternation. However, experts believe that most likely different phases sleep have different restorative effects on the body.
This raises the question of whether proponents of polyphasic sleep are getting enough REM sleep, if at all.
Some polyphasic practitioners claim that their technique “forces” the body to enter REM sleep much faster. Indeed, during the experiments, Stumpy noticed that Yost's brain sometimes entered REM sleep almost immediately. The scientist came to the conclusion that when there is a lack of sleep, the body adapts in such a way as to recover in more time. a short time.
Other proponents of polyphasic sleep argue that REM sleep is not something vital. Numerous studies have confirmed that a person suffers mainly from lack of sleep in general, and not from REM or slow sleep specifically. Other research suggests that REM sleep plays a role in supporting learning, memory and emotional state, but a person, in principle, can live without it.
In addition, it is unknown how polyphasic sleep can affect a person’s health and life if practiced constantly throughout life.
In many cases, a person's ability to maintain a polyphasic sleep pattern may depend on genetics. It is known that between one and three percent of the world's population naturally require very little sleep. This ability is given to them by the mutated DEC2 gene. Some proponents of polyphasic sleep say that with the right technique, you can convince your brain that you belong to this small group of people.
According to a recent discovery, before the invention of electricity, people slept twice a day: they went to bed after sunset and slept until midnight, then woke up for a couple of hours and fell asleep again until the morning. But in total it was still 7 or 8 hours. Perhaps in the future we will return to this old scheme.
Tried it myself
Two descriptions of the transition to polyphasic sleep from Internet user blogs.
Mikhail Subach:
“The experiment with polyphasic sleep was a great success - I experienced first-hand all the features of this unusual sleep pattern. I was unable to fully adapt because I could not strictly adhere to the 20x6 regimen. After the 10th day, I decided to stop, for two reasons.
First, it was very annoying that I had to take 20-minute breaks during the day. Now almost a week has passed since the end of the experiment, and it is hard to believe that this could really be a serious problem, but at that time it was so.
The second reason is that I miss sleep, when you can just lie down and do nothing. Apparently he hasn’t identified enough interesting things for himself.
In the polyphasic mode, you become “more” - if you manage to occupy all your waking time in an interesting way, you will manage to do it even more. It’s like with immortality: many people want to be immortal, but don’t know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.”
conclusions
- Polyphasic sleep is an excellent mode if you need to get a lot of things done.
- Before receiving the benefits of polyphasic sleep, you must undergo a 5-day adaptation.
- The days feel twice as long as with normal sleep patterns.
- High motivation is required to undergo adaptation.
- The skill of waking up and getting out of bed when the alarm goes off helps a lot with adaptation.
- The optimal duration of a nap is 20 minutes.
- Planning active activities for the next 4 hours before napping helps with adaptation.
- Sleeping during the day every 4 hours is mandatory, so it is necessary to foresee how this will happen.
- It is necessary to switch to polyphasic mode after you have had a good night's sleep.
Benefits of Polyphasic Sleep
- More time for creativity.
- Interesting perception of time.
- Nobody bothers you at night.
Disadvantages of polyphasic sleep
- Social inconvenience.
- Drowsiness during adaptation.
Before switching to polyphasic sleep, you need to develop the following habits:
- do not drink alcohol;
- do not drink caffeine-containing drinks (coffee, black/green tea, energy drinks, cola);
- get up on an alarm clock.
If you already have these habits, then get a good night's sleep last night and start taking 20-minute naps every 4 hours.
Make an agreement with yourself and with those around you that you will follow this regime for 5 days without exception.
Avoid driving for the first 5 days, then depending on how you feel.
It is optimal if the last night of monophasic sleep is from Wednesday to Thursday. Friday will pass easily, but difficulties with sleep will occur on the weekend, when you can arrange your daily schedule as convenient. God willing, by Monday you will already get used to the regime.
Slow reading, watching videos are passive ways to spend time and are not suitable for the night.
zveriozha (zveriozha.livejournal.com):
1. The problems in adaptation turned out to be not in waking up after 20-30 minutes, but in falling asleep. At first, it is advised to sleep not 6, but 8 times a day - every three hours. The body, even after deprivation, refuses to sleep like that. I lie there for 20-25 minutes and when I start to fall asleep, suddenly, the alarm clock rings.
2. As a result, deprivation increases and when sleep sets in in the morning, it is REALLY difficult to get up after it. Therefore, oddly enough... It is possible that more easy option- is to go straight to the Uberman system (20-25 every four hours), rather than entering it with sleep every three hours. But either way, training to take a nap every three hours is good practice.
3 . Time flows completely differently in such a life. The trick is that a normal sleep of 8 hours clearly separates one day from the next. And you live discretely - day, night, next day, night. Like a two-stroke motor. When you sleep (or try to sleep) every 3-4 hours, discontinuity turns into continuity. The sense of time lengthens enormously. For example, yesterday I went to the optician to order glasses, but I have a feeling that it was 3-4 days ago, but not yesterday at all.
4. To live like this, you must really have some permanent tasks and projects. Otherwise, you will simply have nowhere to put all the time you have. And if you sit at night and are bored, it will be very difficult not to fall asleep. In other words, if you suddenly want to try this mode, then first you need to decide - why do you need it?
5. Coffee, tea, stimulants or vice versa - things that help you fall asleep in this mode are very undesirable. If you are overly alert, you will not be able to sleep at the right time, and this will lead to a breakdown in the future. If you are very sleepy, you can sleep through the alarm, which is also a failure.
The classic idea of “correct” sleep is to sleep a third of your life, that is, eight hours out of twenty-four available in a day.
However, the modern pace of life has accelerated significantly, and for some, sleeping for a long time is an unaffordable luxury. Numerous studies in this area have made it possible to develop techniques for productive sleep, when the body rests and recovers in a shorter time, say, 5-6 hours.
How it works?
The rest necessary for the central nervous system occurs only during a special phase of sleep called REM – “rapid eye movements”. This phase lasts about 20 minutes, then it changes slow sleep phase. In total, out of seven to eight hours of sleep at night, there are only a couple of hours of REM sleep, which gives a feeling of vigor, good rest and readiness to start a new day.The sensation occurs when a person wakes up in the REM phase of sleep. If a sleeper is awakened in the slow-wave sleep phase, he will feel sluggish, exhausted and, of course, sleep-deprived.
This means that the main thing is not how much sleep, but at what moment to wake up. The principle of productive sleep is built on this. However, do not be mistaken about the main thing: you cannot shorten the total duration of sleep uncontrollably! If REM sleep restores the psyche and is necessary for brain development, then slow sleep is needed for our physical body, which also gets tired and needs rest and recovery.
Why are different stages of sleep needed?
Sleep consists of cyclically repeating phases - rapid sleep ( 10-20 minutes) and slow. During the slow-wave sleep phase ( approximately 2 hours) there are several successive stages that plunge a person deeper into sleep. Passes overnight 4-5 cycles, and with each cycle the duration of the REM sleep phase increases.
During the slow-wave sleep phase, body cells are restored and regenerated. Our brain tests the state internal organs and corrects “downed settings”, preparing our body for a new day. slow sleep– this is the time to produce antibodies and optimize the immune system. Anyone who does not get enough sleep regularly gets sick, for example, from the flu and colds, twice as often.
REM sleep is the time when bioelectrical activity brain is maximum. At this time, the process of analyzing the information accumulated by memory over the past day, sorting and systematizing it takes place. At this time, dreams occur. The most vivid and memorable dreams occur during the last cycle, in the morning, when the brain has already rested.
REM sleep is vital: in the experiment, the rat was deprived of the REM sleep phase, and after forty days the animal died. When deprived of the slow-wave sleep phase, she survived.
Productive sleep technique
Its essence is to use the REM sleep phase as efficiently as possible. To do this, you can use the following methods."Siesta". One little dream during the day and one big one at night. Allows you to reduce night sleep for almost 2 hours. Daytime sleep should not exceed 20 minutes, since the REM phase is within 20 minutes. To do this, set an alarm clock that will wake you up 20 minutes after falling asleep. If you don’t do this, you can get the opposite effect and wake up, say, an hour and a half later - sleepy and exhausted. When using the “Siesta” method, nighttime sleep is shortened by one cycle and allows you to wake up rested and well-rested not at 7-00 in the morning, but, say, at 5-00.
"Ladder". The essence of the method lies in the number of “steps” - daytime sleep sessions of 20 minutes, each of which reduces the duration of night sleep by an hour and a half. Two naps reduce night sleep to four and a half hours, three to three hours, four to one and a half hours.
"Superhuman" The method is to sleep 6 times during the day for 20 minutes, which is a total of 2 hours of REM sleep.
Of course, not all of these methods are convenient for people with a standard daily routine, working, for example, in the office for eight hours every day. The most advanced and progressive employers in some companies provide the possibility of rest with a 20-minute nap during the day for their employees, since the increase in labor efficiency in this case will cover the loss of working time.
However, if you are a creative person who does not have a strict daily plan, for example, a freelancer, then the “ladder” method will stimulate your creative ideas well and allow you to rationally distribute time for work.
The “superhuman” method requires strict self-discipline and time management, since missing one session of sleep will ruin your entire schedule and lead to the opposite result - feeling tired and sleep-deprived. We should also not forget that this method cannot be practiced constantly, since it does not allow for full recovery. physical strength and immunity, and the need for a strict routine brings a certain amount of stress into life. The "superhuman" method is good when working on short-term projects, requiring concentration and creativity, “brainstorming”.
Hi-tech way
This is a special “smart” alarm clock that will wake up its owner exactly at the time when awakening is most comfortable - at the end of the REM phase. There are many modifications of such alarm clocks (for example, aXbo, Sleeptracker), but the principle of operation is the same for all - special sensors located in a bracelet worn on the hand at night record all movements of a person during sleep. Thus, the sleep phases and their duration are determined.The alarm clock sets a time after which you cannot get up, for example, 7.00. In the range of 30 minutes, that is, starting at 6.30, The smart alarm clock will select the most best time to wake up and will wake you up with a pleasant melody, for example, at 6.54, when your REM phase is close to completion.
Some models, in addition to the “wake up” function, have a useful function that helps you fall into a soft and comfortable sleep - thanks to a set of special melodies and sounds that bring the brain to a state of rest.
Prices for the miracle device start at $150, but it pays off thanks to good health and excellent performance.
Exist special programs for iPhone, iPad and Android OS, allowing iPhones and smartphones to work as smart alarm clocks. True, for this they need to be put in bed at night so that all noises and sounds are recorded. Based on their analysis, sleep phases are calculated and optimal time for a wake up call.
Whatever sleep system you practice, remember:The best time to fall asleep is from 22.00 to 23.00. An hour of sleep before midnight is equivalent to two hours after midnight. The body as a whole and the central nervous system rest and recover much more effectively at this time.
Don't overeat at night. Otherwise, your brain will direct the work of your intestines, instead of analyzing and systematizing the information received during the day.
The room should be cool and the bed warm. A motionless body without a warm blanket can freeze, and this is a reason for him to wake up at the wrong time.
Watching movies and TV shows, computer games overstimulate before bed nervous system and make it difficult to fall asleep. It is better to read a book or listen to calm music.
Do not take a shower at night, especially a contrast shower; it is better to leave it for the morning. You should also not do any activities before going to bed. physical exercise. Unless there are special yoga asanas for those who practice them.
I have a friend who once dreamed of sleeping only two hours a day and at the same time experiencing practically no fatigue. I dream that on certain days the day would have not twenty-four, but at least thirty-six hours.
Fellow workaholics and other creative types, I have good news for you! Of course, it’s impossible to stretch the day to thirty-six hours, but sleeping less and staying awake longer is very possible! Because in addition to the cycle “6-8 hours of sleep, 16-18 hours of wakefulness” that is familiar to most, there are four more that allow you to work miracles;)
So, in addition to the single-phase sleep cycle that is familiar to the majority of the population, there are other multiphase sleep cycle options that can help expand your working day without harming your health. Jordan Lejuwaan, creator of HighExistence, shares interesting information.
Superman Cycle
This cycle includes sleeping for 20-30 minutes every four hours. The result is that you sleep six times a day. The Uberman cycle is considered very effective - people feel healthier, feel more energetic and see very vivid dreams. But it has one significant drawback: if you miss at least one phase of sleep, you will feel sleep-deprived and tired.
Steve Pavlina practiced this cycle for 5.5 months, but after that he returned to normal sleep in order to live in unison with his family.
Ordinary cycle
This cycle includes one "main" long sleep(1-1.5 hours) and three or four to five short sleeps of twenty minutes each. The remaining time after the main sleep is divided so that short breaks occur at regular intervals.
This schedule is considered more flexible, easier to adapt to, and can be combined with a single-phase sleep cycle of three to four hours. Also, sometimes you can skip " short dreams» without harm to health.
Dymaxion Cycle
Bucky Fuller developed this sleep cycle based on his belief that humans have two reservoirs of energy. And if the first reservoir is very easy to replenish, then the second (second wind) is replenished much more reluctantly. He ended up sleeping for thirty minutes, 4 times a day, every six hours, for a total of only two hours of sleep! At the same time, he said that he had never felt more energetic. Doctors examined Bucky after two years of this cycle and declared him completely healthy.
On this moment This is the most extreme of the four alternatives, but also the most efficient sleep cycle.
Biphasic cycle or siesta
This sleep is practiced by many high school students and students and includes four to four and a half hours of sleep at night and about an hour and a half during the day. This cycle is not much different from a single-phase cycle, but is still slightly more efficient.
Switching to new multiphase cycles will not be so easy and from about the third to tenth day you will feel like a zombie. Just be patient, eat healthy, low-fat foods and everything will be fine. In about two weeks you will feel the promised results.
Such experiments can only be carried out if you know for sure that you have two or three completely free weeks and that your work and study can coexist with your new schedule. Just like your family.
Hello, dear blog readers! I don’t know about you, but I have always been interested in the topic of sleep. I’ve heard a lot of all sorts of theories and guesses about it: about slow-wave sleep, and about fast sleep, and about all its various phases. But I’ve never “tested” this myself. I heard, and that's all. But I just didn’t have enough brains to dig deeper 🙂 (although I already wrote an article about healthy sleep before, which means I did a little digging).
So today I decided to improve and fill this gap in knowledge. Well, as usual, I openly share all the interesting information that I find on the Internet with you.
Classification of stages
So, the first thing I came across was the most simplest classification, known to us since school. According to it, the stages of sleep are divided into:
- fast ;
- and slow.
Moreover, each stage has its own “substages”. So, fast sleep is divided into:
- emotional;
- unemotional.
A slow on the:
- nap;
- sleep spindles;
- delta sleep;
- deep delta sleep.
I don’t see the point in going deeper into each of these points - there is little interesting there (mainly the difference in brain wave activity and all that). Better take a look at this table of differences between the stages that I compiled for you:
Well, now let's determine what happens to us when we fall asleep and how all these stages alternate with each other. Now this is a little more interesting, isn’t it?
Sequence of stages
1) After we got into bed and started to fall asleep, it activates first stage of sleep(or the drowsiness stage).
It lasts about 5-10 minutes, no more. As a rule, in this short period of time our brain does not have time to “calm down” and is still quite active: it solves the latest tasks, problems - in general, it works by inertia :)
2) Then follows second stage of slow-wave sleep.
Here there is a decrease in muscle activity, slowing of breathing and heart rate. The eyes remain motionless. At this stage there are a number of short moments at which the person is most easily awakened. This stage of sleep lasts about 20 minutes.
3) The third and fourth stages of sleep are very similar to each other and last about 30-45 minutes (the difference is only in the number of delta oscillations - that’s why they are called “delta” and “deep delta” dreams).
4) After this the person returns again into the 2nd stage of slow-wave sleep(described above), and after it goes into the first part of the fast* (very short - only about five minutes).
*Please note that REM sleep occurs only after passing through all 4 (or rather five: 4 forward, and one back :)) phases of slow sleep.
This entire sequence of four points described above is called cycle. The time of the first such cycle is about 90-100 minutes.
What do we do for the remaining 5-6 hours?
It’s simple: the rest of the time these phases are repeated under one condition: the proportion of REM sleep increases by reducing the proportion of slow sleep (in the morning the REM sleep stage can last a whole hour- as it is written in Wikipedia). With proper healthy rest, about five such cycles are observed.
Wow, well, it seems like I explained everything clearly :) Now that we know what is going on and why, let’s try to answer the question: “ When is the best time to wake up? ».
So when is the best time to wake up?
So, I found several ways to determine the best time to rise.
1) Here is this resource. Based on algorithms known only to them, the calculator calculates the optimal time to wake up. All you need to do is enter the time you want to fall asleep and click “calculate”.
For example, if I fall asleep at 23:00 (as usually happens), it’s best for me to wake up at 6:00. Who knows, maybe this is true (since I woke up at 6:25 today and waking up was not the easiest - fortunately, a contrast shower helped out) :) Tomorrow I’ll try to get up at 6:00.
2) You can also use this table. I don’t know who its author is, but everything is presented very clearly and intelligibly - many thanks to him for that.
Green The phases of REM sleep are highlighted here, and the slow sleep phases are highlighted in red. And if you believe this scheme, then it is best to wake up at the very end of the first phase - moreover, REM sleep. This time is even marked with an alarm clock.
According to the time scale (x-axis), it is best to wake up seven hours after falling asleep. In principle, everything is the same: if you look at the screenshot above (point 1), then for me, falling asleep at 23:00, it is best to get up at 6:00 - the picture is the same here. That's it, tomorrow I get up exactly at 6:00! If I don’t forget, I’ll write to you about my successes :)
Did you know?
Well, we've sorted out the stages of sleep and determined the best time to wake up. What shall we do now? Oh, I have an idea! Let's find out how animals sleep!
Did you know, What:
- cats sleep 16 hours a day;
- giraffes, before falling asleep, kneel down and bend their heads around their legs;
- dolphins and cetaceans have the ability to sleep unilaterally (this is when one hemisphere of the brain sleeps and the other is awake). Among marine inhabitants, this is explained by the need to surface to gain air during sleep.
- Birds can sleep not only while standing, but even on the fly! (migrating birds have developed an interesting mechanism: every 15 minutes one individual flies into the very center of the flock and falls asleep, only slightly working its wings. It hovers in the air mainly due to the air flow of the flock. After a kind of rest, it returns, giving way to others) .
Agree that in our case everything is not so bad - when there is a soft bed, a blanket and a pillow under your head :)
Let's summarize
Well, I think I told you everything I wanted to talk about. I hope the article was not too confusing, although sleep phases are a rather complicated thing.
That's all. Good luck to you, dear readers, and all the best. Take care of your health, both physical and mental, and do not forget to visit my blog pages.
To be honest, I still don't understand the intention of the author of this video. Well, why, why wake up a sleeping tit, and in this way too? 🙂
The phases of human sleep are divided into two types - slow and fast. Their duration is uneven. After falling asleep slow phase has a long duration. Before waking up, REM sleep becomes longer.
In this case, the phases alternate, forming wave-like cycles. They last just over an hour and a half. Calculating the phases by the hour will not only make it easy to wake up in the morning and improve the quality of your night's rest, but will also help normalize the functioning of the entire body.
About sleep phases
Sleep is a state in which all organs, especially the brain, work in an unusual mode. At the same time, a person’s consciousness turns off and the restoration of all cells of the body begins. Thanks to a good, full night's rest, toxins are removed from the body, memory is strengthened and the psyche is unloaded.
In order to feel good during the day, your sleep rate should be about eight hours a day. However, this amount may vary depending on the individual characteristics of the human body.
For some, six hours is enough, for others, nine hours is not enough to fully relax and get enough sleep. This difference depends on the lifestyle and age of the person. Night rest is heterogeneous and is divided into two phases - fast and deep sleep.
Slow phase
NREM sleep is also called deep (orthodox) sleep. Immersion in it begins at the beginning of the night's rest. This phase is divided into several stages:
- Nap. Usually lasts from five to ten minutes. During this period, the brain is still working, so you can dream. Often there are dreams that are confused with reality, and a person may even find answers to problems that were unresolved during the day.
- Falling asleep or sleep spindles. Takes approximately twenty minutes. At this stage, consciousness gradually turns off, but the brain reacts quite sensitively to all stimuli. At such a moment, any noise can wake you up.
- Deep dream. This is the time when the body of a healthy person almost ceases to function, and the body relaxes. However, weak impulses still pass through the brain, and sleep spindles are still preserved.
Then comes delta sleep - this is the deepest period. The body relaxes completely and the brain does not react to stimuli. Respiration rate and blood circulation decrease. But the closer to morning, the more the duration of the delta sleep phase decreases.
Interesting ! When falling asleep and waking up, a condition such as sleep paralysis. This condition is characterized by full understanding of what is happening, but the inability to move or say anything. Some people try on purpose.
Fast phase (REM phase)
REM sleep after falling asleep lasts about five minutes. However, with each new cycle, the duration of deep sleep becomes shorter, and the duration of fast sleep increases in time. This phase is already about an hour in the morning. It is during this time period that a person is “easy” to get out of bed.
Fast phase divided into emotional and non-emotional periods. In the first period of time, dreams become pronounced and dynamic.
Phase sequence
The sequence of sleep stages is the same for most adults. This statement is valid for healthy people. REM sleep passes quickly after falling asleep. This phase follows four stages deep sleep. Then follows one turn, which is designated as 4+1. At this time, the brain works intensively, the eyes dart around, and the body is “tuned” to wake up. The phases alternate; there can be up to six of them during the night.
However, age or problems associated with sleep disturbances may change the picture. For example, in young children, more than 50% is the REM phase. Only at the age of 5 years the sequence and duration of the stages become the same as in adults.
In old age, the REM sleep phase is reduced, and delta sleep may disappear altogether. This is how age-related insomnia manifests itself. Some people have head injuries or don't sleep at all. Often they are just dozing. Some people wake up many times during the night, and in the morning they think that they haven’t slept at all. The reasons for this manifestation may be different.
In people with narcolepsy or sleep apnea, nighttime rest is atypical. They get it right away fast stage, they fall asleep in any position and place. Apnea is a sudden stop in breathing during sleep, which is restored after a short period of time.
At the same time, due to a decrease in the amount of oxygen, hormones are released into the blood, which causes the sleeping person to wake up. These attacks can be repeated many times, rest becomes short. Because of this, a person also does not get enough sleep; he is haunted by a sleepy state.
The value of a night's rest by the hour
A person can get enough sleep in one hour or throughout the night. The value of rest depends on the time you go to bed. The following table indicates sleep efficiency:
| Time | Value |
| From 19:00 to 20:00 | 7 o'clock |
| From 20:00 to 21:00 | 6 hours |
| From 21:00 to 22:00 | 5 o'clock |
| From 22:00 to 23:00 | 4 hours |
| From 23:00 to 00:00 | 3 hours |
| From 00:00 to 01:00 | 2 hours |
| From 01:00 to 02:00 | 1 hour |
| From 02:00 to 03:00 | 30 minutes |
| From 03:00 to 04:00 | 15 minutes |
| From 04:00 to 05:00 | 7 minutes |
| From 05:00 to 06:00 | 1 minute |
Previously, people went to bed and got up only according to the sun. At the same time, we got a full night's sleep. IN modern world Few people get ready for bed before midnight, which is why fatigue, neuroses and hypertension appear. Lack of sleep is a frequent companion in our lives.
Required duration of rest by age
To rest, a person needs different time, and it depends on age. This data is summarized in the table:
Elderly people often experience certain ailments. Because of them and physical inactivity, they often sleep only five hours. At the same time, in the womb of the mother, the unborn child remains in a state of rest for 17 hours.
How to determine the optimal time to wake up and why calculate sleep phases
Exist special devices, which record brain activity. However, in their absence, you can calculate the phase times yourself. NREM sleep takes much longer than REM sleep. If you know how long all the stages are, you can calculate at what stage the brain will work in the morning when a person wakes up.
It is very important to get up during the REM stage of sleep, when we are light sleepers. Then the day will pass joyfully and cheerfully. This explanation is the answer to the question in which phase of sleep a person should wake up.
You can determine this stage yourself only by experiment. You need to approximately calculate the time of REM sleep. Wake up at this time and understand whether it was easy to open your eyes and get up. If yes, then in the future try to wake up at this time. This way you can determine how long a particular person should rest at night.
Important! When conducting the experiment, you should not forget about the time of going to bed. It is of no small importance.
There is a special calculator that determines the online phases of a person’s sleep by time. It is capable of calculating all stages using algorithms. This calculator is quite easy to use. You just need to indicate the hour when the person goes to bed. The program will perform a calculation and show the result at what time people will wake up well rested, that is, how many hours are needed for rest.
Rules for a healthy night's rest
There are several effective rules that will ensure a strong healthy holiday at night and will allow you to achieve high performance and wellness. They are also the answer to a frequently asked question about how to improve sleep quality:
- It is advisable to stick to a routine, always fall asleep and get up at the same time.
- Sleep should always take place between 00:00 and 05:00. It is during this period that the most melatonin, the sleep hormone, is produced.
- You cannot have dinner later than three hours before your night's rest. If you want to eat during the specified interval, it is better to drink a little milk.
- Evening walk on fresh air It will not only help you fall asleep faster, but also make your rest complete.
- Before going to bed, you can take a bath with herbs (chamomile, lemon balm or motherwort). It will help you calm down and fall asleep faster.
- It is necessary to ventilate the room before going to bed.
- The recommended sleeping position is on your back or right side; it is not advisable to sleep on your stomach.
By following these recommendations, your sleep quality improves. You also need to do exercises every morning. Run - the best remedy for a cheerful day. However, there is no need to engage in charging “through I can’t.” This leads to overvoltage. It is better then to go in for sports in the afternoon or evening.
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