Click this Link for more: How to Know How Much Sleep You Need
Keep in mind that a typical sleep cycle is around 90 minutes, so sleeping in multiples of 90 minutes (and as a result, waking up at the end of a sleep cycle) can help you get the most out of sleep sessions. Waking in the middle of a sleep cycle leads to drowsiness and confusion, whereas waking at the end of one will often have you feeling more refreshed and alert.
This is something I've talked about with my clients for years. I've not done nearly as much study in this area as I'd like to. I've read a few books, and watched a few programs on the Discovery Channel and PBS. However, this one I trust: The 90-minute rule.
Ever since reading Power Sleep, I have tested and re-tested these principles. It's amazing, if I sleep 6, 7.5 or 9 hours at a time, I wake up feeling fresh. If I sleep 5.5, 8 or 10 hours, I wake up and feel a "bit off."
Now, how much of THAT is mental, I am not sure...but, I have enough empirical data to stay with what works for me. If you're looking for some resources, some of what I've used is over here.
And, if you're looking for some things to do, here are 20 strategies to try over the next month or so...of course, don't discount anything until you've tried it! That one "silly" idea may just be the one that gives you the rest you really need!
Here is one of the "Golden Rules" for your review:
Calculate Your Personal Sleep Quotient
1. Start by selecting a bedtime when you are likely to be able to fall asleep easily. Settle on a time at least eight hours before you need to get up. Maintain that bedtime for the next week and keep track of the time you arise. You might wake up too early for a few days if you've been conditioned to a short sleep schedule, but if you're sleep-deprived, that maladaptive conditioning will soon give way to longer sleep.
2. If you haven't been sleeping enough, don't change your rising time. Instead, go to bed thirty minutes earlier than usual for the next week. Add fifteen to thirty more minutes each week until you wake without an alarm clock and feel alert all day.
3. When you establish your correct bedtime, you might try to cut fifteen minutes and see if that procedures feelings of drowsiness the next day. Then you'll know for sure if you've identified your individual sleep requirement.
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