How to sleep less and live longer
A Life / / December 19, 2019
I need to sleep at least eight hours - we learned this axiom heart. They are talking about it from all sides and are advised to stick to that magic number. But me personally, such recommendations have always seemed a bit strange. I owl, I love strong coffee, it is best to go to sleep late at night and wake up cheerful not seven, and ten in the morning. I sincerely tried to adhere to a strict schedule, sleep eight hours and wake up early. But as a result felt a sleepwalker and unbearable suffering.
It became clear that the rule of eight hours of work is not for everyone. Quite seven hours to sleep and feel perfectly.
The vast majority of studies and articles insist on eight hours of sleep. But, perhaps, this figure - the impact of the development of civilization, not biology. For example, if you study the details of the dream of those who lived in the pre-industrial era, it appears that the average duration of sleep is 5,7-7,1 hours.
Researchers are still trying to figure out how much time we need to spend a dream. But it is clear that enough sleep is better than sleep for long periods.
Less is better
Professor Franco Cappuccio (Franco Cappuccio) analyzed 16 studies about sleep, which was attended by over 1 million people. As a result, he found that those who slept for a long time to die earlier than ever enough sleep.
However, to rely on this conclusion is entirely impossible. After all, to trace the impact of sleep a person is difficult. Statement given to know the diseases and problems that are hidden from the eyes of doctors. For example, prolonged sleep associated with depressionAnd short - stress. But when Professor Sean Yangstedt (Shawn Youngstedt), realizing the shortcomings of experiments with large groups conducted their own study involving 14 volunteers, he got the same results as Cappuccio.
Apparently, the long-term sleep has the same effect on a person, and that inactive lifestyle.
Of course, someone will live happily ever after in spite of the fact that spends 12 hours a day at your desk. And someone needs to train a lot and often, and do manual labor. To each his own.
If you are between 18 and 64 years, most of all, you need to sleep about 6-11 hours. But even these recommendations are made on the basis of scientific studies should be secondary to you. Margaret Thatcher (Margaret Thatcher) ruled the country, emptying in four hoursAnd some young people do not remember their names, if you do not go to sleep 10:00 without interruption.
How much do I need to sleep?
sleep cycle consists of five stages: the four stages of non-REM sleep phases and REM sleep. We quickly pass through the first stage, long dwell in the second, while the binaural beats slow down in turn the third and fourth stages of slow waves, and finally reach the fifth step - phase REM sleep.
It is believed that this cycle is repeated every 90 minutes. But, apparently, its duration may vary from 70 to 120 minutes. Similarly, as with the required amount of daily sleep duration of this cycle is unique and each has its own.
But we do know that we need 4-5 of these cycles to get enough sleep. Due to the fact that their duration varies, it is difficult to predict exactly when you will say, between the fourth and fifth cycles, and when it's the perfect time to awaken.
But even that's not all: during the night cycle times change. It increases to the middle of the night and falls in the morning.
So what do you do with this knowledge?
- Do not believe statements like, "You need to sleep for N hours a day." Unless it is recommended by a specialist, who has just made you an electroencephalogram.
- Get a minimum equipment, which allow you to track your sleep cycles and wake up in the morning is the perfect time.
Technology - the only sure way to track, manage, and understand your sleep cycles. But before you learn how to do this, you need to understand the fact why it is generally necessary.
Listen to the internal rhythm
Modern technology - one of the main reasons why we cease to feel their own internal clock. Gadgets, Electronics, street lighting and all other items, exuding light violate our circadian rhythms and synchronize with the sunset and sunrise.
Circadian rhythms are controlled by a group of cells, which stimulate the body's response to light signals. They send the message the brain and cause the body to wake up, to raise the temperature, to produce the necessary hormones (eg cortisol) and reduce production of unnecessary (eg, melatonin).
The problem is that we react and artificial lighting. When you look at the night bright screen smartphone, your body receives a signal: Rise and shine!
The blame for this, of course, not just technology. Other factors, such as noise, hormones, sports exercise, stimulants, also give a similar effect, and knock circadian rhythms.
But there is good news. More than 6 million years, our ancestors learned get up at dawn and sleep at sunset. So, to restore the circadian rhythm disorders, we need quite a bit of effort. You just need to avoid irritants. Electric lighting, for example, or the light from the monitor.
Do it. Do not do sports exercises before going to bed, stop drinking coffee at night. Buy good earplugs and a mask over his eyes. Turn, finally, her bedroom into a place for relaxation, namely - for deep, restful sleep.
Monitor your sleep
Find the gadget to monitor sleep easy. The market is filled with similar devices on virtually any budget.
And you can not buy a new device, and establish a good app to keep track of sleep. We liked the program Sleep Cycle. It uses the accelerometer and microphone smartphone to monitor your sleep, to monitor the movement and breathing.
Price: Free
Price: Free
Of course, you can try other applications, or gadgets. The main thing you need to do - to understand how you sleep and how long lasting sleep cycles.
Abstract advice in the spirit of "more sleep" and "sleep" have no basis. After all, no one knows exactly how much you will need time to recover. Once you know how your body works.