What you need to know about my dream to sleep

It so happened that 2016 was for me a dream year. Or rather, lack thereof - and, as a consequence, in-depth study of this topic. In fact, I do not sleep less than the average office worker in the city. I'm just not ready to put up with it.

My dream

I have a point of reference - the periods of my life when I was working from home and could sleep at any time convenient to me. I remember how clean my mind was how much better I could make decisions. Now I feel only 50-60% of that state.

Also, I used to listen to your body. If he says that sleep a little - so little sleep. If he says that it is necessary to go to bed at 4 am instead of 10 pm, then we have to go to bed at 4am. How much I suffer, trying to force myself to go to sleep at midnight - just as much I am happy when I can be productive all night and a good sleep in the morning.

I've experimented with sleep, trying to teach myself to sleep "right", that is, go to bed early and get up early. But all the experiments ended the same way: I knew that I did not fit.

One day I wanted to go to yoga, which began very early in the morning, and I trained for a month to get up at 6 in the morning. Yoga has gone well, but from the earlier ascents I refused the next day, because they brought me only suffering - and no benefit. Around the same way I feel when my jet lag shifts the sleep schedule to an earlier time. Matter how much I slept, sleep does not work.

Be an owl - normally

It is believed that to get up early - it's cool. Getting up early is advised all the books to increase efficiency and every second "rule of life".

It is believed that all the great people get up early. In fact, it is certainly not the case. Among the many celebrities owls (Bob Dylan, Charles Bukowski, Franz Kafka), a direct connection between the success and rise time there.

In 2016, Brian Resnick of Vox published an article under the consoling title "Science says that if you're not an early bird, it never did become." It states that the "standard" sleep schedule from 11 pm to 7 am is the natural only 40% of people.

Many people know that we all have an internal clock, which helps to maintain a constant sleep cycle. Much less suggest that these clocks are different.

There are owls - those whose sleep schedule is shifted forward, and there are larks - those whose schedule is shifted back. The shift may be small, but can be extremely large - for example, 0.2% of people prefer to go to bed at about 4 am. Very often such a shift occurs in teenagers, but with age it can be gradually reduced.

The good news is that this shift is determined by our genes, and argue with them is dangerous: can be harmful to health. Therefore it is better to stop fighting with each other and try to determine what time of sleep suits you the most. The most common advice that I met - shifted sleep schedule for 30-60 minutes and watch the reaction of the organism. Sometimes an extra half hour can greatly improve the situation.

sleep duration

The optimal duration of sleep, too, everyone has their own. The average healthy person needs about 7 hours and 40 minutes of sleep - 7.63 hours for women and 7.76 for men (If Our Bodies Could Talk, James Hamblin).

There are people who are missing and 4:00, but they are few. Do not try this at home: about sleep deprivation start talking with sleep duration of less than 7, or 6.5 hours. And some for recreation need all 10 hours.

Just sleep as much as you want.

Sometimes long sleep could be a symptom of some kind of problem in the body. But if you're whole life sleeping more than eight hours on a regular basis or just sleep off the weekend, after the working week, then nothing to worry about.

More precisely, some sleep - not a good idea, it is best to sleep every day the same number of hours in one and the same time. But if there was a shortage of sleep, the longer sleep the next night - it is a natural reaction of the body tired.

jet lag

After a flight from one time zone to another human circadian rhythms no longer coincide with the daily rhythm. Sleep still want at the "old" time, regardless of the time of day in the current geographic location.

The greater the difference in time, the more difficult it is strongest shifted sleep schedule and longer to return to normal.

Thus it is better to fly from east to west, rather than vice versa. It is believed that in the first case every half hour time difference will need one day of recovery; in the second - on every hour. For example, if the time difference is 3 hours, during the flight to the west will need 2 days, and during the flight to the east - 3.

I live in London, I sleep comfortably from 2 to 10. The most difficult I've experienced jet lag after the flight on BaliWhere the difference to London - 8 hours. The first days I went to bed at his usual schedule, only Balinese time it was not very convenient: from 10 am to 6 pm. I felt myself at the same time fine, but I get very strange day: breakfast, sleep, dinner, night reading over breakfast.

Straightening better schedule the most calm way. Just do not sleep one day as possible, but it is unpleasant. Better sleep, but a little smaller than usual, and then go early.

Jet lag after the return flight was also fun. I became very much sleep and wake up very early. The 9-10 is already laid down in the wake of 5-7. Given that I am a night owl, I was very sorry for my nights, and get enough sleep, I did not feel. To return to normal needed a whole week.

Jet lag affects not only sleep, but also on appetite and mood.

I usually feel good my body, but after a long flight is suddenly no longer feel hungry. However, overeating and too. I can not easily have a whole day, and I eat a lot at one time, and I will feel the same way. The best thing you can do in this situation - to monitor the regularity of meals, until the body is not ready to do it himself.

sleep deprivation

Lack of sleep or sleep deprivation - a lack of, or lack of sleep; leads to a deterioration of the brain, bad mood, increases the risk of some diseases. It was used to torture, but most people will take their own recreation. Too much to do, too little time, too much influence of the external world on our sleep schedule.

Owls especially hard: training and working hours are usually targeted at Lark, and the rest falls under them adapt. The standard schedule (5 days, 2 days off) people a little sleep during the week, and then sleep off the weekend. The whole situation a little easier coffee, although there are lucky like me, whose body does not react to it.

Because lack of sleep, many went into the habit, it is fairly easy to ignore - in the sense that the constant fatigue is becoming the norm.

Me is both terrifying and delights. On the one hand, just think how crazy the number of people suffering from lack of sleep right now (in developed countries - about a third of the population, while among women the figure above). On the other - imagine how much humanity can do if starts just to get enough sleep. But to solve the problem you need to understand it first.

Lack of sleep can manifest itself in different ways. Constant irritability, insatiable hunger, rumpled appearance, constant illness, inattention, and the ability to fall asleep at any convenient and inconvenient time. And yet, oddly enough, you turn into an owl and feel a surge of strength closer to the night. Thus, the body tries to get you back to normal sleep, but it usually ends with the fact that you go back late and not enough sleep.

To break the vicious circle, you need a little cheat: tired at the right time. Try not to relax in the evening, do not read the Facebook and books, and to do different things to the night fatigued and it was easy to fall asleep. The easiest way to do it away from home, then to simply come and go to bed.

Owls are at risk of some diseases (obesity, depression, heart diseases). But I have not seen studies that say that the recent ups themselves negatively affect health.

The main problem here is that most of the owls constantly have enough sleep. Similar problems can occur and the larks, if they need to work late. Therefore, if your natural sleep schedule was incompatible with working, I see only one way out: to change the schedule. For example, this year I will try to come to work an hour later. In this case, I will monitor the reaction of the body, if that is not enough, try to move your working day even more.

How to sleep?

There are many ways to help your body to fall asleep. 1-2 hours before going to bed turn off the TV, close the laptop and put the phone: light blue screens suppresses the production of melatonin. the type of program f.lux and Night Shift mode on the iPhone can help a bit, but are also better not to abuse it, otherwise you can randomly until the morning to read the tape Facebook.

Ideal conditions for sleep - cool (but not cold) room, the silence and the absence of light.

Approximately the same 1-2 hours to finish the work, exercise and other activity: the brain needs to relax and prepare for sleep. You can meditate or read a book. I was particularly well euthanized audiobooks in English.

If you can not cut off all the lights and noise, you can use a mask and ear plugs to sleep. Sleep better in the same time, even on weekends. Before going to bed should not drink coffee and alcohol: the first will prevent sleep, and the second will worsen the quality of sleep. If you can not sleep more than 20 minutes, it is better to get up and do some business while not tired enough to sleep try again.

To make it easier to wake up, you can try to use a smart alarm clock. Some of them are able to wake up the person with the help of light, simulating the dawn sun. Other wake us when it is easiest - in REM sleep. And over time, you can even learn to do without an alarm clock.

When you sleep enough hours, your body wakes you up myself. I even know a few people who manage it regularly, and most I sometimes also luck.

The most important thing - it is to sleep when you want. And as much as you want. After all, only you know what's good for your body.