I NEED TO SLEEP NOW SERIES

WeвЂ™re also working on a sleep calculator age for kids and teenagers since the algorithm is a bit different due to their varying sleep needs. Given these stats, our sleep calculator is best for adults who need up to nine hours of ZzzвЂ™s. ( 5) HereвЂ™s a rough range of how much sleep we need depending on what stage of life weвЂ™re in, so you can use the sleep calculator based on age: (6) When to Wake Up: How Our Sleep Needs ChangeДЄs we journey through our own cycle of life, our bodies change, and we need different amounts of slumber. The difference between six hours and six hours 30 minutes can be huge you donвЂ™t want to wake up in the middle of a cycle.

Rather, the key factor is the number of sleep cycles we complete. ( 4) This is why the length of sleep is not what causes us to feel refreshed when we wake up. ( 3) Many scientists recommend going through 4-6 of these waves, which would provide six to nine hours of shut-eye (remember, each cycle is roughly 90-minutes long). Instead, we move from being awake, to stage one, two, three, four, and then three, two, one, before going into REM sleep! This cycle, which we like to think of as more of a вЂњwave,вЂќ repeats over the course of the night. Which brings us to how we actually move through the sleep cycle! ItвЂ™s important to note that each cycle isnвЂ™t, well, cyclical. ItвЂ™s important to remember that we donвЂ™t go from being awake to being in REM sleep rather, we must pass through all the stages of NREM first.

Even though this stage is the most similar to being awake, itвЂ™s the furthest point from wakefulness in terms of the sleep cycle.

Blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing all begin to increase This is when, as the name suggests, our eyes dart up and down and all around, and is most likely when dreaming occurs. REM sleep: At the end of our cycle, we actually enter a light stage of sleep. Your blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing are all very low.

Stage 4 is вЂњdeep sleep,вЂќ a stage that doesnвЂ™t want to be disrupted.

Stage 3 is вЂњslow wave sleep.вЂќ Here, blood pressure drops, heart rate further slows, and our breathing becomes slower and more rhythmic.

Stage 2 is the вЂњlight phase,вЂќ which is when our heart rate slows down and our core body temperature decreases.Stage 1 is considered the вЂњtransitional phase,вЂќ when weвЂ™re drifting in and out of consciousness.( 2) HereвЂ™s a little bit more about each stage: By stage 4, it will be really hard to wake someone up. Across them, the body moves from really light sleep (Stage 1) to a super deep sleep (Stage 4). These four stages are building up intensity towards our REM sleep. However, the name does hint at the importance of NREM.

NREM sleep: This is more than just our eyes staying still. LetвЂ™s look a little bit more closely at each one. The first four stages comprise our non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, while the fifth stage is when we move into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. There are five cycles in total, each lasting around 90 minutes.

I NEED TO SLEEP NOW SERIES

Instead, our bodies go through a series of waves, called sleep cycles. It turns out we donвЂ™t just fall asleep and wake up eight hours later, with no critical happenings charging through our system (how we wish it were that simple). LetвЂ™s take a step back to explain what a sleep cycle actually is, along with what happens when our heads hit the hay at night. The calculator does it all - showing you a variety of times to fall asleep and wake up in order to achieve a certain amount of sleep cycles. Based on your specific snooze sitch, you might want to know the best time to sleep and wake up.

I need to sleep now