Understand your sleep cycle and get a better night’s rest
Not to mention more energy, clarity and glowing skin
Text: Sam Y
Credit: @dannyg
Sleep deprivation and insomnia are common struggles faced by Singaporeans on the daily, leaving us worn out, frustrated and moody. If you struggle with sleep, you probably know that getting a good night’s rest is not always that simple, and counting sheep doesn’t always send you into a slumber. Human beings sleep in cycles comprised of four different stages, and it’s understanding these cycles that will lead to a better night in bed and improve your quality of sleep. Not only that, but it will lead to more energy, less snacking, and encourage skin repair and the removal of toxins for glowy skin (bye-bye dark circles!).
What are the four stages of your sleep cycle?
According to Singapore Health Services, the sleep cycle is made up of four stages that comprise two types of sleep — non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid-eye movement (REM). The first three stages of NREM are usually quiet, dreamless and generally quite lovely.
- Sleep Stage 1: If you’ve ever told somebody, “I wasn’t asleep, I was just closing my eyes,” you were probably in the first stage of sleep. Here, you’re aware of everything that’s happening around you, such as a pin dropping, your sister moving in the next room, or the aroma of dinner cooking in the kitchen. This stage usually lasts 5-10 minutes.
- Sleep Stage 2: At this stage, you’re in a form of light sleep. The sounds around you aren’t as loud as before: you may not even notice them anymore. Your body relaxes, and your heart rate slows. You may be asleep, but it’s likely you’ll still be easily woken up if someone were to call your name or shake you. This stage lasts about 20 minutes.
- Sleep Stage 3: By now, you’ve fallen into a deep sleep. You haven’t started dreaming yet, and you’re probably immobile and oblivious to your surroundings. It’s at this stage where your body recovers — the immune system, muscles and tissues repair and strengthen themselves. If anyone tried to wake you, you’d feel probably feel extremely groggy and confused (and grumpy!).
- Sleep Stage 4: Now comes REM sleep. This is an active type of sleep in which your heart rate, brain waves and breathing increase, and you begin to dream. It’s also known as the healing stage where hormones, cellular energy and repair take place within the body. A link between REM sleep and creative ability has also been suggested in an article with TIME magazine featuring psychologist David Watson who shared that individuals with higher creativity remembered their dreams more.
It takes 90 minutes to get through one sleep cycle, and as the fourth sleep stage is when your body repairs and renews itself, it’s recommended you try to get through at least 5–6 full cycles a night in order for your body to reap the benefits. Waking up a little too early can result in not enough energy for your body to recover quickly, and waking up in the middle of REM sleep can leave you discombobulated.
Credit: Benjamin Voros
How are sleep cycles regulated?
Imagine a clock running inside your head. You can’t see it, but your body feels it. It knows to wake in the day, to get hungry at noon and to start feeling sleepy at night. This biological clock is your circadian rhythm and it’s what influences our sleep cycles. Like the consistent motion of gears that turn the hands of a watch, your circadian rhythm keeps your body functioning and your sleeping habits in sync.
If your circadian rhythm is thrown off, you start to feel exhaustion creeping in. You may start eating too little or too much at irregular hours to boost our energy, your health and metabolism rate will decline, and you might feel tetchy without understanding why.
How to maintain a healthy sleep cycle
The big question is how do we go about maintaining a healthy sleep cycle and keeping our circadian rhythm in check? Here are a few things you can do according to experts at the University of California San Francisco:
- Maintain a regular bedtime schedule to sleep and wake up to every day
- Eliminate light in your bedroom as much as possible and ensure your bed and room temperature is comfortable
- Use your bed for sleeping or relaxing only
- Establish a regular pattern of relaxing behaviours 10 minutes to an hour before bedtime
- Don't lie awake in bed for long periods if you’re not ready to sleep
- Don't drink caffeine in the evening
- Don't eat heavy meals or drink large amounts of liquid before bedtime
- Don't rely on sleeping pills to get to sleep. Long-term use can render them ineffective
