Heal & Reenergize Your Brain With Optimized Sleep Cycles

Sometimes 8 hours sleep can result in grogginess while 6 hours can result in waking up fresh as a daisy, so what gives? Dr. Tracey Marks explains, in this short video.

Getting more than Zs in

Sleep involves 90-minute cycles, usually in 4 stages:

1. Stage 1: (drowsy state): brief muscle jerks; lasts a few minutes.
2. Stage 2: (light sleep): sleep spindles for memory consolidation; 50% of total sleep.
3. Stage 3 (deep sleep): tissue repair, immune support, brain toxin removal via the glymphatic system.
4. Stage 4 (REM sleep): emotional processing, creativity, problem-solving, and dreaming.

Some things can disrupt some or all of those. To give a few common examples:

• Alcohol: impairs REM sleep.
• Caffeine: hinders deep sleep even if consumed hours before bed.
• Screentime: delays sleep onset due to blue light (but not by much); the greater problem is that it can also disrupt REM sleep due to mental stimulation.

To optimize things, Dr. Marks recommends:

• 90-minute rule: plan sleep to align with full cycles (e.g: 22:30 to 06:00 = 7½ hours, which is 5x 90-minute cycles).
• Smart alarms: use sleep-tracking apps with built-in alarm, to wake you up during light sleep phases.
• Strategic naps: keep naps to 20 minutes or a full 90-minute cycle.
• Pink noise: improves deep sleep.
• Meal timing: avoid eating within 3 hours of bedtime.
• Natural light: get morning light exposure in the morning to strengthen circadian rhythm.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like to read:

Calculate (And Enjoy) The Perfect Night’s Sleep

Take care!