A good night's sleep is the key to health and mental balance. This truth has long been proven and is not disputed by anyone. But a sudden awakening at the wrong moment can practically nullify the result of a good rest. Who is not familiar with the situation when, waking up in the morning, even after ten hours of sleep, you experience a feeling of fatigue and a complete lack of energy? And all because our sleep is subject to strict patterns, which must be taken into account to determine when it is better to wake up in order to immediately feel alert.
Sleep phases
People have been interested in the unusual state of sleep for a long time.
But scientists were able to fully explore this phenomenon only in the last century, when instruments appeared that made it possible to record electrical impulses created by the human brain. Electrodes were connected to the subjects' heads and they observed how the brain behaved during and after falling asleep. Many interesting discoveries have been made, but the most important is still considered to be the identification of sleep phases, which cyclically change several times throughout the night.
Falling asleep
During this period, a person’s reaction to external stimuli slows down, blood pressure drops, heart rate decreases, breathing becomes smooth and deep, and brain activity slows down.
Typically, the period of falling asleep lasts from 20 to 40 minutes. If sleep does not come within an hour, then we can talk about sleep disorders.
But with severe fatigue or mental overload, a person can switch off instantly. Because of this, accidents often occur on the roads or during night shifts in production.
slow sleep
After falling asleep, brain activity continues to decrease, and the slow-wave sleep phase begins, which has two degrees of immersion.
- During the superficial phase, periodically appearing bursts – “sleep spindles” – are clearly visible on the encephalogram. At such moments, a person reacts sensitively to sharp sounds, his own name, and the mother - to the cry of a child.
- This does not happen during the deep sleep stage. The person completely switches off, and even if there is a dream (often these are nightmares), after waking up he does not remember anything.
REM sleep
The slow-wave sleep phase is replaced by fast sleep. It is also called paradoxical, since brain activity is very similar to the waking state. But at the same time, under closed eyelids, a person quickly and chaotically moves his eyeballs and sees a dream, which he can tell in detail immediately after waking up. Gradually, memories of dreams are erased and by lunchtime even their plots are already difficult to remember.
In this phase, we sleep very lightly, and the brain easily reacts to external stimuli. It is this that doctors and psychologists recommend using for easy awakening.
General cycle
The duration of the slow phase of sleep is usually 15-20 minutes of the superficial stage and 35-45 minutes of the deep stage. Then come 15-20 minutes of REM sleep.
In total, this works out to be about an hour and a half, which forms a standard sleep cycle. In order to get enough sleep, you need 5 or 6, but for some people four cycles or six hours of sleep are enough.
There may not be an ideal time for falling asleep and waking up for everyone. And to restore strength, we need a different number of sleep cycles. But how then can you calculate the stages of your sleep at home, without any equipment, and catch the best time to wake up? It's not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.
Seize the moment
Now many give recommendations on how to properly fall asleep and wake up. They help some, but others complain that things only got worse after using tips and tricks from the Internet from the newly minted sleep gurus.
The thing is that each organism is individual and several important points have to be taken into account at once.
Natural chronotype
After multiple observations, scientists discovered an interesting pattern. Some people wake up more easily in the early morning, and the peak of their mental and physical activity falls in the first half of the day. Others feel sluggish and lethargic for a couple of hours after waking up, but in the afternoon and evening they are full of strength and energy.
So we were divided into “larks” and “night owls”. A little later, another group appeared - “pigeons”, whose representatives do not have pronounced peaks of activity.
You can determine which chronotype you belong to using tests developed by psychologists. Most of them are now easy to find on the Internet and go online:
- Horn-Ostberg test;
- Hildebrant test;
- Breus classification;
- temperature test.
It is important to remember that the results of these tests are also very relative. Some may be a pronounced night owl, while others may be more inclined to this chronotype.
But in general, based on the test results, you can get a general idea of what time it is better to wake up in the morning and when it’s time to go on vacation.
Acquired habits
It is believed that a person’s chronotype is determined genetically. But numerous experiments have shown that with conscious effort, it can be changed. The only question is whether this should be done.
Going against your own nature is not a good idea. Therefore, ideally, it is better to adapt your schedule to your natural circadian rhythms.
Undoubtedly, if a lark is forced to work night shifts, then after a certain time the body will have to readjust to fit into a difficult schedule for it. But the adaptation period will be long, it may be accompanied by depression and sleep disturbances. Often people can’t stand it and simply change jobs to something more convenient for them.
What do we know about sleep
We all love to sleep.
After all, a good sleep gives us the rest we need after a hard day and gives us strength for new achievements. Sleep strengthens the immune system. There is even a theory that states that during sleep, the central nervous system analyzes and regulates the functioning of internal organs. Dreams also allow you to look into the subconscious and find a difficult solution. In a dream, we analyze information, organize it into sections and remember it. It’s not for nothing that the saying “The morning is wiser than the evening” lives on; it’s not without reason that they say that you need to “sleep with your thoughts” before making a decisive choice. Let us not forget that for centuries people have studied the interpretation of dreams, being confident that dreams show us more accurately the present and predict the future. The topic of sleep is very interesting and extensive. But even without scientific calculations, we understand that it is very important to get a good night's sleep.
According to tradition, it is believed that sleep should be 8 hours. But is this really so? In order to correctly answer this question, we need to understand how we sleep, what phases of sleep there are, and then we will understand how to calculate the time of sleep and in which phase of sleep it is better to wake up.
When is it time to get up
Since the division into pigeons, owls and larks is the most popular, we will focus on this classification in further recommendations.
Here's what experts tell them about the best times to sleep and wake up.
Larks
It is easiest for them to wake up around 6 o'clock in the morning, in winter - closer to seven o'clock. Their condition is closely related to the sunrise, so in winter they sleep a little longer, but they can also go to bed earlier.
It is better to plan important things before lunch or for 16-18 hours - during periods of maximum performance. It’s great if during the day from 1 to 3 p.m. you can take a nap for half an hour. This will restore your strength and help you end the day effectively.
The ideal bedtime is 21-22 hours. By 23, they already feel like a squeezed lemon and may have problems falling asleep due to overwork.
Owls
They are considered sleepyheads, since they regard the need to get up before 9 am almost as a personal tragedy. Owls fully come to their senses and can work successfully by about 11 o’clock. It is among them that most people love morning coffee - it helps shake off lethargy and at least somehow cheer up after waking up.
It is better to postpone important matters until 13-14 hours or move them to the evening. Owls' last peak activity is around 11 p.m., so they don't want to sleep past midnight.
But after 24 hours, melatonin production decreases and then it will be more difficult to fall asleep. This means that even night owls must go to bed at midnight.
Pigeons
Quite versatile. They wake up easily between 7 and 9 am and are moderately active throughout the day. Therefore, they can make up their schedule completely arbitrarily.
Their bedtime is also flexible, but it is advisable to go to bed no later than 23:00. For proper rest, it is very important for them to sleep the standard eight hours, otherwise they will experience a lack of energy.
The famous psychologist Breus made a more detailed classification. He divided people not into three, but into four chronotypes: dolphins, lions, bears and wolves. Each of them has pronounced psychological characteristics. But even this was not enough. To wake up quickly, it is also necessary to take into account the stages of sleep.
July 13, 2015
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Petr Zozulya Entrepreneur, motivational speaker and business coach. My main business is the development of an online club of entrepreneurs who live from the heart. I organize and conduct developmental trips with like-minded people around the world. The desire to strengthen male friendship with my son in my family and in the families of clients led to the creation of rafting and the “Dads and Sons” camp on Ladoga.
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I get up at five in the morning. It's been five years now. This fact invariably causes surprise and even pity among others. And I long ago stopped excitedly explaining how much this habit has given me in recent years. But if you are reading this article now, it means that the topic of early awakening is interesting to you, and I may be useful to you.
Yes, we are all different! Someone needs medical calculations and statistical studies to prove the benefits of one or another regimen. But copywriters have become too good at writing reliable and attractive texts about the usefulness of a glass of red wine, the impossibility of a healthy life without meat, or the dangers of running for the musculoskeletal system.
Therefore, I am attracted to biographies and autobiographies of successful individuals and communication with people from whom I want to take an example. Having found a mentor who is close to you in terms of goals, mentality, and values, you receive a “filter” through which you can learn really working and effective methods, without getting lost in the abyss of literature and Internet resources.
Perhaps someone will find my experience valuable, so I will tell you WHY I get up early and HOW I do it.
I immediately want to cut off the concept of “lark-owl”, since I think that this division is far-fetched. It’s just that until you set yourself the task of achieving success, you go with the flow. I tested this on myself: until the age of 30, I considered myself a “night owl,” and when I realized that to increase efficiency I needed a different routine, I became a convinced early riser.
I also won’t argue with skeptics who say: give birth to two children, keep your husband well-fed and your apartment beautiful, and I’ll see how you can go to bed on time. Or they cite as an example their managerial time pressure - the reason for the unpredictable schedule.
I quote Alexey Cheskidov from an interview with Marathonets magazine. Alexey is a multiple IRONMAN, organizer of marathons and triathlons, a successful businessman and family man: “In fact, everything is very simple. Life is divided into three parts. Family, work, sports. All. Since we are given 24 hours in a day, we can break down these 24 hours beautifully. In the morning, when the family is sleeping, I have a workout. Get up at 5 o'clock. Actually, it's easy. When you go to bed at 12 o’clock at night, it’s difficult to get up at 5. To get up at 5, you need to go to bed at 10. I have three children, the children go to bed and we go to bed. So: sports in the morning, work in the afternoon, family in the evening. Everything goes in circles. I really like my life. It's simple."
Nobody argues that our fair half has feeding periods. There are families where the most important helpers - grandparents - are missing. At the same time, as a rule, they argue with me, citing the following arguments: only after putting the child to bed can I devote a couple of hours to myself, so I myself go to bed no earlier than one in the morning. In response to the question, what are you doing these couple of hours, I hear - leafing through a magazine, watching TV, drinking coffee with a friend.
Therefore, I will not argue, since the article is for those who know how to set priorities for themselves, or want to learn how to do this.
5 reasons to get up at 5 am
24×2
I have the strong impression that I am living two days in one. This was especially noticeable when, arriving at work at 7:00, I managed to do all the important things that required creativity and involvement, delegate by mail most of what had fallen from outside, and then around 09:30 sleepy colleagues began to arrive, rocked for another hour and only by 11:00 the workflow was slowly starting.
Then I realized how much time a properly spent morning gives me.
Setting for the day
It becomes possible to start small pleasant rituals, such as leisurely brewing delicious tea and reading a chapter of an interesting book.
Focusing
Absence of clients and employees in physical and virtual (telephone, mail) form. These are factors that have a huge distracting value.
Stimulation of others
If you are a leader, parent, mentor, then teaching something without being a role model is not effective.
Traffic
I live in Moscow. In large cities, traffic jams dictate their own rules. But you can drive when they're not there. This alone becomes a huge savings in time and energy.
Sleep efficiency and morning energy
Different sources speak equally about the benefits of falling asleep between nine and ten o'clock in the evening. I experienced this myself. Sleeping earlier brings faster recovery than waking up later. In addition, for some time now I just feel sorry for missing the morning. The reasons are well described by Dr. Torsunov: “From 4 to 6 in the morning joy and optimism come from the Sun. The rise promises cheerfulness, leadership qualities, overcoming all difficulties and success. Birds sing from 4 to 6 am. Very, very bright. Until six in the morning. Then they begin to subside slowly. Even if there is no sun. Even if the sun hasn’t come out yet and it’s dark over the horizon.”
the beauty of the world
In this article I publish a photograph of my uncle, Sergei Aleksandrovich Zozulya. For moments like these, when hiking, alarms are set for 4 am. When I drive early in the morning, I regularly see views that take my breath away!
Have you ever seen a butterfly being born? Go and see, for example, the Darwin Museum. From the gnarled, scary lump of a dirty color, wings and antennae gradually spread out with an almost audible crunch, and now you see a perfect creature with an incredibly beautiful design.
I feel something like this in the morning!
When most people are asleep, the world, without hesitation, stretches, puts itself in order, shows all its beauty before getting bogged down in the drabness of everyday life. By getting up early, you contribute to this.
12 steps to easy awakening
Here are the sequential steps that help me personally:
1. You should have something to get up for. If an interesting project, a meeting, or another, albeit difficult, step towards your goal awaits you, then it won’t be difficult to wake up and roll up your sleeves with anticipation.
2. We get up willingly when we understand the plan of action. Write such a plan in the evening, and in the morning look at it with fresh eyes and correct it. I also advise you to decide in the evening what you will wear and prepare your clothes.
3. I choose evening time for most of my workouts. For those who don’t exercise, I advise you to at least take a walk for half an hour before going to bed. If you've had a stressful day, take a warm shower.
4. A couple of hours before bedtime, do not watch TV, do not discuss “heavy” topics, and do not eat.
5. While doing yoga, I began to practice the “shavasana” asana in bed, just before falling asleep. This is a pose of conscious relaxation. Lying on your back, your mind's eye goes over all corners of your body. If something hurts, direct your attention to that place. Gradually fall asleep. In addition, six months ago I gave up a pillow and I’m surprised at how much better I can sleep, although at first it was not comfortable.
6. Having decided to get up at 05:00, I began to try to go to bed no later than 22:00. For a while I set my alarm for 9:45 pm to remind me to go to bed soon.
7. Wake up at the first alarm. Never snooze, and even worse, never set multiple alarms every 5-10 minutes. Try getting up without an alarm clock. It's not as difficult as it seems.
8. Stretch lightly in bed and be sure to smile. After that, get up immediately.
9. Enjoy a glass of water.
10. Do a light warm-up.
11. Combine washing with gratitude. Thank the world for the people who surround you, success, things, emotions, health, mistakes from which you learn.
12. A contrast shower or dousing with cold water is the magic that I give myself every morning. Be sure to step with your feet so that the water gets on your feet too. Come up with a mantra and say it as you go. For me it’s “My world is coming towards me.”
Of course, we are not cyborgs and there are times when you want to lie in bed until 12:00. Leave days like this for yourself. Sometimes go to night sessions and stay up with friends until the morning.
If you really intend to achieve your goal, gradually your environment and schedule will change.
For example, for me, “waking up during the day/when I want” has ceased to be a factor of success and managerial freedom.
Now you understand why on my company’s website under the contact phone number there is an opening hours: from 05:30 to 22:00.
Self-development #Habits #morning #Efficiency
Definition of fast phase
As soon as we fall asleep, no matter what time we go to bed, the brain begins to sequentially go through all the phases listed above. Since a person feels best when waking up in the REM stage of sleep, it is very important to learn to calculate this moment and set an alarm clock for it.
If the bell time is constant, the body gets used to it, and after a couple of months you will notice that you wake up a few minutes before the signal - this is how our biological clock works.
The easiest way to calculate an individual sleep cycle is with equipment. Some clinics provide such services - they connect a person to devices that record brain activity throughout the night and then get a clear picture of the changes in sleep phases. But even here there is a certain error - in new conditions a person always falls asleep longer and sleeps more lightly than at home.
You can ask someone at home to watch you for at least the first 2-3 hours of sleep. It is easy to determine deep sleep by very slow, even breathing. And in the fast phase, the eyeballs running under the lowered eyelids are clearly visible.
How else to improve your life
You can read many books and articles about motivation, but it’s better to take an online course or training once. Learning from a person who has walked this path will help you believe in yourself and achieve what exactly you want in this life. Under no circumstances should you listen to amateurs who shout at every corner: “Pay me and you’ll get rich!”
For me, such a person is Pavel Volya.
His online course “Improver Express” will teach 3 main things: initiative, action and efficiency.
The training consists of 23 chips. It was they who helped Volya turn from a simple beggar Penza guy into the highest paid presenter of the TNT channel and my favorite stand-up comedian. According to Forbes magazine, Pavel earns $2.5 million annually.
The course is suitable for both men and women from 16 years of age.
How the training will take place:
- You receive theory and practical assignment.
- Do it.
- If you did it right, move on to the next one.
If you don’t mess around and do all your homework responsibly, then pleasant changes await you: at work, in your personal life, with relatives and friends. This will lead to more money, connections and success.
Cost – 15,000 rubles. with access forever, but there is also the opportunity to take the course for 3,000 rubles.
If within 2 weeks you decide that the course is not suitable for you, your money will be returned.
After registering for training, a girl from Pavel’s team will contact you and answer all your questions regarding the training. You will discuss payment terms with her.
Also in this article you will find reviews of all courses of the “Willpower” project from Pavel and Laysan Utyasheva.
Individual schedule
By recording the start and end times of each phase, it is easy to create a personalized schedule of sleep cycles and calculate the time of awakening when the REM phase occurs at a suitable time in the morning.
For example, you went to bed at 22.00. After 20 minutes you fell asleep, after another 25, it became clear from your even breathing that the stage of deep sleep had arrived. Later, in it, a person can toss and turn, moan and rush about, or lie quietly, but the eyeballs are motionless. After 40 minutes, the observer noticed chaotic eye movements. A quarter of an hour passed - they ended, and then everything repeated all over again.
We count, excluding the period of falling asleep, and we get a sleep cycle equal to (25+40+15=75) 1 hour 20 minutes - slightly less than the standard (1.5 hours). Then it’s easy to calculate the optimal time to wake up.
You need to sleep for at least five cycles – that’s 6 hours 40 minutes in our case. Plus 20 minutes to fall asleep - it turns out exactly 7 hours. This means that if we plan to go to bed at 22.00, then the alarm clock should be set for 5 am or 6.20. If going to bed shifts in any direction, then the time of awakening changes by the same amount.
What are the dangers of poor sleep?
Lack of sleep or too much sleep has a negative impact on your health. First of all, the brain and nervous system suffer from lack of sleep: memory and mental performance deteriorate, attention and concentration are dulled. In addition, poor sleep has a negative impact on your mental state. Lack of sleep disrupts the functioning of the amygdala, which is responsible for emotions. This leads to loss of self-control, anxiety and rash actions.
After poor sleep, the muscles do not have time to fully recover, so the physical condition is far from ideal. Regular sleep disturbances can lead to surges in blood pressure, heart disease, excess weight, diabetes, and an increased risk of stroke and cancer.
Scientists at the University of California found that those who sleep less than 6 hours are 4.2 times more likely to develop colds. At the same time, in subjects who slept more than 6 but less than 7 hours, there was no increase in the risk of developing a cold.
Photo: nccih.nih.gov
Disadvantages of technology
At first glance, everything is calculated quite simply. But in practice, this requires:
- persuade someone to agree to long-term monitoring of your sleep;
- be sure that all readings are recorded accurately;
- choose a time for observation when the sleeper does not know about it (otherwise it will affect the results);
- know for sure that the quality of sleep during observation was not affected by the physical or mental state of the subject.
In fact, one cannot rely one hundred percent on the reliability of such results either. Fortunately, scientists are seriously concerned about this problem and have found an effective solution. This is how one of the most fashionable and useful gadgets was born - the “smart alarm clock”.
Smart alarm clock
It turns out that during different phases of sleep, not only brain activity changes, but also body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and even muscle tone.
A smart alarm clock reads all these indicators throughout the whole night and thus clearly determines the stage of REM sleep.
Everything else is just a matter of technique. On the alarm clock you need to set the expected time of awakening, and this is done completely arbitrarily. For the clock, this is the upper limit of the period when you need to get up in the morning. Based on individual indicators, they calculate the onset of the fast sleep phase shortly before the boundary you have designated and give a signal - sound or vibration.
What are circadian rhythms and how are they related to sleep?
Circadian rhythms are our internal schedule according to which all internal processes of the body operate. Almost all living things have it: animals, plants, fungi and even bacteria. The main reference point for rhythms for humans is light, for some inhabitants of the sea it is the ebb and flow of the tides, and for different living beings there are different factors. Human circadian rhythms adjust physiological processes to daylight hours, so weakness is felt when changing time zones, night shifts, and decreased daylight hours in winter.
How does the circadian mechanism work?
The change of day is recognized by photoreceptors in the eyes. Excited by light, they send a signal about the change of day and night along the optic nerve to the brain. The signal is received by the main regulator of circadian rhythms - the hypothalamus, from where the signal goes to the pineal gland. During the day, this gland actively produces cortisol (a stress hormone that helps us stay awake), and at night - melatonin. It was described in detail in the article: Melatonin: what is it and what is it for .
Features of circadian rhythms
- Circadian rhythms are intrinsic in origin, although they are tuned by light. In 1729, French chronobiologist Jean-Jacques de Meran conducted an experiment with a plant: he closed it in a dark place and noticed that the plant opened and closed its leaves with a certain periodicity even in complete darkness. So Meran proved the existence of circadian rhythms in plants and suggested that they are similar to the circadian rhythms of human sleep and wakefulness.
- Human circadian rhythms depend on light and are independent of temperature. With sudden changes in temperature, they hardly change, but they can change significantly with changes in daylight hours.
- Circadian rhythms control the physiological processes of the body. Before waking up, the metabolic rate increases, the temperature rises, and blood circulation increases - this is how the body prepares for vigorous activity during the day. In the evening, all processes slow down, body temperature drops, muscles relax.
Reviews and price
Most people who have used this device are very satisfied. The only downside of a smart alarm clock is that it can make you wake up even half an hour before the set time. But, since the brain is in an active phase, this is not critical - the person still feels great. So the unexpectedly appeared time can be usefully spent on yourself.
The cost of smartwatches can vary greatly depending on the manufacturer. For Chinese gadgets, it is relatively low - simple models can be bought for 20-30 dollars. But the quantity and accuracy of reading indicators are corresponding.
A high-quality smart alarm clock costs between 100-150 dollars, the price of exclusive models can go over 200. So the choice of this gadget is a matter of personal taste and financial capabilities.
Author: Anna Alexandrova
FAQ
What about the weekend?
It all depends on personal preference. In the beginning, when you are just getting used to it, I suggest sticking to the regimen every day. Later, when you get used to it, you can sleep one to two hours longer on the weekends.
How many times can I miss waking up early?
When trying to develop this habit, be careful about easing yourself: with two or three breaks a week, it will be difficult to return to waking up early. But when you can get up at the appointed time for 30 days in a row, you will begin to feel all the benefits of this approach. And if you miss two or three days, then you can easily return to the routine, because you have already gained control over yourself and know how important it is.
What about travel or a change of environment?
This is always difficult. Don't be merciless to yourself. Try to stick to your habits, if it doesn’t work out, just try to do what you want well.
Here are tips to follow your travel habits.
A sudden party has arrived...
Just have fun. Don’t force yourself to wake up at the appointed time, sleep as much as you need, and then return to your usual routine.
