Waking up can often time be somewhat of a struggle for many people around the world. This is primarily because we are all so addicted to the stasis of comfort. Everyone wants to remain comfortable, and to challenge one’s self to push through an uncomfortable and challenging circumstance almost always ends the same way; we cave into our desire for comfort. We begin to rationalize our way out of the challenge of rising to meet the day on a regular basis. “Just five more minutes” Is probably the most commonly uttered response given by anyone being pressured to wake up by their friends, family, spouse or alarm clock. What we fail to understand is that five minutes will have zero impact on how rested we will feel through-out our days adventure, and that comfort we are seeking has already been had throughout the night, our waking up was just poorly timed!
Now, as much as I would love to say “Build your mental resilience! This is the way to march onward and upward! Toughen up and grow a spine, stand up straight sleepy head!” This just isn’t the kind of advice that breeds the “Zenergy” we strive to create here. Tough love like that is reserved for the high school foot-ball teams, and boxing gyms around the globe. Right now we are on our way to feeling rested, we can talk about the art of resilience another day! To return to the question at hand, what has the greatest effect on how rested you feel come time to peel your eyelids open every morning?
What does have an effect on how rested you feel, is how we time when we will sleep vs when we will wake. Adults generally need around seven hours of sleep to consider themselves well rested, but it gets a little bit more complicated than just how long you remain unconscious! A full REM (Rapid Eye Movement) cycle of sleep occurs somewhere around the ninety minute mark after you begin drifting asunder. You do not stay in a stasis of REM sleep for the entire rest period, and will cycle through the stages of light to deep sleep several times through-out the night. So the best way to wake up feeling rested and ready to go, without the groggy and grumpiness -- is to time your alarm, or wake up call for the sleep cycle reset. To do this, one would sleep in ninety minute intervals. (6 hours of sleep is 4 complete REM cycles. 7.5 hours would be the next appropriate standard)
Another helpful tip is to remind yourself before you sleep of something you are excited to do the following day. This will help you to look forward to the day ahead of you, rather than dread the coming of morning. When you are looking forward to the day, you’re much more likely to rise and be ready and willing to take it head on! If you have trouble finding things to look forward to, well that my friend is a whole different chapter of reading all together!
The hour of the day we sleep differs from each individual to the next - so to speak about our circadian rhythms, or homeostasis may be a bit redundant. Seeing as someone who works the night shift will have a vastly different case of each of these things.
I will leave you on one last tip; stop using social media or watching TV before you sleep! The “Sleep-wake homeostasis” directs your body and it’s need for sleep biologically. Exposure to light is the greatest influence on you brains ability to say “Okay, sleep time” and using phones, tablets, or TV’s prior to crashing is a definite no-no! Reading is much better! Just remember, if you’re planning to time your REM cycle, to put the book down and close your eyes on time!
