Human sleep is divided into two categories, fast sleep and slow sleep. The duration of each is different. After retiring for a night's rest, a slow phase begins, which has a longer duration. And closer to the morning, on the contrary, the fast degree becomes longer.

Sleep phases alternate throughout the night, creating wave-like cycles. Each of the periods lasts no more than one and a half hours. And if you learn how to calculate them, then a person will wake up daily vigorous and rested.

First of all, sleep is a physiological phenomenon, and the science of somnology is engaged in its study. Thanks to this, humanity has learned many facts about a mysterious phenomenon that occupies a large place in the life of any person. So what is sleep, and why is it important to people? Let's find out together.

During a night's rest, the human body and brain work in a different mode. The subconscious is turned off and the damaged cells are restored. In addition, during sleep, toxins are removed from the body, the psyche receives unloading and memory is strengthened. That is why it is so important to avoid staying awake at night.

Important: Night rest is divided into two phases of human sleep, REM and deep. Each of the cycles plays an important role for our body and affects the quality of life.

For normal health, a person must sleep 8 hours a day. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of the organism. As practice shows, some people need 6 hours to sleep well, but others need more than 10 hours. In this case, lifestyle and age category play a role.

NREM sleep

They call it orthodox. A person plunges into it immediately after falling asleep. Deep phase into several stages:

• first comes a nap that lasts 15 minutes. During this period, the brain continues its work, respectively, a person sees dreams and often confuses them with reality, partly due to which he finds answers to many unresolved questions;
• after nap comes the next phase of falling asleep. It is also called sleep spindles, it lasts about 20 minutes. During this period, consciousness is gradually turned off, but the brain still reacts to external stimuli, as a result of which a person can wake up from any noise;
• the third stage of night rest. At this time, the body receives complete relaxation, and the body completes its work. At the same time, the brain still gives weak impulses;
• and the last phase, delta sleep, is considered the deepest period. During this cycle, the human body relaxes and the brain stops responding to external stimuli. In addition, the frequency of blood circulation and respiration decreases.

It is worth emphasizing that the closer the morning, the less the stage of delta sleep becomes.

REM sleep

REM sleep occurs after a person falls asleep, its duration is about 5 minutes. Further, with each new cycle, the deep phase becomes smaller, while the duration of the fast phase, on the contrary, increases. And by morning it is already about an hour. Moreover, if a person is awakened at the moment of a short sleep, he feels completely rested.

The stage of REM sleep is also called paradoxical and is considered the fifth cycle of dreaming. Moreover, despite the fact that the human body is in a fixed position, due to the lack of muscle activity, this state resembles wakefulness. The eyelids are closed, and the eyeballs continue to make rapid movements.

Sequence of stages

The stages of sleep have a certain sequence. They are almost the same for most healthy people, namely:

• first comes slow sleep in four stages;
• then follows one turn and comes a short surface cycle, in which the brain works more intensively and the body is tuned to wake up;
• if at the moment of shallow sleep a person does not wake up, the second phase of night rest begins. Thus, it can happen up to 6 times during the whole night.

Important: In infants, the REM cycle is over 50%. And only after the newborn grows up and reaches the age of 5, the sequence of stages will be identical, like that of any adult.

The considered sequence is relevant for healthy adults. But, if there are health problems or a person of advanced age, there are violations of night rest. Consider the most common:

• in older people, sleep cycles are different. The short rest phase becomes shorter, and delta sleep may even disappear altogether. Thus, age-related insomnia makes itself felt;
• persons who have suffered head injuries are often in a state of drowsiness or do not sleep at all. There are several reasons why this happens;
• in those suffering from narcolepsy or, sleep is apathetic. This category of people immediately enters a short phase, and they fall asleep at any time of the day and in any accepted position. Well, in the case of apnea, breathing stops at night, and after a short time it is restored.

As a result of the above disorders, the patient suffers from chronic sleep deprivation, which negatively affects the quality of his life. Fatigue appears, memory decreases, irritation and stress occur. These violations must be dealt with immediately, otherwise a person develops irreversible consequences.

Separately, it is worth highlighting that children's holidays are different from adults. The REM phase is more than 50% from the first birthday of the baby until the child is 5 years old. Then the process changes.

The value of sleep

The human body is a unique system that has not yet been fully explored. Moreover, sometimes one hour is enough for people to get enough sleep, and the effectiveness will be equal to 10 hours of rest.

The main thing is to correctly determine the optimal time for going to bed, and the frequency of wave cycles.

Well, to make it easier for you to navigate the value of rest, we offer a visual table that shows the ratio of efficiency by the hour.

This tablet is comparative, but on its example you can visualize the value of a night's rest. In addition, the indicated indicators give an idea of ​​how much sleep a person needs in order to feel a surge of vigor and energy.

Our ancestors did not use an alarm clock to wake up. After all, in ancient times this miracle of progress simply did not exist. And they went to bed and woke up, focusing on the sun. Moreover, such a daily routine guaranteed a full night's rest.

Unfortunately, no one uses this biphasic method in the modern world. The vast majority of people go to bed closer to midnight, due to which constant lack of sleep has firmly entered our lives. In view of this, chronic fatigue, neurosis and hypertension have become our inalienable companions.

How to calculate the best time to wake up

Today, a wide variety of devices for recording brain activity have been created. But, if you do not have the opportunity to purchase them, try calculating the sleep phases yourself. As mentioned above, deep sleep lasts longer than short sleep. And if you know the duration of each cycle, then it will not be difficult to calculate independently at what stage the brain functions in the morning.

Important: The key to a vigorous day is waking up in the phase of short sleep. In this case, no matter how eventful the day is, it will pass cheerfully and joyfully.

But this method also has disadvantages. The fact is that this modern development is based on averages, and does not take into account the individual characteristics of the human body.

If you are looking for the most reliable source for obtaining this information, then it is better to contact specialized centers and laboratories, where accurate data is determined using sensors. It is clear that this method is not suitable for everyone. Therefore, it proposes to calculate according to the following schedule:

• is 120 minutes;
• length of a short night's rest 20 minutes;
• when planning to go to bed, count 4 periods according to the available numbers and set the alarm for the time that your awakening falls on the time of the fast phase.

As a rule, the norm for waking up will be from 7:00 to 7:30. Provided that you went to bed at 22:00.

Important: If you plan to conduct an experiment on your own, always consider the time of the planned going to bed. Because this period plays a big role in your awakening.

Lastly, if you want to find the best time to wake up, don't be afraid to experiment. Calculate approximately when you need to wake up and set an alarm. And when you wake up at a given time, notice how easy it was for you to open your eyes and get up.

If the awakening went without problems, then you correctly calculated the optimal period and in the future try to stick to the selected time. By the way, numerous reviews say that this method is very effective.

When is the best time to wake up

According to the Dream Value Chart, rest between 4 and 6 am is the least beneficial. In view of this, it is believed that awakening during this period of time will be the best. During this period, the sun rises and the human body is filled with energy, and the mind is clear.

Moreover, the positive effect of waking up at this time has been scientifically proven. Those people who get up at dawn are less susceptible to various diseases, they manage to complete many tasks and do not feel tired.

In addition, it is worth mentioning the best phase for waking up. The physiology of night rest is such that all stages of rest are equally important for a person. Therefore, it is desirable that at least 4 cycles, lasting 1.5 hours, certainly pass during the night. At the same time, it is important to note that each person has his own optimal period for waking up. For example:

• early risers wake up around 6 a.m. and feel great;
• owls prefer a long rest and increase it until 9 o'clock in the morning.

This also applies to the cyclical nature of dreams. From this position of the classification of cycles, the optimal time for waking up is the last few minutes, which fall at the end of one phase and the transition to another.

How to wake up correctly

And the last question, relevant to almost all people, how to wake up in a short sleep cycle? As mentioned above, two-phase night rest has a wave-like type. The stages are repeated and increased to 70%. That being said, if you catch the end of the GDD cycle, then your awakening will be easy.

As for the calculation, we have described this point and we can add only one thing. If you yourself find it difficult to calculate the optimal time, you can go the other way, find yourself motivated to wake up early in the morning. To do this, follow a few simple steps:

• do not lie in bed for a long time after waking up;
• as soon as you wake up, do breathing exercises to saturate the brain with oxygen and normalize the pulse;
• get up, do a little fitness exercise from bed, which will energize you for the whole day.

After completing a few exercises, you will become more alert, and therefore increase your working potential.

Undoubtedly, full sleep and its optimal duration play a big role, but the right awakening is no less important, which guarantees good health for the whole day.

How to make the most of your night's sleep

What does a person need in order to exclude the development of a dangerous pathology? Stick to prevention. This rule applies to good sleep as well. There are several rules, adhering to which a person will always feel cheerful and with high efficiency:

• create a daily routine for yourself and stick to it. Go to sleep and wake up around the same hours;
• Regardless of your schedule, try to keep your sleep interval between 11:30 pm and 5:30 am. At this point, melatonin is produced in the body;
• It is not advisable to eat food at least three hours before you plan to go to bed. If there is a feeling of hunger, you can take a light snack;
• so that the night's rest is complete, take evening walks before going to bed, they will not only help you fall asleep faster, but also make your sleep sound;
• an hour before going to bed, take a herbal bath, it will relax your body, calm the nervous system and help you fall asleep faster;
• ventilate the bedroom every evening;
• go to bed on your back or go to your side.

Well, here we have examined what a two-phase night rest is, how it affects our lives, and why it is important to choose the right time to wake up. It remains to highlight that it is difficult for a sleepy person to lead a full-fledged lifestyle.

And if sleep deprivation continues for a long time, it provokes harm to the whole body. Therefore, it is so important to understand the phases of night rest and be able to create an optimal sleep schedule.