Your Sleep Cycle Explained

When we think about sleep, we must consider both the duration and the quality of sleep. It matters to understand the sleep cycle and conditions spent sleeping were actually restoring.

Sleep Cycle

Your sleep is not constant. In fact, during the night, your sleep goes through several rounds of the sleep cycle, comprising four individual stages. Research shows, a person experiences 4 to 6 sleep cycles on average that last for 90 minutes approximately

Note - Not all sleep cycles have the same length.

Sleep Cycle Calculation Guide

To give an overview, the four stages include one rapid eye movement (REM) and three non-REM (NREM) sleep. Our sleep cycle calculation will be looking in detail at these four stages of sleep along with the duration.

Stage 1

• This is the first stage of sleep when you’re nodding off. This lasts about 1 to 5 minutes.
• While the body and brain activities gradually start to slow down with brief movements like twitches, your body as a whole hasn’t fully relaxed at this point.
• It is easy to wake someone up in this stage. However, if uninterrupted, the sleeper will soon move on to Stage 2. Throughout the night the time spent in Stage 1 will be less if the person is not disturbed as they move through further sleep cycles.

Stage 2

• During this stage, the body enters a deeper level of sleep feeling a drop in temperature, muscles relaxing and a slower heart rate and breathing.
• The brain activity will slow down at this point, even though there are short bursts of activities - which prevents the body from being easily woken up by external factors.
• Stage 2 typically lasts for about 10 to 25 minutes in the first sleep cycle, but can last longer with each cycle.

Stage 3

• This is the deep sleep stage. It is usually quite difficult to wake someone up once they have entered this phase.
• Muscles, breathing rate and pulse decrease as your body relax even more. There is an identifiable pattern in the brain activity during this stage known as delta waves/slow-wave sleep (SWS)
• Researchers believe that this stage is crucial for restorative sleep enabling the complete recovery and growth of your body. While the brain activity slows down, evidence shows this stage enhances creativity, memory and sharp thinking as well.
• Our deepest sleep occurs in the first half of the night. The third stage of sleep typically lasts 20-40 minutes during the early stages of sleep. Your REM periods become longer as you sleep, and these stages become shorter.

Stage 4

• When you're in REM sleep, the activity in the brain increases to levels similar to when you're awake. Most muscles of the body are temporarily paralyzed, except your eyes and breathing muscles.
• REM sleep is considered to be crucial to cognitive functionalities like memory, creativity and learning.
• As a result of the significant increase in brain activity during REM sleep, people often have vivid dreams during this time. While dreams do take in NREM stages, they are not as intense or common when compared to this stage.
• You usually enter the REM stage only after being asleep for about 90 minutes. Sleeping in REM stages gets longer as the night progresses, especially in the second half - making up a total of 25% of sleep in adults.

Mattress Maintenance Protocol

Our goal here is to give proper care to the mattress to ensure it lasts for a long period of time. Mattress maintenance includes knowing when to rotate or flip, making sure your mattress has support, and cautiously cleaning it to keep allergens and other impurities out. Moreover, changing your sheets and using a mattress protector can also help keep the mattress surface clean and intact.

• Finding Your Comfort
  Comfort always comes first! Be it selecting the right pillows, sheets, or comforter - every element plays a crucial role in giving you a good night’s sleep. You also need to decide on the type of mattress you prefer, whether it is firm or soft. The key is to understand your exact specifications to help enhance your comfort level in the best way possible.
• Lightproof your Bedroom
  Block-out curtains and blinds are a must-have to keep the natural and city lights from entering your bedroom. Opting for an eye mask will also do the trick! On the other hand, if you prefer having lights on during bedtime - having warm lights will be a good idea. Dimmable bulbs that change the warmth of the light can be a good investment as well.
• Keep it Cool
  Another key element to consider is the temperature of your bedroom. Being in a hot or stuffy environment can certainly impact your mood, affecting your sleep cycle. The ideal bedroom temperature is between 16 and 17°C. However, depending on your level of comfort, you can place it anywhere between 13 and 20°C.
• Soundproof your Bedroom
  In a perfect world, a bedroom should create a sense of calm. It should be a space where unwanted and disturbing sounds are kept away to get a good night’s sleep. However, realistically, creating a soundproof bedroom can be a real challenge. It is suggested to add soft furnishings, like heavy curtains or thick carpets, to help isolate the bedroom and also reduce vibrations.
• Breathe Easy
  Sometimes, having a fan, an air conditioning unit, or an air purifier can go a long way in improving the air quality of your home, especially your bedroom. You can also upgrade by adding lush green plants that can help create a sense of calmness and coolness in your bedroom instantly.
• Say No to Coffee & Cigarettes
  It goes without saying that the caffeine in coffee makes it difficult to sleep. And while alcohol, on the other hand, relaxes your mind and body, it also makes you more prone to snoring. Similarly, nicotine in tobacco also affects your body in many ways, preventing your body from complete relaxation. This indicates that smokers have a hard time falling and staying asleep.