Everyone knows that the best way to succeed tomorrow is to sleep well tonight. Whether you are going to be traveling, giving a presentation, taking an important test, or you have a seemingly endless list of tasks and goals to complete tomorrow, a good night’s rest should not be optional. We have all experienced what sleep deprivation does to our moods and our minds, and yet we often continue to make the same mistakes.
What a “Full Night” of Sleep Really Means
When it comes to sleep most people focus only on how many hours of sleep they get. Although the amount of sleep we get is arguably the most important factor in our sleep schedules it is not the only factor. Getting eight to nine hours of sleep is a good first step in sleep health, but it is not the “be-all, end-all” of sleep health. Many people have experienced the annoyance of feeling fatigue and the effects of sleep deprivation even though they got “a full night’s sleep”. There are many factors in why we feel fatigue regardless of hours spent in bed including diet, emotional/mental health, and even weather. But when it comes to sleep, one of the key factors that is often overlooked is the sleep cycle.
What Makes a “Good Night’s” Sleep
Even without extensive knowledge of sleep science, we all intrinsically know the difference between good and bad sleep. What we are actually feeling are the effects of the sleep cycle. When asleep, the body goes through five phases lasting. A full cycle takes about ninety minutes on average and contains both NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep and REM sleep. The first four stages of the sleep cycle begin with light sleep and continue all the way to “very deep sleep”. After these stages is the final stage; REM sleep. The final two stages of sleep, very deep sleep and REM, have the largest impact on productivity and fatigue. During very deep sleep, the body repairs muscles and during REM sleep the brain consolidates memories. People who experience interruptions in their sleep cycle before deep sleep and REM sleep due to loud sounds, an uncomfortable bed, pain, or mental stress often have the same symptoms as people who don’t sleep a full eight hours.
Sleep on a new Mattress From Siesta Sleepworks
When it comes to sleep, a great bed is a key factor in making sure your sleep cycles are uninterrupted. At Siesta Sleepworks our memory foam mattresses are proven to help people fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night promoting productivity the following day. Stop by our store in Acton to try one out today!
Comments are closed