The Science of Sleep

Sleep when you’re dead?

I think not.

Science is promulgating research upon research expounding the health risks involved in not getting enough sleep. The facts are scary. But there really is hope.

?Let’s break it down.

Myth

It’s all about hours – the more the better

Truth

Quality of sleep is more important than hours, and new research has found that too much sleep on a regular basis?can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and death[1].

What sleep do you need?

Our REM and our deep sleep cycles are crucial to health and wellness.

The stages of sleep

Sleep stages?1, 2, and REM consist of light sleep, while 3 and 4 comprise?deep sleep. We cycle from stage 1 through to stage 4 a few times during our night’s sleep. In stage 3, you enter deep sleep, and stage 4 is the deepest sleep stage.

During deep sleep, your breathing, heartbeat, body temperature, and brain waves reach their lowest levels. Stage 4 is our stage of healing sleep.

During this phase:

• memories are consolidated
• learning and emotions process
• physical recovery occurs
• blood sugar levels and metabolism balance out
• the immune system is energised, and
• the brain detoxifies

A lack of adequate deep sleep is making us unwell[2].

How much sleep?

The average adult needs roughly 8 hours a night; 1 hour in bed winding down, and 7 hours of sleep. We require 13% - 23% of our sleep to be deep, which is roughly 80 mins, and roughly 20% - 25% of REM sleep (roughly 100 mins). REM sleep is important to your sleep cycle because?it stimulates the areas of your brain that are essential in learning and making or retaining memories.

So now what?

How to increase deep sleep

• Get your blood work done to find out if there are any underlying causes preventing sleep quality (our rooms are available for this and an in-depth consultation to follow will help unpack any areas of concern that we can address).
• Get on top of your internal environment
• Establish sleep rituals and routines
• Meditate
• Try exercising daily (but give yourself at least 2 hours to unwind before bed)
• Get on top of your own sleep data with a sleep tracker

The Oura ring has changed my life in this regard. Send an email to [email protected] if you’d like to find out more about this sleep tracker wearable.

What we measure we can manage. Awareness and practical tools can set us up for sleep victory. Get connected with our Made To Thrive Community and let’s walk wellness together!

-???????Steve

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[1] https://amerisleep.com/blog/oversleeping-the-health-effects/#:~:text=Too%20much%20sleep%20on%20a,or%20cumulatively%20during%20the%20week.

[2] https://www.healthline.com/health/how-much-deep-sleep-do-you-need#deep-sleep