I’ve learnt a little about sleep cycles and remember that every 90 minutes is when we move through the 5 stages of sleep, but I’ve also heard it’s recommended to have 8 hours of sleep. Wouldn’t that make you feel drowsy if you’re interrupting the sleep cycle when you wake up after 8 hours?
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Yes, waking up in the middle of a cycle may make you feel drowsy. Instead of aiming for 8 hours on the dot, schedule your sleeping hours to allow you to get between 7-9 hours. When you wake up somewhere between hour 7 or 9, that’s it, you’re good. Do this for a month or more until you know your sweet spots for sleeping and waking.
8 hours is just a rough estimate of what’s needed. Most people need at least 7 hours, some need as many as 10. A small minority of people can actually maintain good health by sleeping 6 or fewer hours. The science behind this is compelling and I highly recommend you either read Dr. Matthew Walker’s book ***Why We Sleep*** to learn more about what happens in these cycles (especially the latter ones that only occur after several hours) or head to YouTube and watch a few of his interviews and presentations. On whichever podcast platform you use, search his name and listen to his interviews there, too.
What you’ll discover is while a few people can enjoy longevity and good health on less than 7 very few actually do. Sure, they may think they are fine with 4 or 5 hours sleep, but in the long-term many develop cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers and more after years of neglecting their bodies in such a way.
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