DR. NOSLEEP FULL

The effects of a 120-minute nap on sleepiness, fatigue, and performance during 16-hour night shifts: A pilot study. Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption. Sleep deficiency and motor vehicle crash risk in the general population: a prospective cohort study. cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/drowsy_driving.html cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/children-sleep.htm

Do your children get enough sleep? (2020).

You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. It usually begins about 90 minutes after you fall asleep, and during each cycle throughout the night, it gets longer. REM sleep is the cycle where you’re most likely to dream and is characterized by paralyzed muscles and quickly moving eyes. Even loud noises may not wake you from this stage of sleep. Stage 3, also called N3 or deep sleep, is when your body repairs itself and strengthens your immune system. Stage 2 lasts for about 25 minutes in your first sleep cycle and gets longer with each additional cycle. In stage 2, which is called N2, your body temperature drops while your heart rate and breathing continue to slow. Your brainwaves, breathing, and heart rate all begin to slow, and your muscles relax. Stage 1, called N1, is the lightest stage of sleep and lasts for about 1 to 5 minutes. NREM makes up about 75 to 80 percent of your sleep. The four sleep stages can be divided into two categories: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM). Research has found that sleeping for 90 to 110 minutes may help reduce grogginess when you wake compared to shorter 60-minute sleeping sessions. These cookies are necessary for the service to function and cannot be switched off in our systems.

DR. NOSLEEP FULL

Ideally, it’s a good idea to aim for at least 90 minutes of sleep so that your body has time to go through a full cycle. Sleeping for a couple of hours or fewer isn’t ideal, but it can still provide your body with one sleep cycle. While you’re asleep, your body cycles through four stages of sleep roughly every 90 minutes, and on a normal night, you get 4 to 6 of these cycles.

Skipping sleep is an equivalent to being drunk. If you skip a night’s sleep, your mental function and mood will significantly decline the next day.Īccording to the CDC, being awake for 18 hours causes a similar mental impairment as having a blood alcohol content of 0.05 percent, and being awake for 24 hours is equivalent to 0.10 percent. Sleep is the period when your body repairs its tissues, replenishes hormones, and transfers short-term memories into long-term memories. However, getting some sleep is better than getting none. If you’re in a situation where you’re trying to decide whether you should sleep for a couple of hours or not at all, neither option probably seems appealing. Should I sleep for 2 hours or stay awake?

Dr. nosleep