Morning & REM cycles

Every now and then I have a great morning where I wake up earlier than usual and feel super energized. What’s up with that? Should the lack of sleep make me more tired?

So. A few key terms:

REM sleep = Rapid eye movement sleep. This is the type of sleep that is deepest and our body is most relaxed. This is also the phase of sleep where the mind is most active and when most dreams occur. The eyes are usually quite active under the eyelids during dreaming, which explains the name.

Non-REM sleep = lighter sleep. The mind is not very active, and during this phase the body focuses on rest and repair of muscles and tissue.

Throughout the night, our cycles transition from non-REM to REM sleep and back again. Each cycle is around 80-100 minutes long and consists of both non-REM sleep and REM sleep. During an average  night’s sleep, a person will go through 4-6 sleep cycles a night. 

Got it?

Ok.

So another interesting part of REM and non-REM sleep is what happens when we wake up from it.

When someone is woken up during non-REM sleep, it is easier to transition out of sleep into comfortable, alert wakefulness. If someone is woken up smack in the middle of REM sleep, they are going to feel more sluggish, more tired, and overall less alert and ready to roll.

When I wake up at 6 instead of 7, and paradoxically feel MORE alert and awake then usual, it could be that on that day, I woke up exactly in my sweet spot of non-REM sleep. If I would have slept till 7:15, I may have had over an extra hour of sleep, but my body would have been in a REM cycle, making it harder to have that alert, bright start to my day.

So the question that I have (maybe you too) is - how do we know the best time to wake up? How can I get myself to that jumpstart to feel energized, productive, and ready to face the day with extra verve?

This is individual. Every person is going to have a different time that they feel better waking up at. For some it might be a time in the morning, and for some it might be after a specific amount of time spent sleeping. This would also be a great time to use a sleep log. For ten days, log your morning wake up and energy levels. Email me at esti@estiterrissleepcoach.com for a blank sleep log.

Another point of consideration: Your environment and daily routine. I might find 6 am to be a wonderful time to wake up, not only because of my extra energy, but for the extra time I get to enjoy the quiet house before the kids get up. Someone might find 7:30 am to be great in terms of energy, but the tradeoff for a rushed morning won’t be worth it.

Here’s to great mornings!

Esti Terris, Integrative Sleep Coach