Short on Cash? Let Us Help You!

4. REM

This cycle stands for rapid eye movement. Here, we consolidate new memories, homeostasis is suspended, brain waves are sped up and dreams are experienced.

All four of these sleep intervals are said to last 90120 minutes as they repeat. All my math wizards have already concluded that this equals 360-480 minutes altogether. Divide each of those numbers by 60 minutes (one hour), and we see that completing all four of these cycles should require between 6 and 8 hours of sleep. Cool side fact: NREM is where our supply of ATP (energy transport) is restored and HGH (growth hormone) is secreted!

With all of that said, here is one of the most important takeaways. Every individual is complex, and all bodily processes and functions will not work the same way for us all. Some of us may need 7 hours of slumber while others may need more. You don’t have to follow someone else’s sleep trend or force yourself to run on 7 hours because that’s all you “should” need. I understand we have jobs and deadlines, but we will benefit greatly by finding, prioritizing, planning and executing our individual sleep need every single time we are able. Countless aspects of your internal state, physical state and general life begin to thrive to an even greater degree with adequate sleep. Wishing you all the best. Happy March everyone!