For many people, in particular for programmers, designers, etc., a typical problem is lack of sleep and lack of good sleep. proper sleep. The question “How to get rid of insomnia” now torments everyone more people. Many people find it difficult to fall asleep and find it difficult to tear themselves away from the computer. In the morning a person feels overwhelmed. In this text you will learn the most effective rules how to sleep and get enough sleep to stay alert.
Preface
This text will be useful to you if:
- You are not satisfied with the “woke up, ate, went to work/study, arrived, ate, went to sleep” mode of life. We will try to teach you how to spend your sleep time more profitably;
- What bothers you is that to keep yourself in good shape, you drink a lot of energy drinks and coffee;
- You want to sleep 5-6 hours a day and feel alert;
- You want to get up easily in the morning.
The article is divided into two parts: first written general theory sleep, and in the second - practical advice. If you want, you can scroll through the theory and go straight to the second part, where only the most useful tips how to sleep correctly, if you read them and start applying them, your life will change.
General theory of sleep
It is generally accepted that an adult needs 8 hours to get a good night's sleep. In fact, this is not so. You can sleep 6 hours a day and be alert, while a person sleeping 10 hours a day will be completely “broken.” But for effective and proper sleep you need to follow a number of rules.
Sleep phases
Sleep consists of several phases. Speaking in simple language about sleep phases:
Light nap is first phase of sleep. You can observe it in yourself when you start to doze off in front of the screen or to the voice of the rector, and when you come to your senses, you discover that 5 minutes have already passed.
Second phase of sleep- full sleep, but not deep. During this phase, there are rare bursts of brain activity. The brain is trying to put itself to sleep.
Third stage of sleep and the most important is deep sleep. The brain and body completely relax, the body regains its strength. The heart rate slows down and the body temperature drops. There is almost complete absence of brain activity.
Fourth stage of sleep- REM sleep phase. The British call it Rapid Eye Movement, because... During this phase of sleep, the pupils begin to actively move. In 95% of cases, it is in this phase that you dream.
This cycle occurs several times during sleep. In the very first cycle, the deep sleep phase is the longest. With each new cycle, the time of the REM sleep phase increases.
We can conclude: the more DEEP SLEEP, and the DEEPER it is, the better. In other words, the less brain activity during sleep, the lower the body temperature and the slower all processes in the body, the better for deep sleep.
Body temperature plays important role and affects your alertness and sleepiness. The dependence is quite simple: the higher the temperature, the higher your activity. During the day, body temperature is constantly changing and can fluctuate (even healthy person) from 36 to 37.5 degrees. It is advisable that the body temperature be higher during the day and lower at night so that the brain can enjoy the deep sleep phase more.
Also, before starting practice, it is important to know about the hormone melatonin. This hormone is found in the pineal gland and, to a slightly lesser extent, in the retina. Its effect on our body can be described as follows: the more melatonin is released, the more we want to sleep. Melatonin is released when our eyes are exposed to a lack of light (sometimes called the vampire hormone). While in bright light it is destroyed.
Practical tips: how to sleep and get enough sleep
If you want to sleep 6 hours a day and get enough sleep, then you need to stock up on willpower and follow a series of simple principles. It will be hard at the beginning, but after two or three weeks you will get used to it.
1. Consistent sleep schedule
You need to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day. If you have to get up for work at 6 am on weekdays, then you need to do the same on weekends. At least approximately The maximum indulgence you can afford is an extra hour.
WHY is this necessary? The body “gets used” to getting up at the same time, as well as sleeping at the same time.
IMPORTANT! It is necessary to wake up in the REM sleep phase. REM sleep can be found quite easily. Set your alarm clock back and forth for 10-20-30 minutes throughout the week. When it is easy for you to get up, it means you are in the REM sleep phase. Now set your alarm clock for this time all the time.
2. Exercise in the morning
You need serious exercise, not sluggish arm swings and a couple of squats. Exercise should make you sweat. Don't forget about the shower after. A contrast shower or dousing with cold water is also good.
WHY is this necessary? Exercise seriously increases a person’s body temperature, and therefore the performance of his body and brain during the day.
3. More light
You need plenty of bright light early in the morning and throughout the day. It is desirable that this be sunlight. Workplace it should also be well lit.
WHY is this necessary? Light destroys the hormone melatonin, and you want to sleep less. If you spend most day is not in the brightest conditions, try to go out more somewhere for air (for example, for lunch).
4. Physical activity during the day
If you have the opportunity to go for a run in the evening after work (or maybe during?), go to Gym or a swimming pool - be sure to take advantage of these opportunities.
WHY is this necessary? This allows you to keep your body temperature at high level to keep your body active and your brain fresh.
5. Do not drink alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, energy drinks
Perhaps this is the most complex rule. To do this, many will need to exert enormous willpower. If you cannot completely get rid of them, then significantly limit your consumption of these drinks.
WHY is this necessary? These substances have a very negative effect on your sleep. It is difficult for the body to relax. And if you constantly drink energy drinks and coffee to cheer yourself up, then soon your body will no longer be able to adjust on its own.
6. Sleep in the afternoon if you want
During the day it’s quite possible to take a nap if you really want to. It's even useful. You need to wake up BEFORE your body enters the deep sleep phase. Otherwise, the rest of the day will go down the drain. Therefore, it is better that the daily “sleep” lasts 15-20 minutes, maximum 30.
WHY is this necessary? In the REM sleep phase, the human body also rests and relaxes well. If the body asks for sleep during the day, it means it needs it. Most often one falls asleep after lunch, this is not surprising, because at this time there is a slight drop in body temperature. After nap It's a good idea to exercise.
Conclusion
These tips work great, but only if they are used together. Of course, you can adapt each of the points to suit yourself. And we wish you to sleep well, so that during the day you are happy and cheerful. Be healthy!
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Doctors stubbornly insist that in order to get enough sleep, an adult body needs at least 8 hours of full sleep per day. Of course, sticking to this theory is correct. Rest must take up a significant amount of time in your life, otherwise you will become irritable and apathetic, or, even worse, acquire chronic systemic diseases.
When can REM sleep help?
But sometimes circumstances make us think about how to get enough sleep in 4-5 hours. For example, after a long journey, when there is very little time left for rest, and in the morning you need to look cheerful and fresh. Or in the case when, against the backdrop of memorizing the material, there is practically no time left for a night's sleep, and very soon an exam awaits you, in which you need to be collected and concentrated.
There are a lot of cases where the “rapid sleep” technique will become relevant. But we in no way encourage you to practice it all the time - rather, it is emergency measure, which should be resorted to emergency situations. Please note that normal sleep duration is important for normal memory, reaction and perception, and if you begin to “deceive” the body constantly, your brain will quickly declassify all your undertakings and repay you with not the most valuable coin.
But the duration of sleep is not the main aspect for the complete and comprehensive rest of our body. Its quality is much more important. Even if you sleep for 10 hours straight, in a noisy room or in an uncomfortable position, you are unlikely to be able to boast of vigor and clarity of mind when you wake up.
In addition, it is important to know best time for rest - hours when the body receives vital energy and truly relaxes. People who fall into the “right” phase of sleep, as a rule, get much better sleep than those who sleep for a long time, but go to bed at the wrong time of day. So, today we will tell you how to get enough sleep quickly and efficiently.
Quick rest technique
How to get enough sleep in 4 hours? In our turbulent age, this question puzzles, alas, many.
The modern pace of life dictates its own rules, and sometimes we are given only a few hours to rest, after which we should feel normal and be able to do everyday things.
The first rule that you must understand is that in this case you can get enough sleep only if you spent the last night fully in the arms of Morpheus.
If the phenomenon of lack of sleep is repeated with enviable regularity, it makes sense to rearrange your sleep and wakefulness patterns and start planning your time. If you suffer from insomnia or work 20 hours a day, these recommendations are unlikely to be good for you.
For other, “emergency” cases, experts have developed a whole system, following which you can stay alert even with a meager night’s rest.
So, how to sleep 4 hours and get enough sleep? First of all, check out key rules"Rap sleep":
By following these simple rules, you can get enough sleep during the most as soon as possible. As you can see, quality sleep consists of three basic “components”: readiness for it, organization of the sleeping area and conditions for rest itself. By providing these things at the proper level, you can remain alert and productive, even if you only have a few hours to sleep.
"Polyphasic rest by Leonardo da Vinci"
Did you know so fun fact that “REM sleep” is often associated with the name of the great Renaissance artist? You're probably intrigued as to why this happens. The fact is that da Vinci was an inventive man, and he really regretted his time spent on vacation. He believed that he could spend it much more productively than lying in bed.
Therefore, the resourceful artist invented the technique of polyphasic sleep. She assumed going to bed for only 15 minutes every 4 hours. Surprisingly, in this regime, da Vinci lived for a long time, in full health and a clear mind. And most importantly, I did not experience painful fatigue.
It is known that the most productive time for creativity (and any other activity) is the moment after waking up. Thus, the artist created a large-scale energy reserve for himself, which helped him create and practice art constantly. Who knows, perhaps it was precisely the sharp increase in efficiency that made him a real legend, whose masterpieces we reverently remember to this day?
Still, we urge you not to do such extreme things. Rather, you should adjust your regimen and make useful changes to it.
The average person needs at least 7-9 sleeps for proper rest. However, there are phenomena in history when people could sleep only 3-4 hours and lead their lives quite productively. Almost anyone can achieve such results, but to do this you need to know all the subtleties that will help you gain strength in a short period of time. Let's look at how to get 3 hours of sleep without harm to the body.
Sleep phases
Before practicing short restorative sleep, you need to know its pattern (scenario). When we fall asleep, we immediately plunge into the slow-wave sleep phase. At this time, the work of the whole organism slows down, body temperature drops, and consciousness completely switches off. It is slow sleep that gives us recovery; it lasts approximately 70-90 minutes in the first cycle. This is followed by the REM sleep phase, in which activity is vital important systems increases, and the brain actively processes the information received throughout the day. Its duration is 15-20 minutes in the first cycle. It is after REM sleep ends that we wake up best.
In normal mode, a person experiences 4-5 cycles per night. In each subsequent cycle, the slow phase becomes shorter and the fast phase becomes longer.
Therefore, to get 3 hours of sleep, you need to walk 2 full cycle, each of which lasts 1.5 hours. Now let’s find out what needs to be done to ensure that the time allotted for rest is spent as productively as possible.
Preparation
To get enough sleep quickly, you need to properly prepare for rest. The faster we plunge into the arms of Morpheus, the more strength we will gain for the coming day. In order for the body to recover as much as possible in just 3 hours, do the following before going to bed:
Time to fall asleep
If you need to get enough sleep in just 3 hours, you should take care of the correct start time for rest. If you fall asleep before 24.00, then the productivity of one hour of sleep will be equal to the productivity of 2 hours of sleep started after 24.00. There should be no problems with this, since all people become drowsy between 20.00 and 23.00. The same melatonin is responsible for this process; its most active production occurs precisely during this period of time. However, there are several nuances:
Therefore, in order for a three-hour sleep to be as productive as possible, you need to organize it before midnight. As soon as you feel sleepy, go straight to bed.
After a few days of observation, you will be able to discover what time your body produces melatonin, and you can be ready to rest.
Interesting fact! Scientists have found that there is no division of people into “larks” and “night owls”. Everyone produces melatonin at the same time, except for diseases and adolescence, when the sleep hormone is produced at 24.00-01.00. Consequently, “owls” are simply very busy people or spoiled by civilization.
Wake up time
Three hours is not a lot of sleep, so it is important to wake up on time. As we have already found out, awakening should occur at the end of the fast phase. Once settled in bed, mentally set yourself the goal of waking up in 3 hours. Scientists assure that a person’s biological clock can be programmed for any time, the main thing is to be confident in the result.
Try an experiment, set your alarm 2-3 minutes later than you plan to wake up, and you will be surprised when you wake up before it goes off.
Another option for organizing a proper wake-up is to purchase a smart watch. This is a special electronic device made in the form wristwatch. It is able to monitor the state of the human body during sleep and identify changes that occur during the rapid phase of sleep. Such a device wakes up its owner precisely at the end of the fast phase.
Yoga has a special set of asanas (exercises) that need to be performed before a short sleep. They help you wake up rested, alert and full of desire to work.
If you need to tune in to just such a wave, before resting at night, we perform the following asanas in turn:
How long will the effect last?
Three hours of sleep should never be the norm. It is practiced only in the most extreme cases, and then they return to normal mode. If you do everything right and wake up full of energy, then don’t think that the “charge” will be enough for the whole day.
The state of increased working capacity will last no more than 4-5 hours, after which you will begin to feel drowsy. Experts do not recommend saving yourself from it with coffee and energy drinks; it is best to get a good rest.
If you need to sleep only 3 hours for some period of your life, you should practice short-term “oversleep.” The idea is to use every convenient moment during the day to sleep for 20 minutes. This will help the body function without interruption for some time with a short night's rest. However, don’t get carried away; living in this mode for more than 4-5 days is contraindicated.
Let's sum it up
The human body contains a lot of resources, so getting enough sleep in 3 hours is quite possible if you approach this task competently. However, it is worth considering that such a short night's rest will in any case negatively affect your well-being on the same day; you will only have enough energy for a few hours of productive activity.
If you need a good 3 hours of rest, try to ensure that you can compensate for the lack of energy after completing important tasks the next day. Do not under any circumstances practice three hours of sleep for a long time, this can be harmful to your health.
For some people, long sleep has become almost a luxury. Fortunately, sleep scientists have conducted research and found out how to get enough sleep a short time. It is believed that the total duration of sleep can be reduced to 5-6 hours without compromising health and ability to work.
Effective Techniques for REM Sleep
There is a method, the invention of which is attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci. According to rumors, he devoted only 1.5 hours a day to rest, but at the same time he was fruitful and cheerful. To get enough sleep in 15 minutes, it is important to sleep exactly this amount of time, but every 4 hours. The whole point of this technique is that such small episodes will charge the body with vigor due to the fast phase. The method is not suitable for everyone, but it can be useful. People with a typical routine can take advantage of a lunch break or take a nap while traveling on public transport.
How to get enough sleep in 2 hours
There is a tough method that was used to train special forces. It consists of a 20-minute rest 6 times a day. This should be 20 minutes of REM sleep. If a person plans to get enough sleep in an hour, then after half an hour he enters the slow phase and gets up with a “heavy” head.
This method is not suitable for people with regular working hours who work in the office 8 hours 5 days a week. But for freelancers and other people creative professions who don’t need to strictly plan their work schedule, it’s not bad.
How to sleep less using the Wayne method
The essence of this technique is to determine the optimal time for rest experimentally. These episodes are related to biorhythms and are calculated individually. To find out, you need to conduct a test to find out which method is optimal.
- Technique short nap"Siesta" represents a 20-minute daytime and 5-6-hour night rest. This reduces the total rest duration by one cycle. How to get enough sleep in 20 minutes? You need to set an alarm so as not to wake up during the slow phase. Waking up after 1-1.5 hours, a person will feel lethargic and overwhelmed.
- The essence of the “Ladder” method consists of reducing the total duration of night rest to 4.5 hours by breaking daytime sleep into several 20-minute “steps”. Each episode of daytime rest helps reduce night sleep for an hour and a half.
How to get enough sleep in a short time at night
Most often, two options for polyphasic rest are practiced:
- Sleep for 20 minutes every 4 hours. For this, it is important to set an alarm clock.
- You can sleep four times for 30 minutes each (but not for 1 hour, since the body will enter the slow-wave sleep phase). After the first fast phase, you need to set the alarm clock for 30 minutes three more times. In total, a person sleeps 4 times for half an hour, followed by a 6-hour period of wakefulness.
Such experiments cannot be practiced constantly, only if necessary, for no more than 3 days. Chronic lack of sleep risk of having a stroke or heart attack, as well as metabolic disorders.
Polyphasic sleep
The meaning of polyphasic sleep techniques is that the usual 8-hour rest is divided into 2-6 parts. As a result, its duration decreases, sometimes very significantly, but sleep productivity improves, the person feels energetic and efficient.
The reduction in rest occurs due to a decrease in the duration of slow-wave sleep, since the body’s recovery occurs mainly during the fast phase. In a toga, a person can get enough sleep in literally two hours without harm to health.
You can use any of the options for polyphasic rest:
- 6*20 minutes every 4 hours – only 2 hours.
- 4*30 minutes after 6 hours – a total of 2 hours.
- One 1.5-3 hour night rest and 3 day rests of 20 minutes each - a total of 2.5-4 hours.
- One 2-hour night rest and 1 day rest lasting 20 minutes - a total of 2 hours 20 minutes.
- One 5-hour night rest and 1 hour and a half day rest - a total of 6.5 hours.
The body itself will tell you which mode is most comfortable to function in.
Gradual decrease in sleep
In addition to polyphasic sleep, there is a simple method to get enough sleep in a short period of time. To do this, it is recommended to reduce nighttime rest by 20 minutes every day. In total, you can reduce its duration by 4 hours (no longer advisable). If you do not force, but limit sleep moderately, the body will gradually adapt and will not feel much discomfort with a 4-5 hour night's rest.
Exploring your own cycles
In order to pick up optimal mode rest and wakefulness, you can conduct a small study of individual biorhythms. You need to hold out for 24 hours and not go to bed, while monitoring your condition. Write the results in your notebook. It is important to note the times when the body suffered from bouts of drowsiness and the moments at which performance was at its best. After which you need to get some sleep and evaluate the results of the study.
Most people note morning sleepiness from 4 to 9 a.m. and a drop in performance during the day at 12 to 2 p.m.
In this case, a regime will be suitable in which several hours will be devoted to rest in the period from 22 to 4-6 in the morning and 30 minutes during the lunch break.
When choosing a technique, it is important to remember:
- Sleeping before midnight is most productive. According to doctors, one hour of rest from 22:00 to 24:00 replaces 2 hours after midnight.
- If you don't get enough sleep, you become dependent on coffee. But the more caffeine he absorbs, the more the body suffers from lack of sleep and the less it reacts to this drink.
- It is important not to consume alcohol or nicotine before a night's rest. Under the influence of these substances, a person will calm down and fall asleep faster, but his sleep will be restless and intermittent.
- If you need to go to bed early, you need to prepare for this in advance. Take a bath moderate temperature, set the wake-up time on the alarm clock, dim the lights. These manipulations will help you get ready for relaxation.
- Before going to bed, you can drink a glass of warm milk. It contains tryptophan, which helps you fall asleep quickly.
It is not advisable to greatly shorten the total duration of rest. REM sleep is good for restoring performance and mood, but the slow phase is necessary for regenerating the body and maintaining physical well-being.
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