Minute With Mallon: Sleep Cycle Secrets!
Welcome to Minute with Mallon!
Something I Taught:
So in the last newsletter, we talked about how to begin to Harness Your Willpower! If you missed the newsletter last week, I'd suggest you read it before reading this one so that you understand how to use Willpower to create Rituals that in turn create Habits which will serve you for the rest of our life!
Today, let’s turn to how you can use the power of habit for Sleep to exponentially improve your life.
Do you know how long a sleep cycle is?
There are basically 4 parts:
NREM Stage 1 (Non-Rapid Eye Movement Stage 1)
NREM Stage 2 (Non-Rapid Eye Movement Stage 2)
NREM Stage 3 (Non-Rapid Eye Movement Stage 3, also known as deep sleep or slow-wave sleep)
REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep
You don't need to remember those, but do remember this: these stages progress from very light all the way to very deep REM sleep, and then back again to very light sleep, and then the cycle begins again. What most people don't know is that these cycles are 1.5 hours long! It's an important fact.
Why is it important?
Most people think that the best amount of sleep that you can get is 8 hours. Not true.
In a study published in the journal “Sleep,” researchers from the University of California examined individuals who reported sleeping less than 6 hours per night without adverse health effects. They found genetic variations in these "short sleepers" associated with their ability to function well on less sleep.
However, only a tiny fraction of people have these genetic variations. The study went on to emphasize that most people require 7-9 hours of sleep nightly for optimal health, as chronic sleep deprivation can lead to various health issues. It stressed that prioritizing sufficient sleep is crucial for overall well-being.
So what does this mean for us and how can we use this information?
First, a question: For the vast number of people, would it be best for them to sleep 7.5 hours or 8 hours a night? The answer is actually 7.5 hours. Because a sleep cycle is 1.5 hours long, 7.5 hours is exactly 5 full sleep cycles! This means that when you sleep 7.5 hours, you wake up at the lightest stage of the sleep cycle – REFRESHED! If you sleep 8 hours, you’re actually moving from the lightest sleep stage, into a deeper sleep stage SO YOU WAKE UP FEELING TIRED AND GROGGY.
Of course, sometimes due to things like travel schedules, work related demands, or family responsibilities, you just can't get that 7.5 hours. So go for 6! This is 4 full sleep cycles. And on weekends if you're feeling particularly tired, set your alarm to go off 9 hours after you go to bed. That’s a full 6 sleep cycles!
It truly works and many of my clients and I have been using this knowledge for years! Hope it helps!
Something to Ponder:
Toil without purpose brings misery. Toil with purpose brings great joy!
Robert Mallon
Something I Learned:
I learned this from James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, and it has stuck with me for months now. Think about what this could mean to you!
"The difference between how I feel before my first set in the gym and how I feel after my first set is enormous. You don't even need a full workout (or work session, etc.) to feel good again. You are 5 minutes away from putting your day on a completely different trajectory."
So true! 💪🏻
Something I Saw:
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Wishing you many blessings this week! 😇
Robert
