We’ve all experienced this. You are having a beautiful dream. Perhaps you are flying. As you fly through the air, you will meet an eagle. When the eagle sees you, it opens its beak and – beep! beep! beep!
An alarm sounds. No more dreaming, it’s time to wake up.
Many people, both children and adults, find that when they wake up naturally, they feel more alert than when they are woken by an alarm or by someone else, such as a parent. Why is that so?
I am a neurologist A person who studies the brain, especially what happens in the brain when we sleep. We also care for children and adults who have trouble sleeping and would like to sleep better. My research includes working with parents to help them teach their children good sleep habits.
To understand how to sleep better and why waking up naturally can help you feel alert, you first need to understand your sleep cycle.
sleep cycle
that sleep to give It consists of 4 stages. One of them is REM, which stands for rapid eye movement. The remaining three are non-REM stages. The first place you go when you fall asleep situation drowsiness This is called non-REM stage 1.
This is followed by deeper sleep stages called non-REM stages 2 and 3. Each stage of non-REM is deeper than the previous one. Then, about 90 minutes after you first fall asleep, you enter the fourth stage, REM sleep. This is the light stage of sleep where you dream a lot. After a few minutes, you return to non-REM sleep.
(Credit: The Conversation, CC BY) The four stages of the sleep cycle.
These cycles repeat throughout the night, with most people experiencing four to six cycles of non-REM sleep alternating with REM sleep each night. As the night progresses, the cycle becomes less non-REM sleep and more REM sleep. That’s why it’s important to get enough sleep to keep your body healthy. enough for both REM sleep and non-REM sleep.
REM vs. non-REM sleep
How do researchers like me know whether a person is in non-REM sleep or REM sleep? A sleep lab can tell through brain waves, eye movements, and tension in muscles such as the jaw. This is measured by placing sensors called electrodes on the scalp, around the eyes, and on the chin.
These electrodes capture a variety of brain activity, from low amplitude (higher waves) and relatively fast waves to higher amplitudes (larger waves) and relatively slow waves. When we are awake, waves are low and move relatively quickly. In contrast, during sleep the waves become higher and slower.
Non-REM stage 3 has the highest and slowest waves of all sleep stages. In REM sleep, brain waves have low amplitude and are relatively fast, and eye movements are also fast. Both non-REM and REM phases are necessary for a healthy brain. so they can learn and remember.
wake up naturally
When you wake up on your own in the morning, it is usually at the end of the sleep phase. Think of it like getting off a train when it stops at the station. But when an alarm or someone else wakes you up, it’s like jumping off a train between stops and you may feel shaken. That’s why it’s best to let it happen naturally if possible.
People can actually train their brains to wake up at consistent times each day, which is their natural stopping point. In the brain 24 hours inside clock This dictates when you first begin to feel drowsy and when you wake up. This is related to ours circadian rhythm.
You can regulate your circadian rhythm so that you wake up naturally every morning.
Train your brain to wake up at a certain time
First, it is important to go to bed at a consistent time to ensure you get enough sleep. Staying up too late doing homework or looking at your phone can prevent you from getting enough sleep and can make you dependent on alarms or parents to wake you up.
Other things that can help you fall asleep at a healthy time include getting physical activity during the day; Avoid coffee, soda, and other beverages or foods containing caffeine. While physical activity increases brain chemicals that make it easier to fall asleep, caffeine does the opposite and keeps you awake.
Second, what you need to know light in your environment. too late evening lightAnything, including screens, can interfere with the brain’s ability to produce information. called chemicals melatonin It promotes sleep. However, you need to be exposed to light when you wake up in the morning.
Morning sunlight helps synchronize, or align, your circadian rhythm with the outside world, making it easier to fall asleep at night. The easiest way is to open the shades or curtains in your room. In the winter, some people use light boxes to simulate sunlight, which helps get into rhythm.
Benefits of a good night’s sleep
Good sleep habits include keeping a consistent bedtime and wake-up time and getting enough sleep on a regular basis. What it usually means is This is 9 to 11 hours for school-age children who are not yet teenagers, and 8 to 10 hours for teenagers.
This will help you do your best learn at school, feel betterhelp stay healthy weight, promote and many other aspects of health.
Beth Ann Malow is a professor of neurology and pediatrics at Vanderbilt University. This article is republished from: conversation below Creative Commons License. read original article.
