Have you ever had trouble getting assignments done or felt like there is simply not enough time in the day to complete all that needs to be completed? There may be a solution to finding a little extra time in your busy schedule and it starts by what happens at night.
About 1/3 of our lives are spent under comfy covers, in a land of dreams. This is because ever since we were little it has been drilled in our minds that 8 hours of sleep a night is necessary for a healthy morning and a healthy conscious. However, it is not necessarily the hours that you sleep, but more about the quality of the sleep itself. "About 70 to 90 minutes after falling asleep, you enter REM sleep, where dreaming occurs. Eyes move rapidly. Breathing is shallow. Heart rate and blood pressure increase. Arm and leg muscles are paralyzed." (HelpGuide) This stage is often considered one of the most important stages, allowing your body to fully repair itself and build up energy for the next day. REM sleep also is an important part of a daily routine to aid with memory and learning. So what if we could obtain REM sleep faster? Still getting a healthy dosage of REM sleep, but in less time. Researchers have been racking their brains on this thought for ages and some alternative sleep cycles have been proposed, but these are not necessarily successful. One cycle I found particularly alluring is called the "Uberman Cycle" which involves a set of 6 naps for 20-30 minuets every 4 hours in a day. As awesome as this sounds-only 3 hours of sleep compared to 8-I am a little skeptical on the accuracy of this type of cycle. First off, it would be a struggle to begin this type of sleep schedule due to the system of our society. It would also be difficult to train our bodies to shorten the stages leading up to REM sleep, in order to maximize the REM sleep that is gained from these naps. Although, appealing, these types of cycles may not fit into an already structured civilization. Still if this turns out to be a successful style for getting the shut eye I and other well deserving college students desire, then I would gladly be willing to give it a try!
For more information on this type of cycle or more like it, visit: http://www.highexistence.com/alternate-sleep-cycles/
This is great!! It’s a topic that every college student is very interested in I'm sure. The Uberman Cycle that you mentioned is something I've never heard of before so I found it very intriguing. Is there a link to more information about it that you could post? Also, it almost sounds too good to be true, I would be curious as to the studies behind it and the evidence proving its worth.