Sleep experts weigh in on the best time to snooze
Posted by staff / November 21, 2016
Are all eight-hour stretches of sleep created equal?
Unfortunately not, according to leading sleep experts, and third-shift workers are perpetually getting a raw deal.
What we know is that cycles of non-REM and REM sleep appear to occur in ninety-minute cycles, but the ratios of the more restorative non-REM sleep and the sleep we associate with dreaming vary depending on the time at which these cycles occur.
The shift from non-REM to REM sleep happens at certain times of the night regardless of when you go to bed, [Dr. Matt Walker, head of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab at the University of California, Berkeley] says. So if you hit the sack very late—at, say, 3 AM—your sleep will tilt toward lighter, REM-heavy sleep. And that reduction in deep, restorative sleep may leave you groggy and blunt-minded the next day.
It isn’t just a matter of feeling tired the next day, though; those short on restorative sleep for long periods show marked cognitive decline over time.
The optimal time to go to sleep is when you feel tired, preferably between 8PM and 12AM to accommodate both early birds and night owls. We know that’s not much help to everyone who has to take the late shift, but if you don’t, make the most of it.
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Yea. Though it is good to sleep when tired, aside that, for me personally 8pm is early. I prefer from 11pm upwards