Get a good night's sleep in a short amount of time, 3 of the best Stanford-style ways to sleep

Get a good night's sleep in a short amount of time, 3 of the best Stanford-style ways to sleep

Dec 18, 2024Ehotyshamull Joy

We all know that sleep is important. However, the sleep time of people in Korea is far below the recommended time. According to OECD statistics, South Korea is one of the countries with the shortest average sleep time, along with Japan.

 

Seiji Nishino, author of The Stanford Way to Best Sleep, compares a long sleep to a fan. If sleep deprivation continues to pile up, it can come back as a major threat later on. However, the reality is that it is not possible for many people to sleep for a long time. Is there a way to get a good night's sleep even if you sleep for a short time?

 

First, the first 90 minutes after falling asleep are important

 

It is said that the quality of our sleep depends on the 90 minutes immediately after falling asleep. Sleep is divided into non-REM sleep (deep sleep) and REM sleep (light sleep), and each is repeated 4~5 times a night. We fall asleep most deeply in the first non-REM sleep that occurs immediately after falling asleep.


During this phase, most of the sleep pressure* is relieved and a lot of growth hormone is released. Growth hormone is very important not only for adolescents but also for adults because it helps to promote cell growth, metabolism, and prevent aging. After all, just getting a good night's sleep for the right 90 minutes right after falling asleep can make up for the quality of your sleep for the rest of the time.

 

Second, take a bath 90 minutes before bedtime

 

It's also a good idea to take a hot bath 90 minutes before bedtime. Normally, the temperature inside our body is about 2 degrees Celsius higher than the temperature of our skin, but when we fall asleep, the temperature inside our body decreases and the temperature of our skin rises. This is because when the temperature difference between the inside of the body and the skin decreases, sleep occurs. If you take a hot bath before bed, you can help you get a good night's sleep by creating this temperature difference.

 

But why wash before 90 minutes? Studies have shown that soaking in 40°C water for 15 minutes increases the temperature of the body by 0.5 degrees Celsius. It takes 90 minutes for the temperature to return to normal. After 90 minutes, the temperature is lower than before bathing, and the difference between the temperature of the body and the temperature of the skin decreases. Therefore, this is the best time to get a good night's sleep.

 

Third, set two bedtime alarms

 

People usually feel more refreshed when they wake up in REM sleep than when they are in non-REM sleep. This is because your physical state is more similar to when you are awake than when you are in non-REM sleep, when you are in deep sleep. In fact, experiments conducted in the 1970s showed that waking up during REM sleep improved day-to-day efficiency.

 

If you want to wake up during REM sleep, it's helpful to set two alarms. This is because the longer your body feels that it's time to wake up, the less you sleep by 20 minutes, and the longer you go into REM sleep.


However, it is important to keep the first alarm short and subtle. If you skip the first alarm when you are in non-REM sleep, you will wake up refreshed in REM sleep during the second alarm.

 



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