Getting adequate sleep every day is the #1 most important health habit.
Adequate sleep is not measured by the number of hours you sleep every night. Rather, it is measured by the number of full sleep cycles you get with each night’s sleep. The number of hours you sleep, therefore, is less important than the number of complete sleep cycles your body requires every night.
The average adult requires between four to six sleep cycles a night. Each sleep cycle is composed of five separate levels of sleep: alpha, theta, delta, rapid eye movement (REM) and then back to theta.
The first three sleep levels (alpha, delta & theta) last approximately 65 minutes. REM lasts 20 minutes and the final level of sleep, theta, lasts 5 minutes. So, each sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes.
Four sleep cycles is about six hours of sleep. Five sleep cycles is 7.5 hours of sleep and six sleep cycles is approximately nine hours of sleep.
Five sleep cycles a night, or 7.5 hours, is optimal.
Certain individuals are able to complete an entire sleep cycle in as little as sixty minutes. This is why some individuals require less sleep than others. It all depends on how many sleep cycles your body requires every night.
Why is sleep so important to good health?
Good Brain Health
Sleep improves memory, learning and allows the brain to clean its brain cells of free radicals that accumulate during the day, as the result of eating food.
The dream phase of sleep is when brain cells are bathed in neurochemicals that help consolidate learning and memories. It is also when the brain removes or deletes memories that serve no long-term purpose.
Restores Immune System
Sleep restores your immune system, which becomes depleted and overused during the day.
Blood Sugar Levels Rebalanced
During the day, the body’s glucose levels and insulin levels surge and wane. During sleep, glucose and insulin levels are rebalanced and fine-tuned in preparation for the next day.
Nourishes Gut Bacteria
During sleep, the microbiome, or bacteria inside your gut, is fed and nourished, which helps your gut bacteria flourish and grow.
Improves Cardiovascular System
During the day, blood pressure levels rise. High blood pressure damages the cardiovascular system. Sleep forces a reduction in blood pressure, restoring your cardiovascular system to a healthy state.
Good Organ Health
During the day, your organs work tirelessly to maintain all body functions. When you sleep, organs are able to rest and restore their equilibrium, teeing them up for another day of work.
If you do nothing for your health, get adequate sleep. Sleep is the most important health habit and it should be your #1 priority.
In order to become rich and successful, your body and brain must be healthy.
As one of the self-made millionaires in my Rich Habits Study said to me: “You can’t make money laying in a hospital bed.”
About Thomas C. Corley
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