The Mathematical Reason You’re Not Feeling Rested In The AM
Remember when you were in high school, and you had to sit through years and years of math? And, unless you grew up with ambitions to become an engineer or a rocket scientist, you couldn’t help but grumble, “I will never use this stuff again!”
Well.
Now is your chance.
Recent research suggests that we might need a little more math when it comes to getting the best night’s sleep. In other words, the secret to better rest lies in your ability to calculate your sleep rhythms.
You need a sleep calculator (and a Dallas route delivery service).
Before you start checking the list of programs on your TI-83 (am I dating myself with that model number?), a sleep calculator is actually quite simple math that doesn’t require much calculation at all.
First, you’ll need to understand sleep patterns.
The brain goes through cycles when it sleeps. Initially, it takes an average of 14 minutes to fall asleep when you’re ready for bed. After that, you go through 90-minute sleep cycles.
Each ninety-minute interval is broken into stages. The first four stages are NREM (non-rapid eye movement), and they range from very light sleep to deep sleep. These make up the most of our sleep. Then, at the end of each cycle we shift into REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Our eyes dart up and down, side to side, but the rest of our body is paralyzed. This is where most dreams occur.
Sleep experts suggest that we need to go through five to six full 90 minute cycles each night in order to wake up rested.
So how do we know when to hit the hay in order to get those 5-6 cycles of sleep? A simple sleep calculator found for free on the web will do the trick.
The sleep calculator works by first counting backwards from the time you need to be awake. For kicks, let’s say 7 am. Count backwards 14 minutes (or 15 if you want to make the math a little easier), then count backwards by intervals of 90.
Don’t worry. You won’t be quizzed on your ability to count backwards in intervals of 90. I’ll help you out. In order to get the best night’s sleep if your wakeup call is 7 am, you need to hit the sack around 9:45.
If you miss your optimal time, it doesn’t do your body any good to go to bed soon after that. In fact, it’s better to wait an entire cycle. This means you’d feel more rested going to bed at 11:15 and waking at 7 than you would going to bed at 10:15 and waking at 7.
Contrary to popular belief, “more” isn’t always better when it comes to sleep.
Thankfully, knowing your sleep cycle can help you fall asleep at any time of day or night. This works wonders for our Dallas scheduled route couriers, who are up and at ‘em bright and early every morning. It also works for our on-demand couriers, who might have to take the overnight shift and need to know what time of day to rest in order to be awake for the evening hours.
One way you can ensure you get a good night’s rest, free from anxiety or worry, is to give your scheduled deliveries in Dallas to our Eagle Express couriers. Contact us. We’re available any time of day or night to make your daily, monthly, or weekly route deliveries or pickups.
No more early morning wake up calls. No more late night deliveries. No need to worry about getting the job done. Our Dallas scheduled route couriers will take care of all of that, delivering peace of mind on time, every time. You let us know your frequency, route, and delivery times, and we can handle the rest.