| Short Sleep Primer - Sleep |
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| General |
| Sleep is a regularly occurring, psychological state of recovery. This rebuilding and regeneration is an essential part of life. Healthy human beings adjust more or less automatically to a 24-hour cycle and the time they devote to sleep remains fairly constant. Some people need less sleep; others need more. |
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| Sleep requirements |
| Age influences the amount of sleep we need, as the following figures illustrate: Baby: 18 - 20 hours Adolescent: 8 - 9 hours Adult: 6 - 8 hours Pensioner: 6 hours (plus several naps in between) |
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| Sleep patterns |
| A sleep pattern shows the way our sleep progresses during the night. It includes alternating periods of waking and sleeping. The sleep pattern of a young person is different to that of an older person. Young people can fall asleep quite quickly. They wake up once in the middle of the night and again briefly towards morning before they awake properly. Many older people find it takes them longer to get to sleep, and they experience several extended periods of being awake during the night. It is fair to say that the older you get the more frequent and more extended these waking periods are during the sleep cycle. This development is normal and is not a health problem. |
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| The phases of sleep |
| Phase 1: Sleep onset phase Semi-conscious state between waking and light sleep Phase 2: Light sleep Consciousness is "switched off", the muscles relax. Phase 3: Onset of deep sleep Sleep becomes deeper Phase 4: Deep sleep Sleep now reaches its deepest phase and after 20-30 minutes, sleep activity progresses backwards through phases 3 and 2. Phases 1 to 4 are called SEM (slow eye movements). Phase 5: REM Sleep (REM = rapid eye movements) Rapid eye movements take place beneath the eyelids. Dreams frequently occur during this phase and it is difficult to wake the sleeping person. The muscles are powerless. Everyone goes through these stages several times during the night. A sleep cycle lasts for about 90 minutes. |
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| Aids to sleep |
| - A supply of fresh air - Pleasant room temperature (between 17° and 21° C depending on the individual) - Darkness - Comfortable resting position (the right bed) - Radio/TV switched off (not on standby) - Taking a warm bath and relaxing (with lavender oil, for example) - Warm drink before bedtime (for example, orange blossom tea, vervain, milk with honey) - Preparing a list of things to do next day - Being active throughout the day - Positive thinking: imagining a pleasant situation - Consciously breathing in and out 10 to 20 times - See also the "Bedroom" section |
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| Sleep inhibitors |
| - Annoying noises or lights - Temperature too high or low - Uncomfortable bed - Electromagnetic smog - A full bladder - Anxiety, worry, quarrelling - Coffee, alcohol during the evening - Heavy meals - Nothing or too little eaten during the evening (feeling hungry during the night) - Disturbance of the day/night rhythm (too little activity during the day) - See also the "Bedroom" section - See also the "Interference Field" section |
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| Books on the subject |
| Comprendre et retrouver le sommeil Dr. Gilbert Glady ISBN 2-7372-4512-5 Avoir un bon sommeil W.C. Dement & C. Vaughan ISBN 2.7381.0899.7 The Promise of Sleep W.C. Dement & C. Vaughan ISBN 3-404-60500-4 |
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| Websites on the subject |
| www.m-ww.de/gesund_leben www.medinfo.de/kopfundseele www.sommeilsante.asso.fr www.doctissimo.fr |
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