90-Minute Sleep Cycle – Try This Amazing Wake Up Hack For This Week

Believe me or not, you all will agree that we are in an endless, undying relationship with sleep. A quick solution to every problem? SLEEP. Isn’t it?

Like every other person on this globe, you might sleep for 8 hours during the night and have studied everywhere about how essential 8 hours of sleep is. But the trouble arises when we wake up, most of us are not able to get out of bed even after completing eight hours of sleep. Ever wondered about a solution to this problem. I don’t think we do, because we assume it a common phenomenon and do not give it attention.

Well, getting proper sleep and waking up fresh with enthusiasm is all we need in our 20s. It is basically a priority because we are either studying or in a phase of life where we need to build a lot of stuff for the future, and we cannot afford to roam around with groggy, sleepy eyes throughout the day.

Do You know a lack of sleep causes major predicaments? Yes, not getting enough sleep is linked to depression, anxiety in a lot of scientific studies. When it comes to sleeping patterns, a variety of trends keep popping out lately like wearing socks while sleeping, best sleeping position, direction, and whatnot.

The 90-minute sleep cycle is tested and tried by many athletes which give you an idea of what it does to your brain functioning and overall boosting in your body.

Let me save your time and answer the most frequently asked questions on the 90-minute sleep cycle and how it can be beneficial for you to switch between the normal pattern to the 90-minute sleep cycle.

What is the 90-Minute Sleep Cycle?

Although people say that it’s new and trending now but you have to know that the idea of the 90-minute sleep cycle has been revolving around since 1968.

A 90-minute sleep routine is all about waking up after you have had numerous sleeping cycles or patterns of 90-minutes given that you wake at the same time every morning without having many changes in your routine and sleep cycle. This ensures quality sleep along with the achievement of REM (Rapid Eye Movement). It has significant positive effects on your health. Your brain is said to produce delta waves and our body repair and restores itself along with positive hormonal changes in the body.

Ernest Hartmann, MD described the 90-minute sleep cycle as a basic or general 90-minute cycle of our night’s sleep and is determined by electroencephalogram and REM criteria. The language is quite complex to understand in general.

When we study the usual criteria of sleep like REM, amount of sleep, number of awakenings at night, and dream time, Ernest Hartmann found about the D-time or D-period which refers to dreaming time. He was able to know that D-period occurs after every 90 minutes at night.

Author of “Sleep” and elite coach of sports Nick Littlehales, mentioned that the time 90 minutes is the time a person requires under clinical circumstances to pass through various phases of sleep which constitutes a sleep cycle. Let’s study what are the different stages of the 90-minutes sleep cycle to incorporate it.

90 Minute Sleep Cycle Stages

If you’re here reading this informative piece of information, I am sure you might have heard about different stages of sleep by now. Wondered what are these? Sleep is just sleeping, where do stages come from we are not even conscious fully at that period, these might be thoughts roaming around in your brain right now.

In reality our brain functions throughout the time we sleep too. After the invention of the electroencephalogram, various scientists are able to have a keen study of sleeping patterns that were not possible previously. Study of the sleeping pattern established that our sleep proceeds in phases or stages in which our brain displays different brain wave patterns.

Mainly the sleep cycle can be bifurcated into 2 main types:

1. NREM or Non-Rapid Eye Movement (quiet sleep) can be further divided into 3 stages.
2. REM stage or Rapid Eye Movement stage (active sleep)

You have noticed that while entering sleep you are active as during this time your brain is comparatively alert and produces fast and small waves known as Beta Waves.

As we fall a little deeper into sleep, our brain starts to relax producing alpha waves which are slower than beta waves. This is the time when you start facing sensations called Hypnagogic Hallucinations (You might have experienced that you’re falling off a cliff or any place, or hearing people call your name). This is pretty common and most of us have gone through this regularly.

Another similar phenomenon is Myoclonic Jerk. For instance, you might have seen some people or you yourself startled suddenly while sleeping for no evident reason. It might be a little unusual for many of us but it is very common.

Let me tell you about each stage of NREM and REM in brief.

NREM Stage 1

This step is when your sleep cycle begins. It is comparatively light. In simple words, you can call it a stage between sleep and wakefulness.

During this stage, theta waves having high amplitude are produced by the brain. These waves are slow and it lasts for as long as 10 minutes. If you try to wake someone at this stage, he or she might tell you that they were not asleep and just lying down.

NREM Stage 2

Approaching this stage of sleep your body tends to be less aware of everything that surrounds you, and an unnoticeable fall in body temperature occurs, and your heart rate along with breathing becomes regular than the time you were awake.

This period lasts for as long as 20 minutes. Your brain starts to produce sleep spindles which refer to a rhythmic and rapid burst of waves. As studies by the American Sleep Foundation, you spend 50% of your total time of sleep in this particular stage.

NREM Stage 3

This stage previously had 2 bifurcations which later merged as stage 3. The waves your brain releases during this stage are delta waves therefore this stage is also referred to as the Delta stage by many researchers.

Your muscles relax, breathing rate, and blood pressure drop at this stage.

At this stage of sleep, you become less aware and responsive about the noises and other activities taking place in your surroundings which means whatever may happen, your brain will not let you generate a response and your body fails to react unless stimuli are of a higher order.

You may call it a transition stage between deep sleep and light sleep. As a kid, you might have done bed-wetting. It is believed that this is the stage when bed-wetting occurred. Not only bed-wetting, but sleepwalking also occurs and is common at this stage. Although, it is not fully established as some believe that it may occur anytime.

REM Stage

The dream time. At this stage your brain becomes preferably active, your body becomes immobilized and relaxed, eyes start moving rapidly, and you start dreaming.

This stage is also characterized by movement in the eyes, an increase in breathing rate, and brain activity. It is suggested that you spend 20% of your sleep time at this stage when you dream.

It is also known as paradoxical sleep. This is because at this stage brain works actively while the other parts of the body like the muscles are immobilized. It is not necessary that sleep occurs in these stages respectively, after stage 3, our sleep goes to stage 2 again and the REM stage comes into play. The human body is mysterious.

How To Incorporate 90-Minute Sleep Cycle In Your Routine

After having read so many things about the 90-minute sleep cycle, you might be wondering where to start and how to introduce this sleep style in your routine. Well, it is not as difficult as it seems.

First thing is to decide a time you want to wake up every day without changes in your routine and then set an alarm 90 minutes before that time and snooze the alarm to sleep for 90 minutes which helps you recover from the sleep and keeps in your table a day full of enthusiasm and energy to carry out all the activities efficiently. For example, you have an office timing of 8 A.M, so you will set an alarm of 6:30 A.M (90 Minutes prior to 8 a.m). After waking up you just have to snooze your alarm for 90 minutes and see the results within few days.

It’s not crucial to sleep at the same time as there are deadlines and parties, but make sure you do not change the time you wake up frequently.

Some Frequently Asked Questions On 90-Minute Sleep Cycle

1. At night, do we wake up daily after 90-minutes of sleep?

The answer to this question is YES! we do wake up but no one actually remembers it as it occurs for a few seconds. You might remember waking up once, not always.

2. Is it really important to wake up at the same time every day in the morning during the 90-minute sleep cycle?

It is very Vital. Waking up at the same time is important, although you do not have to necessarily sleep at the same time.

3. What will be the consequences if I wake up earlier than my 90-minute sleep cycle?

You are likely to fall asleep and feel groggy throughout your day. Try to avoid it if you are deciding to follow the 90-minute sleep cycle routine.

4. Do the cycle remain the same throughout the night when one sleeps?

Not necessarily, each cycle varies. On days it may be light while on other days it could be intense. You should prioritize deep sleep in the first few cycles by waking up at the same time.

While you are looking for mastering the art of sleeping in the 90-minute sleep cycle, make sure you sleep in a position that your body fits best in. Sleep postures and positions are also very important for good sleep and an energetic morning the next day you wake up. For instance, if you sleep on your back, place a small pillow underneath your knees. This will reduce the stress of the sping and maintain the natural curve of your back.

Note that different positions of sleeping and sleep routines work differently from person to person.

Have fun Sleeping correctly!