Sleep for 7-8 hours each nightWe hear this recommendation day after day, night in and night out. It is important to get at least eight hours sleep each night.Normal sleep is more than just clocking in or out.It is instead characterized by quality, length, timing, and absence of disturbances or disorders.
This calculator will help you find the right time. You simply enter what time you want to wake up in the morning, and itll tell you various times you can head to bed in order toYou will feel refreshed after a set number of sleep cycles.
I want towake up at…
How The Sleep Calculator App Works
Based on your specific snooze sitch, you might want to know the best time to sleep and wake up. The calculator does it all – showing you a variety of times to fall asleep and wake up in order to achieve a certain amount of sleep cycles.
Do You Want To Go To Sleep?
Let’s take a look at what a sleep cycle is and what happens after we fall asleep. It turns out we dont just fall asleep and wake up eight hours later, with no critical happenings charging through our system (how wewish it were that simple). Instead, our bodies go through a series of waves, called sleep cycles.Five cycles are totalled, each lasting approximately 90 minutes.
These are our non-rapid eyes movement (NREM), while the fifth stage is when you enter rapid eye movement or REM sleep. Lets look a little bit more closely at each one.
NREM sleep This is more than just our eyes staying still. The name of NREM does however hint at its importance. These four stages build up intensity towards our REM Sleep. They allow the body to transition from very light sleep (Stage 1), to super deep sleep (Stage 4) across them.
- Stage 1 is the transitional phase. This is when we drift in and out consciousness.
- Stage 2 is called the light phase. This is when our heart rate slows and our core body temperature drops.
- Stage 3 is slow wave sleep. Stage 3 is slow wave sleep. Here blood pressure drops and heart rate slows further. Our breathing becomes more rhythmic and slower.
- Stage 4 is deep sleeping, which can be difficult to disrupt. Your blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing are all very low.
REM sleep:We enter a light phase of sleep at the end of our cycle. This is the time when our eyes move up and down, all around and most often when dreams occur. The levels of blood pressure, heart rate and breathing begin to rise.
- Even though this stage is the most similar to being awake, its the furthest point from wakefulness in terms of the sleep cycle. Its important to remember that we dont go from being awake to being in REM sleep; rather, we must pass through all the stages of NREM first.
Which brings us to how we actually move through the sleep cycle! Its important to note that each cycle isnt, well, cyclical. Instead, we go from being awake to stage one, two three, four, then three, two and one before entering REM sleep. This cycle, which we like to think of as more of a wave, repeats over the course of the night. Many scientists recommend going through 4-6 of these waves, which would provide six to nine hours of shut-eye (remember, each cycle is roughly 90-minutes long). This is why the length of sleep is not what causes us to feel refreshed when we wake up.The key factor is actually how many sleep cycles we get. The difference between six hours and six hours 30 minutes can be huge; you dont want to wake up in the middle of a cycle.
When To Wake Up: How Our Sleep Needs Change
As we journey through our own cycle of life, our bodies change, and we need different amounts of slumber. Heres a rough range of how much sleep we need depending on what stage of life were in, so you can use the sleep calculator based on age:
- Newborns: 14-17 hours
- Infants: 12-15 hours
- Toddlers: 11-14 hours
- Pre-Schoolers: 10- 13 hours
- School-Aged Children: 9-11 hours
- Teenagers: 8-10 hours
- Young Adults: 7-9 Hours
- Adults: Between 7-9 and 9 hours
- Older adults (65+): 7-8 Hours
Given these stats, our sleep calculator is best for adults who need up to nine hours of Zzzs. We are also developing a sleep calculator for teenagers and children, as their sleep needs vary. Keep an eye out for this!
Why Is Calculating Our Sleep Important?
It might seem counterintuitive, but its very possible to sleep for less time and feel more awake. Thats because its better to move through four full cycles (six hours of sleep) versus getting eight hours but waking up in the middle of REM sleep.
While duration is important, a 90-minute nap per night may not be enough. However, the number and quality of our sleep cycles could outweigh the hours we are getting.
All in all, calculating our sleep cycles might just be the missing link to our overall health.
Optimizing Zzzs and understanding when it is time to get up and when to go to bed could make our lives more enjoyable. This will give us more energy, reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, combat weight gain and improve our longevity. And who wouldnt want to calculate their own sleep in order to live a longer and more energized life?
