Some of you have probably already heard statements like “humans need eight hours of sleep,” “older people need less sleep than younger people,” or “those who take a long time to fall asleep should go to bed particularly early.” But what is behind these statements? What characterizes what is called ” healthy sleep “? And can healthy sleep improve your learning process? Before your eyes close with questions, we will provide some answers in this article.
Sleep rhythm
Let’s start with the concept of sleep rhythm. Sleep can be divided into five phases: falling asleep, light sleep, medium-deep sleep, deep sleep, and dream sleep (also called REM sleep). All these phases together form a cycle that repeats at different frequencies in each person during sleep. The sleep rhythm is nothing more than the sleep cycle combined with each person’s individual needs.
While all individuals have the same sleep cycles, they do not have the same sleep rhythm. For example, child A repeats the sleep cycle only three times during the night, while child B seven times. Since each person has their sleep rhythm, each person needs to determine how much sleep and from what time is right for them.
Healthy sleep
Healthy sleep isn’t defined by a certain number of hours or a certain time of day you go to bed. As we said earlier, sleep is an individual process, so the concept of healthy sleep is different for each of us. Answer the questions below to find out your healthy sleep rhythm:
- Determine how much sleep you need to be productive and fit during the day. Sleeping too much or too little can lead to laziness and depression. There are different approaches to determining the optimal number of hours of sleep. One of the most effective, however, is to take a three-day vacation with no obligations, go to bed when you’re tired, and get up when you first wake up. Write down the number of hours you slept and calculate the average; now you know how many hours of sleep are optimal for you.
- Determine the best time to go to bed. These are called owls and larks. People who have trouble getting up early, who are adept at hitting the snooze button, who have their peak performance around 4 p.m., and can stay awake until the early hours are called owls. Larks, on the other hand, get up early in the morning, have their peak performance between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., nd become sleepy around 10 p.m. Again, observe the times when you get tired and when you are most productive.
- Besides the times you fall asleep and wake up, a good mattress and the right pillow are also important; ask a specialist store for advice on this.
- Also, only go to bed when you are already tired. Don’t stay awake for hours in bed, it’s pointless.
- If possible, do not take naps; it disrupts your sleep rhythm.
Does age play a role?
Yes, because it’s proven that sleep patterns change from time to time. While children aged 6 to 13 need 9 to 11 hours of sleep and teenagers 8 to 10 hours, seniors aged 65 and over get by on 5 to 6 hours of sleep. It’s therefore important to always check and adapt your sleep needs to the different stages of life.
Consequences of a lack of sleep
People who suffer from sleep deprivation should expect immediate consequences, such as mood swings, difficulty concentrating, headaches, slowed reaction times, and decreased cognitive and physical performance. Persistent sleep deprivation can therefore also lead to long-term damage such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems, or dementia. Sleep deprivation is something that should be taken seriously and treated by a doctor, not by oneself.
So, what does my sleep pattern have to do with my learning process?
When we sleep, not only does our body temperature decrease, but our pulse and blood pressure also drop, our body’s muscles relax, and new processes are activated. We are particularly interested here in autophagocytosis and neurogenesis. During
Autophagocytosis, the body gets rid of used proteins and pathogens by “eating” our used cells. In addition, various substances are broken down and processed. This is a kind of recycling process in which the body repairs and cleans itself. This process takes place mainly at night, during sleep. If we do not sleep, this recycling process is prevented, and the cells therefore do not have the opportunity to clean themselves. This promotes diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease; knowledge gained from exams is not stored in long-term memory and cannot be recalled later.
Besides autophagocytosis, there is also neurogenesis. During this process, nerve cells are formed from stem cells, which still occurs in adulthood. Researchers believe that long-term memory is highly dependent on neurogenesis, which in turn depends on sleep.
Therefore, people who have to learn a lot should remember the following: the first 20 hours after learning play an important role finmemory. Those who have to study regularly should adhere to the following sequence: learn in the morning, review the essentials in the evening before going to bed, and sleep as long and deeply as possible. If you want to know more about sleep and learning, you will find a useful article on the blog: Tips for sleeping well during exams!
How to sleep better
To achieve this, it is recommended to get at least five to six hours of sleep and to have an empty stomach as much as possible.
