Sleep Tips

## What Is Sleep Debt?

When we go a number of days without getting enough sleep, we accumulate "sleep debt." Having sleep debt makes us less able to function when we're awake, and what's more, it poses various risks to our health.

## Can I Store Up Sleep?

Sleeping extra doesn't prevent sleep debt. It's best not to think of sleep like money in a bank—we can't store up sleep to withdraw later.

## What's the Best Amount of Sleep?

The best amount of sleep for you is however much it takes to not feel tired during the day. Try to sleep the same amount every day—even on days off.

## Short Sleepers

There are a very small number of people in the world who are known to be naturally "short sleepers"—that is, they can go without sleeping very much and still be healthy.

## We Can't Reduce Our Sleep Needs

We're either born as short sleepers or we aren't. At present, it's just about impossible for us to deliberately turn ourselves into short sleepers.

## What to Do When Short on Sleep

When we're short on sleep, getting enough sleep should be our top priority. It's recommended to save work and studies for later and focus on getting deep sleep.

## When Should I Go to Bed?

Ideally, we should go to bed at an hour when we can fall asleep easily, rather than going out of our way to match someone else's schedule.

## Morning People and Night People

People are born as early risers or night owls. It's said to be extremely hard for night people to deliberately become morning people.

## Nighttime Meals

It's best to eat dinner three to four hours before bed at the latest. Digesting our food thoroughly before sleep is important.

## Eating and Core Body Temperature

When our core body temperature drops, we get sleepy. Eating makes our internal organs start working, and that raises our core body temperature, making it harder to fall asleep.

## Why Breakfast Matters (1)

We each run on our own biological clock, and its cycle isn't exactly 24 hours. Having breakfast after we wake up resets our biological clock, so we can ideally sync up with the 24-hour day cycle.

## Social Jet Lag

If we sleep in on weekends for very long times—especially at later hours than on other days—we get "social jet lag." Not only is this detrimental to our health, it can also negatively impact how well we function when Monday comes.

## Why Do We Sleep?

It's said that one of sleep's functions is to let our brains recover from fatigue. We need sleep to give our brains time for regular upkeep.

## Body Temperature and Sleep

Having a high core body temperate makes it hard to sleep well. Taking a hot bath raises our core temperature, so a bath right before bed can make falling asleep a challenge.

## Baths and Exercise Before Bed

It's recommended to finish up activities that raise core body temperature—such as bathing and exercise—at least an hour before bed.

## Sleep Cycles

When we fall asleep, we start out dozing, then move back and forth between lighter and deeper sleep. Repetitions of these stages form what's known as sleep cycles.

## Number of Sleep Cycles

In one night's sleep, we go through roughly four to six sleep cycles.

## Length of Sleep Cycles

A single sleep cycle generally lasts around 90 minutes. But their lengths can vary from day to day, or even within the same night's sleep.

## The Deep "Slumbering" Stage (1)

Slumbering is a deep-sleep stage that's said to be crucial for reinforcing and strengthening memory.

## The Light "Snoozing" Stage (1)

In the snoozing stage of sleep, our brains may be in a state similar to being awake, even though our bodies are asleep.

## The Light "Snoozing" Stage (2)

It was recently discovered that some parts of our brains are more active in the snoozing stage than they are when we're awake!

## What Is Sleepiness?

In order to get to sleep, we need to be sleepy enough—but what exactly is sleepiness? How does it work? No one has a clear answer yet. Research into the question is ongoing.

## Sleep and Hunger

Getting to sleep can be hard when you're very hungry. It may be best to avoid eating dinner too early as well as too late.

## Careful with Caffeine

Caffeine affects the parts of our brains that are responsible for making us sleepy. It may be good to avoid caffeine starting five to six hours before you go to sleep.

## Sleep and Body Temperature

It's said that our body temperatures start to cool around the time we fall asleep, and are lowest while we're sleeping. This change in temperature is thought to be another important factor in the quality of our sleep.

## Biological Clocks (1)

Our biological clocks are what make us wake up and start functioning when the sun rises and get sleepy when night falls.

## Biological Clocks (2)

Light is essential for regulating our biological clocks. The sight of sunlight soon after we wake up is what lets our bodies know it's morning.

## Bright Light at Night

Our biological clocks are managed by a "master clock" in our brains. Seeing bright light at night throws off this master clock and interferes with sleep. It's good to keep our rooms as dark as possible when it's time for bed.

## Is Staying Up All Night Bad for Us?

It's known that the more sleep we lose, the more prone we are to making mistakes. In other words, pulling an all-nighter to cram for a test can have the opposite effect to what we intend.

## Do I Need Sleep to Grow?

Along with its other benefits, the deep sleep we get in the slumbering stage is said to be very important to growing up healthily.

## Why Do We Dream?

No one yet knows for sure why we dream. But some have suggested that it has to do with the way our brains perform maintenance on themselves in our sleep.

## How Long Kids Need to Sleep

How long we need to sleep depends on how old we are. Kids need to sleep for longer than adults do.

## What Matters Most About Sleep

In our everyday lives, we tend to get less sleep than we should. First and foremost, you should try to prioritize getting as much sleep as you need.

## Why We Roll Over in Our Sleep

If we stay in the same position the whole time we sleep, it can put strain on our bodies. Rolling over helps lighten that strain.

## Too Much Tossing and Turning

When we sleep comfortably, we don't roll over too often. If we sleep on bedding that's too soft or too hard, we roll over more often to reduce the strain on our bodies.

## The Effects of Snoring

Snoring a lot is known to make our sleep unstable. If you get the feeling you haven't been sleeping well, it may be worth looking into how much you've been snoring.

## Sleep and Seasons

The changing of the seasons seems to be a factor in how long we sleep. It's said that we sleep less when days are longer and more when days are short.

## Microsleeping

Building up lots of sleep debt can be dangerous—it may cause us to experience microsleeps, or momentary losses of consciousness. To prevent this, it's very important to sleep enough and in a consistent way every day.

## Nodding Off During the Day

If you repeatedly find yourself getting sleepy and falling asleep easily during the day, it's probably a sign that you've built up lots of sleep debt. Please try hard to get enough sleep.

## Do Dreams Come in Types, Too?

What stage of sleep we're in is known to affect what kinds of dreams we have. For example, research shows that our dreams tend to be more clearly memorable when we're dozing.

## Sleep and Inspiration

We're said to be more creative after a good night's sleep than if we'd stayed awake all night.

## Sleep and Immunity

How much sleep we get is said to be linked to our bodies' natural defenses. Some research suggests that getting less sleep can make us more prone to catching colds.

## Lights Before Bedtime

Being in too-brightly-lit places before bed can impact our sleep. Adjusting the light in our surroundings may help bring healthier sleep.

## Exhaustion and Sweet Cravings

If we don't get enough sleep, we may develop more of a sweet tooth than usual. This is said to be because lack of sleep affects the part of our brains that regulates food preferences.

## When Sleepiness Strikes Midday

If you find yourself tired during the day, taking a 15- to 20-minute nap may help. But getting enough sleep at night is best, so don't forget to focus on that.

## When Sleep is Elusive

If you have trouble falling asleep, it's better not to go to bed when you are not sleepy. It's important to do something relaxing and wait for sleepiness to set in, rather than try to force sleep.

## Warm Feet

Some studies have shown that warming up our feet can help us sleep better. A foot bath before bed may be worth a try.

## Why Breakfast Matters (2)

Eating breakfast within an hour after waking up is important for regulating our biological clocks. Even when we're busy, skipping breakfast and waiting until lunch isn't the best idea.

## Chewing Is Important, Too

Eating without chewing your food well is said to throw off your sleep cycle. That means in order to sleep well, you need to chew well, too.

## Keeping It Quiet During Sleep

Keeping your room as quiet as possible is one important factor in getting good sleep. It's said that sounds like people talking can be especially disruptive to sleep.

## Room Temperature During Sleep

When you're sleeping, try to maintain the right temperature for you all the way until morning. Being too hot or too cold isn't good for your sleep.

## Keeping the Room Dark

When going to sleep at night, it's best to be in as complete darkness as possible. If you feel unsafe, using a night light or other dim light is OK.