Sleeping, the Greatest Indulgence

Studies show that the length of sleep is not what causes us to be refreshed upon waking. The key factor is the number of complete sleep cycles we enjoy. Each sleep cycle contains five distinct phases, which exhibit different brain- wave patterns. ~Center for Applied Cognitive Studies

It was 4.30 in the morning. I looked out of the window. No one else had their lights on except me. “Congratulations,” I said to myself, “You’re the earliest one to wake up this morning!” But, no prize for that.

I brushed my teeth, took a pee and changed my clothes. Usual routine. Then, I switched on my computer and played some mp3s. Heh, it took more than self-discipline to not turn up the volume. A little reveille for everyone? Wakey, wakey! I was just wondering if it was possible to send Mr Kam from the ground floor or Mr Wong from the top floor banging on our door while still in their pyjamas.

Do I hear you say, “You’ve a lose nut!”? Maybe. I don’t wake up until 5.30 during school days. Early, but not as early as today. It wasn’t about racing to wake up before the sun or that I missed my worm for waking up so late these days when I no longer go to school. (I didn’t miss anything except the sunrise.) It was only part of an experiment – thanks to an article discovered via Lydia’s blog.

Glen Rhodes boasts of a technique that allows one to sleep better, and therefore less. It’s about quality, not quantity. I’m not sure how many advocates he has out there, but I was certain I wouldn’t want to deprive myself of sleep. When I read on, then only I realised there was more to it.

It’s about sleep cycles. Though it varies from individuals, it has an average of 90 minutes. The key is to wake up after completing a few cycles. It doesn’t matter how many cycles you complete as long as you don’t wake up in the middle of one. So, it’s important not to use an alarm clock. Okay, I tried that but couldn’t wake up early the next morning because I slept like a log!

The second thing is to be biphasic instead of being monophasic. Glen claims it’s important to take an afternoon nap. Again, one or two cycles. Don’t disrupt any sleep cycle until it’s complete. Well, no problem at that. I usually nap in the afternoon for as long as I feel like it. Is it a coincidence that it normally lasts for one and a half hours?

My latest experiment was a success, considering that I woke up without an alarm clock. I couldn’t calculate how long I slept exactly, though. I went to bed at 9.30 last night but it took me quite some time before I got to sleep. (Hey, it won’t be easy when you’ve been staying up past midnight for the previous two weeks!) I woke up from a nightmare at approximately 1.30. (Don’t expect me to divulge my dreams like somebody did!) From then till the moment I really got up, three hours lapsed. Two sleep cycles. Coincidence, again?

Unfortunately, barely three hours after waking up, I curled up snugly in my bed and began to sleep again. Hm… Cosy! Hey, blame it on the weather if you want to!

One thing for certain is, I don’t think I want to do this again.