Discover the mystery behind our sleep cycles in this comprehensive guide. Unearth what they are, why they matter, and how they impact your health and life.
Sleep is an essential part of our daily routine that is often overlooked.
It is a natural process that allows our body to rest and recover from the day’s activities.
What Exactly Are Sleep Cycles?
A sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes and includes two main phases: Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) and Rapid Eye Movement (REM).
The NREM phase has 3 stages including Light Sleep and Deep Sleep. Not all sleep cycles are the same length, and the average person experiences between 4 and 6 sleep cycles during 7-9 hours of sleep, [1]
Why Do These Sleep Cycles Matter?
Each stage of sleep has a unique role in making you feel rested and refreshed when you wake up. Here's why they're so important:
For Your Brain - REM Sleep is associated with dreaming and re-energizing the mind and body. It's also the time you strengthen your memory and consolidate your learnings for the day.
For Your Body - Deep Sleep is essential for physical health and recovery, This is the stage when the restorative magic happens: tissue growth, cellular repair, boosting your immune system, bone and muscle development, and energy restoration.
For Your Emotional Well-being - Do you wake up feeling like you could conquer the world some days and on others, like you've wrestled a bear? Good quality sleep keeps your emotional health in check, making you less prone to mood swings and emotional exhaustion.
Sleep Cycles, Circadian Rhythms
Sleep cycles are part of our Circadian Rhythm, which controls vital functions like body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and hormone release. [1]
NAD helps the circadian rhythm “talk” to the mitochondria in the cell, informing it on when to produce more energy (during the day) and less energy (at night when we sleep). [3]
The Link between Circadian Rhythms and NAD
Studies have shown that there is a complex relationship between NAD and circadian rhythms [2]
Low levels of NAD disrupt the circadian rhythm, which is why our body clock gets out of sync as we age. The result is our sleep becomes irregular, interrupted, we often wake feeling tired and exhausted and barely functional some days.
NAD+ also plays a key role in regulating metabolism and circadian rhythms through sirtuins. Ironically, Sirtuins need NAD to function effectively. [4]
NAD levels are also known to fluctuate during the sleep-wake cycle. Researchers speculate that NAD fluctuations during the sleep-wake cycle are reduced or missing in aged animals and humans. [4]
And finally, NAD+ levels have a strong relationship with the sleep-wake cycle and age-related diseases.
FAQs
Q1 - How many sleep cycles should I have in a night?
A - Ideally, you should aim for about 4-6 cycles per night.
Q2 - Can I control my sleep cycles?
A - Not directly, but you can adopt good sleep habits – like maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and creating a restful environment – to promote healthy sleep cycles.
Q3 - What if my sleep cycles are disrupted?
A - Consistent disruptions in your sleep cycles can lead to sleep disorders like insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness. It can also contribute to health issues like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Conclusion
Our sleep is strongly influenced by a variety of daily routines, lifestyle factors, and personal circumstances. And our sleep cycles are an essential part of our daily routine that allows our body to rest and recover from the day’s activities.
It is important to maintain healthy sleep habits by following a regular sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine before bedtime, avoiding alcohol before bedtime, avoiding large meals before bedtime, avoiding smoking before bedtime, avoiding naps during the day if possible.
If you are having trouble sleeping or experiencing other sleep-related issues like snoring or sleep apnea, it is important to speak with your doctor or a sleep specialist.
References:
[1] Siim Land. (2021). NAD and Sleep – The Best Sleep Supplement for Circadian Rhythms.
[2] NMN. (2016). NAD+ and the Sleep-Wake Cycle.
[3] Invita Cryo NYC. (2021). NAD, Sleep, Ageing and Disease: How NAD IV therapy can help turn back time on your health.
[4] Daniel C Levine (2020) NAD+ Controls Circadian Reprogramming through PER2 Nuclear Translocation to Counter Ageing
[5] Nakahata Y & Bessho Y. (2016). The Circadian Timing System: A Recent Addition in the Field of Neuroscience.
[6] Mayo Clinic Staff. (2022). Healthy Sleep Habits: Tips for Getting Better Sleep.