Sleeping Patterns

Wikipedia: The optimal amount of sleep is not a meaningful concept unless the timing of that sleep is seen in relation to an individual's circadian rhythms. A person's major sleep episode is relatively inefficient and inadequate when it occurs at the "wrong" time of day. The timing is correct when the following two circadian markers occur after the middle of the sleep episode but before awakening.



What the hell does this mean? This means that sleeping on time is a good thing. By sleeping at different times everyday, you fuck up your internal clock and no matter how much sleep you get, it won't help because you will still feel tired.

I've been consistently going to bed at around 11:30 PM at night and waking up around 7:30. After weeks of doing so, I've found my own rhythm. I believe the proper number of hours you should get each night is eight hours. So sleeping any earlier will probably do more harm than good.

There are four stages of sleep, in the sleeping cycle. I believe I go through two cycles every night, because I always wake up in the middle of the night after my REM sleep, and then fall right back to sleep. I don't exactly know what time my first cycle ends, but I know its around 3-4 AM. My second cycle now ends at around 7 AM in the morning. I've found myself waking up naturally at around 7 AM.

The effect of further sleep:
On the weekends I tend to sleep a bit more because there is no class. When I wake up around 9 or 10 AM in the morning, I feel much more tired than waking up at 7 AM. Why is it so? I read somewhere that waking up in any stage before REM sleep will leave you tired and exhausted. By waking up after REM sleep, you will feel most refreshed. If you do decide to sleep more, you must wake up naturally after your cycle ends with REM, otherwise you'll feel like shit.

Conclusion:
More does not mean better. If you want adequate, quality sleep, you must have a consistent pattern. Infact, I try not to break my own pattern on the weekends either. By waking up after 7 AM, I feel less energized.