Unlock Better Sleep with the 90-Minute Rule

Do you want to stop waking up groggy and exhausted, despite having slept a whole night?

There are clues to a tranquil and energizing sleep within your body's natural rhythm. Step into the world of the 90-Minute Rule—a simple yet powerful rule that will change your life by helping you attain a beautiful night’s sleep and make over your mornings.

Sleep isn't a continuous state of unconsciousness. In fact, it's a dynamic series of cycles that occur over the course of 90 minutes on average. These cycles take us through lighter to deeper sleep stages and eventually into the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage. Some cycles may find us lost in vivid dreams while others harbor shallow rest. But they all come together to repair our minds and bodies until the morning sun tells us it is time to arise, refreshed and rejuvenated.

Dr. Nathaniel Kleitman, the pioneer of sleep research, first discovered these ultradian rhythms in the 1950s. His work laid the foundation for understanding sleep architecture and how it impacts our daily lives [1].

The beauty of the 90-minute Rule is that it actually adheres to our natural sleep cycles. We are more awake and alive when we are revived at the end of a circular pattern. Conversely, if we get woken up by our alarm in the middle of slow-wave sleep (when, for some reason, you ignore all 4 stages and go straight there), then we usually feel groggy and disoriented — an event known as "sleep inertia".

In addition, the later phases of sleep are most crucial biologically, providing a time for our bodies to repair themselves and our minds and some flexibility in sorting through memories and processing experiences from the day. The 90-minute cycle repetition honors these essential cycles, enabling our bodies and minds to draw upon the advantages of restorative sleep fully.

So, how can you harness the power of the 90-minute Rule? Here are some practical tips:

1. Calculate your sleep cycles: Aim to sleep in multiples of 90 minutes, such as 7.5 hours (5 cycles) or 9 hours (6 cycles).
2. Plan your bedtime: Work backward from your desired wake-up time. If you need to wake up at 6:30 AM and want 7.5 hours of sleep, plan to fall asleep by 11:00 PM.
3. Create a consistent sleep schedule: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps regulate your body's internal clock.
4. Use sleep cycle calculators: Various apps and online tools (like the "Sleep Cycle") can help you determine the best times to sleep and wake based on the 90-minute Rule.
5. Listen to your body: Pay attention to when you naturally feel sleepy in the evening. This could be your body signaling the start of a new sleep cycle.

Keep in mind that while following the 90-minute Rule is a great beginning, it's just one component of excellent sleep hygiene. However, just as crucial for proper rest, and highlighted in a review of research published in Sleep Medicine Reviews, establishing a dark, cool bedroom environment and avoiding screens time and late caffeine are equally impactful for quality rest [2].

Enhance your mornings far more by improving your welfare—simply by synchronizing your sleep with your innate biological rhythms. Greater sleep is associated with enhanced cognitive function, improved emotional regulation, and a more resilient immune system [3].

Are you ready to transform your sleep and wake up feeling truly refreshed? So, let us adopt the 90-minute Rule and optimize your day by aligning your body with your Circadian Rhythms. Begin this evening by making sure your sleep conforms to 90-minute segments. Use a sleep diary to monitor how well you slept and record how rested you feel when waking up.

Your journey to better sleep begins now. Sweet dreams!

References:

1.  Kleitman, N. (1963). Sleep and Wakefulness. University of Chicago Press.

2.  Irish, L. A., et al. (2015). The role of sleep hygiene in promoting public health: A review of empirical evidence. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 22, 23-36.

3. Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner.