What is sleep?

Sleep according to Wikipedia is a naturally recurring state of mind and body, characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and reduced interactions with surroundings. This simply means the body is in a temporary state of rest, and an individual is unaware of his surrounding.

Types of Sleep

There are two basic types of sleep, REM sleep and non-REM sleep. REM sleep is Rapid Eye Movement sleep and this usually happens when you have slept for over a hour, in the REM sleep this is when you have dreams you remember. In the REM stage your sleep is not deep and your muscles are temporarily, sleep paralysis and vivid dreams usually occurs in the REM stage. There are some other notables development during the REM sleep like Faster breathing, Increased heart rate and erections.

non-REM is you in deep sleep, this is comprised of stages, and in this stages you have experiences such as sleeping for hours and having the feeling of not sleep at all, Hypnic jerks, and momentary disorientation after you wake. This stage is also responsible for your muscles and tissues repair.

Importance of sleep

In S1, I covered most of the reasons why you should sleep enough, here is a list of them.

• Recovery and Regeneration.
• Memory formation.
• Improved brain functions.
• Reduces the stress levels in the body.
• Reduces mental issues.
• Reduces risk of having cardiovascular issues.

Factors and conditions affecting a good sleep;

• Insomnia - This is a medical condition where people have sleep disorders and are unable to sleep at night, I would advise seeing a professional.
• Smoking - Chain smokers usually have less REM sleep due to the withdrawal from nicotine when they are asleep.
• Lighting - Lights have been known to have effects on how sleep and dreams.
• Medications - Some type of medicines would affect your sleep and make you unable to get enough rest at night.

Some other terms related to sleep

• Sleep debt - When you have slept well in a long time, your body becomes worn out and really stressed. Sleep debt can not be paid at once, You would have to pay it over a period of time to return to peak self.
• Sleep disorders- This are anomalies that causes one to have sleeping issues.
• Sleep deprivations- This is not getting the right amount of sleep needed for your body to function.(This a leading cause in road are airways accident).

Healthy sleeping habits to follow

• Making Sure you don't use your electronic devices 30 mins before bed.
• Exercising during the day.
• Avoid caffeine, smoking and drugs.
• Take naps only early in the day and for short time.
• Make sure you sleep in a very clean environment.

How much sleep do you really need to reach peak performance?

Well, I would be a professional to be able to determine the right amount although doctors recommend 8 hours of sleep everyday, Elon Musk sleeps about 6 Hours everyday, Christiano Ronaldo sleeps for 90 minutes, 5 times a day, this method of sleeping has helped him remain in peak form for years. We can deduce sleeping an average of 7 hours and taking short naps is very healthy for the body. You might think less sleep equals less productivity and you would be right to think so but men like Nikola Tesla and Leonardo da Vinci slept less than 3 hours everyday, and history would agree they were one of the most productive and greatest creators of all-time, how were they able to achieve maximum productivity with so little sleep, they used a technique called the Uberman sleep cycle this technique applies a principle of evenly spaced six 20 minutes naps across 24 hours totaling 2 hours. I would not advice this but it wont hurt to try out different methods of sleep for 3 days to pick what sleeping pattern works out best for you. Note: Kids are advised 11- 16 hours of sleep, teenagers/students 9 hours, adults 8 hours(less in some and more in some adults).

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                                Your friendly neighborhood Super-developer.