The natural sleep
As humans, we spend an average of one-third of life with our eyes closed.
We sleep, we have beautiful dreams and enjoy a virtuous rest. Yet sleep is not the same as idleness. Sleep is an active process and greatly determines the quality of the waking state. Rest brings counsel, sleep gives energy. In our sleep we rest, process experiences of the previous day and recharge for the next day.
Sleep does not have to be learned.
Natural sleep is innate.
What is normal and what is not?
Not everyone sleeps like Sleeping Beauty. Three in ten adults "count sheep" while others enjoy an invigorating night's sleep. Thus, millions of people live day-in day-out in a haze of nodding off and overtiredness. Worrying numbers with disastrous consequences. Insomnia is an underestimated health problem in our hectic society.
Characteristics of normal, natural sleep:
Falling asleep easily, sleeping well through the night, waking up rested and feeling fit during the day.
How much sleep do we need ?
Sleep is a very individual and variable thing. Babies sleep 22-23 hours in a twenty-four hour period. An adult sleeps an average of 7-8 hours a night, but there are some who need only 5-6 hours. Margaret Thatcher (former Prime Minister of Great Britain), for example, boasted of needing only 4 hours of sleep per night during her premiership. She probably got enough deep sleep and REM sleep of good quality, thus requiring less transitional sleep. Older people sleep less at night -unwillingly-. With age, the quality of REM sleep and deep sleep decreases, but this need not be a problem. Older people can and do nap more often during the day. But it goes without saying that this can never compensate for the reduced quality of nighttime sleep. So how much sleep one needs has to do with age, sleep efficiency and individual circumstances and needs."
The average is between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per day, less in the elderly.
How you feel during the day is the best indicator. If you feel sleepy during the day, then you are not getting enough "good sleep."
What kind of sleep do you need?
Normally, when you sleep at night, there is a sleep pattern of alternating REM (rapid-eye-movement) and non-REM sleep. With a proper "mix" of REM and non-REM sleep, you wake up in the morning feeling refreshed.
Before 12 a.m., the non-REM sleep phase occurs, during which you sleep very deeply. During this deep sleep, the body has an opportunity to recover. A REM cycle lasts an average of 90 minutes. The second part of the night sees a lot of REM sleep. During REM sleep, we do a lot of dreaming and process experiences we have during the day.