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The hour you go to bed doesn’t matter. You need a regular sleep schedule with enough sleep and that’s it. What people mean, without realizing it, when they say
by vimy 4y ago
The hour you go to bed doesn’t matter. You need a regular sleep schedule with enough sleep and that’s it.
What people mean, without realizing it, when they say the hours before midnight count double is that your first hours of sleep are the most important. Your sleep consists of several cycles, +- 90 minutes long. There are several stages of sleep in each cycle, deep sleep is the most important one. You are probably most familiar with the last stage, REM sleep. You get the most deep sleep in the first cycles, so in the first hours of sleeping.
But it doesn’t matter when those first hours are, the body has no concept of midnight.
- pdimitar 4y agoThat's what I want to believe but many people say that melatonin peaks in your body during these hours so you should be asleep then to maximize the positive effect. Conversely, they say if you don't sleep during these hours then you're hugely increasing your health risks. So I'm trying to figure out if they're right or not because I'm 42 and I've been a night owl since 12 and yeah, nowadays my health is quite bad and I'm busting my arse trying to fix it.
- oneoff786 4y agoWhat does the sleep schedule of a self described night owl mean
- pdimitar 4y agoThere's none -- that's the best description, because it's not happening by schedule at all. Last night, for the first time in at least two months, I fell asleep at 3:00 AM. Usually it's 5:00 - 6:00. Sometimes I sleep 4-5h and then have a huge nap -- 2.5h to 3.5h -- in the early evening. Happens for a week or two. Then I go without naps for a month. It's relatively cyclical but the periods aren't with fixed values at all. The daily hours are fairly inconsistent as well.
- oneoff786 4y agoWell that’s the issue then. You’re not getting enough sleep. And it’s not consistent.
- pdimitar 4y agoYep, but since I got a few health conditions I can no longer tell which one is the cause. Guess I'll keep going to doctors like I do lately. But I did hear from a few trainers and doctors that melatonin can be taken without prescription and is not dangerous, hence my question above. I'll ask my doctor next time about it.
- czbond 4y agoI have issues sleeping sporadically. I am a naturally hyper person - and found that if I do not make my body and/or my mind very tired, I cannot sleep deeply. So I must complete heavy workouts every 1-2 days to make my body want to sleep. Maybe start heavy exercise when you feel you're getting near that point. For me - it is a weight workout (lifting or power lifting). I can do a 1-2 hour cardio workout (or sprints) to get a similar effect.
- vimy 4y agoBecause most people are asleep during these hours, melatonin peaks when you sleep. Which for most people is 22:00 - 7:00 or something. Your circadian rhythm regulates melatonin release. Not the clock hanging on your wall. From your other comment, seems like your problem is a very inconsistent sleep pattern and not enough sleep.