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Posted by Brian on February 10, 1998 at 05:31:23:In Reply to: How much sleep is enough? posted by Kirk Moren on February 09, 1998 at 11:32:20:
To: kirkmo@us.ibm.com
Hi Kirk,
Normal adult circadian cycles regulate us at about eight or so hours of sleep a night. Usually this sleep consists of four to six cycles of descending and ascending sleep stages separated by periods of stage REM sleep. Typically, the first REM period occurs 70 to 120 minutes after sleep onset, and lasts ten minutes or so, after which REM periods become progressively longer, (and "shallower,") and are separated by periods of non-rem sleep lasting about 90 min. each.
As sleep is, in large part, a physiologic activity in which the body physically restores and neurologically recalibrates itself, sleep which is reduced, by disorder or intent, to less than optimal levels will take its toll on the cognitive and physical performance of the individual, evidenced by fatigue, hypersomnolence, memory loss, irritability, and other symptoms. So while one might "adjust" to shorter sleep time, if the reduction is to a degree less than that person's sleep requirement, he or she will pay a price for that extra wake time in decreased overall wellness.
Waking after a period of sleep usually occurs during a REM period, and we are happiest when it does. Waking out of stage three or four sleep is more difficult, and likely to take longer for the person to achieve full physical and psychological wakefullness.
Determining any individual's sleep need (or minimum requirement)impirically requires impirical methodologies, i.e. testing, and such determinations will be dependent upon numerous factors including genetic history, age, sex, weight, general health, etc..
Sleep paralysis occurs as a natural part of the REM stage, which keeps us from acting out our dreams, but can also occur abbarently as a component of disordered sleep. If an individual suffers from pathological sleep paralysis, he/she is well advised to have the problem clinically evaluated.
Thanks for the opportunity to comment, hope this helps.
Brian
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