Quantity isn't quality. You can spend 9 hours in bed, but if you aren't cycling through the stages of sleep correctly, you'll wake up feeling like you haven't slept at all.
The 4 Stages of Sleep
A typical sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes and repeats 4-6 times a night.
- NREM Stage 1: Light sleep. You drift in and out.
- NREM Stage 2: Body temperature drops, heart rate slows. You spend ~50% of your night here.
- NREM Stage 3 (Deep Sleep): The most restorative stage. This is when your body repairs tissue and strengthens the immune system.
- REM (Rapid Eye Movement): The dreaming stage. Crucial for memory, learning, and emotional processing.
Why You Feel Tired
If your sleep is fragmented—meaning you wake up frequently—you might never reach Deep Sleep or REM.
Common culprits include:
- Alcohol: It helps you fall asleep but blocks REM sleep.
- Sleep Apnea: Micro-awakenings that interrupt cycles.
- Medication: Some standard sleeping pills increase Stage 2 sleep but suppress Deep Sleep.
Restoring the Architecture
The goal of modern insomnia treatment isn't just "unconsciousness"—it's restoring natural sleep architecture. Plant-based therapies are being researched for their potential to help patients stay asleep without severely disrupting natural sleep stages.
If you're getting the hours but not the rest, it's time to look deeper. Book a consult to discuss how to improve your sleep quality, not just quantity.