Sleep Cycle Calculator: How Much Sleep Do I Need?

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Sleep

Kirti Bhati January 8th, 2022 · 6min read

Sleep Cycle Calculator: How Much Sleep Do I Need?

Our sleep is one of the most important aspects of our health. Both too much or too little sleep can damage your physical and mental health. A sleep cycle calculator is one such thing that can help you get enough sleep during the night.

We all have heard it a million times that 7 to 8 hours of sleep is enough for us. But, Did you know the hours of sleep you require is proportional to your age?

Why Do We Need A Sleep Cycle Calculator?

Today, almost 70% of the population is sleep-deprived. Both quality and quantity of sleep is required by your body and if you don’t receive that, you’re most likely to suffer from serious consequences.

To avoid any kind of harm that not getting enough sleep can cause, we all need to learn how to calculate sleep cycle. Asleep cycle calculator will make you understand how much sleep you need and thereafter you can plan a better sleep routine.

Before we get into the details of the sleep cycle calculator, let’s understand sleep a little bit more…

What Are The Stages Of Sleep?

Our sleep can be classified into 4 stages. All these 4 stages are differentiated by the kind of rapid eye movement you have. So if you have rapid eye movement (REM) then you will be in a certain stage of sleep and if you have non-rapid eye movement (NREM) then you’ll be in another stage.

Here’s a chronological order of our stages of sleep…

Stage 1- NREM sleep

This is the initial stage where you have just gone to bed and started to fall asleep
Marked by the transition from being awake to asleep
Brain activities slow down
Eye movements, heartbeat and breathing begins to slow down
All your muscles more towards a relaxed state

Stage 2- NREM sleep

Last around 20 minutes per sleep cycle
You begin to lose awareness
Body temperature drops, eye movement stops
You heart and breathing catch a rhythm

Stage 3- NREM sleep

Slow brain waves emerge in this stage
It is the deep sleep stage
Muscles relaxed, breathing regulated and blood pressure is reduced

Stage 4- REM sleep

Last stage of your sleep
Brain activities begin
Body is relaxed but breathing is fast
Eye movement is rapid
This is the stage where you dream

How Much Sleep Do I Need?

According to experts, the amount of sleep you require is in accordance with your age. Here’s how much sleep you need according to how old you are…

Infant: 14 – 17 hours
1 – 2 years: 11 – 14 hours
3 – 5 years: 10-13 hours
6-12 years: 9-12 hours
13-18 years: 8-10 hours
18-60 years: 7-9 hours
60+ : 7-8 hours

If you still are confused about how much do you need to feel completely rested and fresh in the morning, here’s what you can do;

Firstly, ask yourself two questions: 1. Is there daytime drowsiness? And 2. Are you dependent on your morning caffeine to wake you up? If the answer to both or even one of these questions is yes, that shows you need more sleep.

Secondly, make a note of how you feel when you get various hours of sleep. For example, one day you got to sleep for 6 hours, another day for 9 hours and another for 7 hours and so on. Which day did you feel well-rested, refueled, energized and your waking up process was easy?

These are the two ways you can find out if you are not getting enough sleep and how to know how much sleep you require. Generally, a grown-up adult needs around 7-9 hours of sleep. These hours will be different for different people because of individual differences but should fall in between 7 to 9 hours.

I hope now it’s easier for you to know how much sleep you need.

How Should I Calculate My Sleep?

Calculating your sleep is really very simple, it’s no rocket science. Okay, so all you need for calculating your sleep is

Decide at what time you are supposed to wake up
You need to complete at least 5 or 6 sleep cycles while you sleep so keep that time in mind
Give yourself at least 15 to 20 minutes of time to fall asleep

That’s it!

Now, if you wish to complete 5 sleep cycles, you will need 7.5 hours of sleep. If you want to complete 6 sleep cycles you will need 9 hours of sleep.

So the equation will be wake up time – 7.5/9 hours – 15 minutes = bedtime

For example; 6 A.M. – 9 hours- 15 minutes = 8:45 P.M.

I hope now you can calculate how much sleep you need so that you don’t deplete your physical or mental health. A sleep cycle calculator is an amazing way to sort your sleep-related issues.

Signs You Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep

Sometimes we fail to understand that the reason behind our lack in performance is sleep deprivation. Not getting enough sleep can affect us in many different ways. Here are a few common signs of sleep deprivation:

Day time drowsiness
Low productivity during the day
Irritable mood all-day
The extreme change in appetite and weight
Your cognitive abilities are deteriorating
Your skin is doesn’t feel good

Also read: The 5 Stages Of Sleep Deprivation (And How To Avoid Them)

You can be sleep deprived because of some underlying illness too, for example:

Insomnia
Sleep apnea
Physical pain (chronic)
Other health conditions

It’s best to get yourself treated for mental and physical illness that affect your sleep. If you think you have insomnia or sleep apnea, I’d advise you to meet up with a mental health professional or a therapist so that you can get the help you need.

Tips To Increase Your Quality Of Sleep

Sleep is a fundamental aspect of our wellbeing. It very important that we all have a good quality of sleep and here’s how you can increase your sleep quality:

Have a proper sleep routine
Avoid taking long naps during the day
Avoid heavy meal right before bed, finish dinner at least 2 hours before your bedtime
Exercise regularly
Make you room sleep friendly; clean sheets, minimum light and controlled temperature
Avoid consuming caffeine or alcohol before your bedtime
Have a tiny meditation session right before bedtime
Be consistent in following you sleep schedule

Here are a few sleep-related blogs you might be interested in:

Thanks for reading.

Take care and stay safe!