So, while you think you can follow your sleep cycle consistently enough to get the ultimate amount of rest, no two nights are alike. But because of things like indoor lighting, mandatory work hours, and the invention of coffee, we began to lose this concept in the modern era. After a lot of scientific and historical research, scientists found that it was normal-in fact, healthy-for individuals to have two distinct sleeps. Despite placing subjects in total darkness for 14 hours, he discovered that they would consistently wake up in the middle of the night for a couple hours before going back to sleep. In the 1900s, psychiatrist Thomas Wehr conducted a test to track sleep patterns. In fact, studies show that a typical eight-hour night isnвЂ™t even completely natural. For one thing, nobody has a вЂњtextbook perfectвЂќ sleep cycle every night. Because like anything, no solution is that simple.ДЄn article from Psychology Today explains the (many) flaws in these trackers. So, does planning your schedule actually work? Are these apps or alarm clocks worth a shot? Most importantly, will I always feel this good if I just wake up at the right time?

When I woke up feeling surprisingly awake, I instantly downloaded a sleep cycle app on my phone to see what I was missing (I used the Sleepytime Scheduler for iPhones, but thereвЂ™s also a SleepyTime Calculator for Androids and, my favorite, a website). Based on this, your best bet for waking up rested is to not to have your alarm go off during the later stages.Д«ut all facts aside, this is a pretty complicated process to think about and plan around. Finally, you fall into a deep slumber (stage three), also known by scientists as slow-wave sleep, which then leads you to dream (REM). Then, you eventually settle into sleep (stage two), which is when your heartbeat begins to slow and your temperature drops. To break that down even further, you start by falling asleep (stage one), which can take anywhere from one to 14 minutes-or longer or shorter if you happen to be stressed, distracted, intoxicated, caffeinated, or uncomfortable. In the course of one night, itвЂ™s common to go through four stages throughout the night: three non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stages, followed by a shorter REM period-over and over again until you wake up.

IвЂ™d gone to bed late-later than I wanted or could afford-and was terrified I would be exhausted, cranky, and not in any mood to produce awesome, creative, or even satisfactory work the next day.Д«ut lo and behold, when my alarm went off, I felt amazing! So immediately I had to wonder, why? Why today of all days? Last Monday, I had one of those godly morning experiences.