1. Sleep the quality of sleep directly impacts the quality of waking life

2. How much sleep is enough? An interesting question, with not a clear cut answer. Most adults (18+) need 7.5 - 9 hours of sleep per night. Yet, due to priorities and a multitude of other factors, most people get six or seven. This results in a buildup of sleep debt.

3. Sleep debt Do you remember those hours you took away from sleeping for reasons X, Y, and Z? Your body does. And it demands repayment. Every hour you take away from sleep must be repaid. While sleeping in on the weekends may feel great while you’re in bed, it will throw off your sleep/wake cycle, and quite frankly, is not enough.

4. Removing and preventing sleep debt Aim for at least 7.5 hours of sleep a night: the key to removing debt is to not accrue more Relieve 10 hours of sleep debt with an extra one or two hours of sleep per night. Make small payments! Make sleep a priority!

5. Caffeine The relationship between caffeine and sleep is the subject of many studies. Consensus is, that while caffeine provides temporary reprieve from daytime sleepiness, caffeine any time during the day can negatively affect sleep that night, repeating the cycle the next day. Caffeine abstinence for entire days could improve sleep quality.

6. Lights lights lights Exposure to lights (like yr computer screen and cell phone) at night can suppress the natural creation of melatonin, especially lights involving exciting activities (like video games). Your body knows it’s bedtime when the lights dim.

7. Stages of Sleep Non-REM sleep Stage N1 (Transition to sleep) – This stage lasts about five minutes. Your eyes move slowly under the eyelids, muscle activity slows down, and you are easily awakened. Stage N2 (Light sleep) – This is the first stage of true sleep, lasting from 10 to 25 minutes. Your eye movement stops, heart rate slows, and body temperature decreases. Stage N3 (Deep sleep) – You’re difficult to awaken, and if you are awakened, you do not adjust immediately and often feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes. In this deepest stage of sleep, your brain waves are extremely slow. Blood flow is directed away from your brain and towards your muscles, restoring physical energy. REM sleep REM sleep (Dream sleep) – About 70 to 90 minutes after falling asleep, you enter REM sleep, where dreaming occurs. Your eyes move rapidly, your breathing shallows, and your heart rate and blood pressure increase. Also during this stage, your arm and leg muscles are paralyzed.

8. Sleep cycles Your body takes about 90 minutes to go through a full cycle of sleep. That is, through all stages of sleep. If you want to make waking up an easier process, try setting a wake up time which is a multiple of 90 minutes. That way, you will be closer to awake, in a lighter stage of sleep when you wake up.

9. Sources Lights: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20030620/nighttime-computer-users-may-lose-sleephttp://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20030620/nighttime-computer-users-may-lose-sleep Caffeine: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/268851.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/268851.php http://www.coffeeandhealth.org/research-centre/overview/caffeine-and-sleep/ Everything else: ( this was really informative to read) http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleeping.htm