{"id":472,"date":"2020-08-28T08:53:11","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T08:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sleeping.guide\/?p=472"},"modified":"2023-06-20T09:05:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T13:05:31","slug":"8-hours-sleep-in-4-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sleeping.guide\/8-hours-sleep-in-4-hours\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Get 8 Hours of Sleep In 4 Hours? It Depends!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Can you imagine how much better life would be with an extra 4 hours sleep<\/a> every day?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cutting your sleep time in half would unlock just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But of course, this is a pretty crazy topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we need to get two things out of the way real quick:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. I\u2019m not a doctor. While I love researching sleep, this is not medical advice. Just researched conclusions with scientific references.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Sleep is SO fundamental to our health. Without good sleep we get tired, unable to concentrate, less happy, greater risk of illness, and that\u2019s just to start. Playing with sleep can be a fun experiment, but please don\u2019t sacrifice your happiness and well-being for it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    With that out the way, let\u2019s get into the nitty-gritty.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Can You Really Get 8 Hours of Sleep Within 4 Hours?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The short answer? No!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The long answer? <\/strong>Sort of\u2026 but this is long-winded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Summary: <\/strong>There\u2019s no way to sleep \u2018faster\u2019 \u2013 especially not at double speed. However, you can<\/em> do a lot of things to make you sleep much better<\/u>. Having a higher quality sleep means you need less of it to feel refreshed. 4 hours of high-quality sleep would arguably give the same benefits as 8 hours of poor sleep.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    By massively increasing the quality of your sleep, you\u2019ll need less time in bed and feel much more refreshed and active because of it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How Do You Sleep \u2018Better\u2019?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Thankfully, this is a very well understood question.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While science still doesn\u2019t fully understand what\u2019s going on during sleep<\/a>, we have proven many factors which aid in sleep onset and quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve listed these factors out below. If you can improve these in your own life, your quality of sleep will naturally rise as surely as the sun does. By increasing the quality of your sleep, you\u2019ll find you need much less time in bed to feel refreshed in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1: Nail Your Sleep Cycles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Have you ever woken up feeling suuuper<\/em> groggy, and like you need to force yourself just to get out of bed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Me too. Now, have you also woken up like it\u2019s the most natural thing in the world, jumped out of bed and ready to take on the day? (Even if it\u2019s only happened a few times!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The main difference between zombie-mode and being ready to go is because of our sleep cycles.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We all vary through different stages of sleep throughout the night \u2013 from lighter to deeper sleep. The jump from sleep to wakefulness can come with what\u2019s called Sleep Inertia. This is a name for the level of grogginess we experience with still being half asleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As you can imagine, being forced from a deep sleep by a blaringly loud alarm results in a ton of sleep inertia. In other words, zombie-mode.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Alternatively being gently awoken by sunlight when you\u2019re in a shallow sleep cycle is a much<\/em> easier transition. There\u2019s almost no sleep inertia, which is why you\u2019re so ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How can we make sure we wake up in a light sleep cycle?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is actually quite straightforward. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Sleep in cycles. <\/strong>We all sleep in 90 minute cycles from shallow to deep sleep and back.<\/a> Aim to wake up in a 90 minute increment from when you fall asleep (ie 11.30pm->7.00am = 7.5 hours or 5 cycles). Or, if trying to switch 8 hours for hours, aim for 4.5 hours instead (3 cycles).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Use a Sleep App.<\/strong> This can be as simple as using an app like \u2018Calm\u2019 on a phone next to your bed, or as high-tech as wearing a smart watch or fitness ring. These trackers can tell what stage of sleep you\u2019re in (through your breathing and movement) and attempt to wake you up<\/a> in a half hour window when you\u2019re at your lightest sleep stage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Use a Waking Light.<\/strong> The #1 signal our bodies use in the morning is light. While we can\u2019t all have skylight windows and sunny days, using a waking light makes a huge<\/em> difference to prepare you for waking up. Personally, I use the Lumie Bodyclock light \u2013 which slowly lights up to super bright in the 30 minutes before you wake up. It honestly makes a huge difference.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Sleep regularly.<\/strong> Waking up at the same time every day will prime your body to be ready for it. As long as you\u2019ve had a good amount of sleep, you\u2019ll be more than ready to wake up when the time comes. Of course, this works much better when you\u2019re getting 8 hours, but keeping the same time when getting odd night of 4 hours sleep will help.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      2: Nail Your Sleep Environment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      I\u2019m sure we all know the difference between trying to sleep in heat, noise, and bright lights versus a cool, quiet, and dark bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Aside from a comfortable mattress, your actual environment can be focused down into three important factors. These are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n