People often tell me that their early morning sleep, from about 3 or 4 a.m. until waking, is not as deep and continuous as they would like. They wonder if that might detract from the overall restfulness of their sleep.
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There's a reason why so many people experience this. Our early morning sleep is mostly shallow, "Stage 2" sleep. Stage 2 is light sleep that may include some degree of cognitive activity—dim thoughts, feelings, and perceptions—that are easily taken for wakefulness. The remainder is mostly REM, or dreaming sleep. And yes, early morning sleep brings some brief awakenings, during which the gates of perception open to stimuli from the outside world.
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As a result, the subjective experience of early morning sleep can be one of restlessly drifting between waking, sleep, and dreams. You may find yourself asking, am I asleep or awake? What do I do now? Do I continue to lie here? Or do I get up and start my day? Here are my ideas on the subject.
First, keep in mind that your brain needs early morning sleep. Recent sleep research suggests that your sleeping brain performs indispensable administrative tasks during early morning sleep—consolidating memories and skills learned during the preceding day, recharging your emotional faculties, and more. So early morning sleep might help you be the smartest, most emotionally grounded person you can be.
Second, why not cultivate an attitude of gracious acceptance and appreciation toward early morning sleep, as it is? Sure, it may not conform to your mental image of "perfect" sleep, but it truly is perfect from the point of view of your brain and its needs. Once you find yourself in that sleepy, dreamy, drifty landscape of early morning sleep, why not just relax and enjoy the scenery? In joyful repose, you are receiving all the benefits of sleep as nature meant it.
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