
Long-term exposure to light at night in shift work has even been associated with an increased risk of breast and prostate cancers. It is likely that disruption of the clock contributes not only to sleep problems, but the development of depression, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease. "As our clocks are very sensitive to blue light, the use of tablets and smartphones at night can be disruptive. "Problems arise when we disrupt our clock with light at night, essentially tricking our clock into thinking it is day when it is night," Cain explains. This means that when we have computer screens and televisions and bright lights on into the evening (something 54 per cent of Australians do, according to a new survey by Koala mattresses), we confuse our SCN. A good night’s sleep consists of 5-6 complete sleep cycles. When there is less light – like at night – the SCN tells the brain to make more melatonin so you get drowsy." If you go to sleep right now, you should try to wake up at one of the following times: If you wake up at one of these times, you’ll rise in between 90-minute sleep cycles.

"Since it is located just above the optic nerves, which relay information from the eyes to the brain, the SCN receives information about incoming light. "The body's master clock, or SCN, controls the production of melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy," explains the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. There are a couple of simple ways to rest easier. This is most obvious in situations where the clock is disrupted, like in jet lag and shift work," Cain explains. Even though you got the amount of rest that health experts recommend, you likely woke up toward the end of a sleep cycle. When you are sleeping at a non-optimal time, sleep suffers. Yes, you can sleep for 8 hours and still feel tired.

If you sleep at the right biological time, you'll get optimal sleep. "Sleep quality depends very much on the timing of sleep relative to your internal clock. For starters, it's not just about REM sleep, it's about when we sleep. Trying to calculate a bedtime based on sleep cycles is problematic for several reasons. Luckily, I don't think many people would actually follow the advice."

It's potentially harmful, if the advice in that article gets around. "Sleeping an extra hour, but feeling a bit groggier when waking would most likely be better for your alertness across the waking day. Sleep Calculator Sleep Calculator to be used with the Sleep Diary. This is likely to be a temporary benefit. In REM, the brain is about as active as it is when awake, so it may feel easier to wake. "I'd definitely disagree that it is more important to wake out of REM than to get more sleep. "It is easier to wake out of REM, but the advice on when to go to bed is terrible," says Cain, a senior lecturer whose research focus is sleep and circadian rhythms.
