Stop Obsessing Over 8 Hours: How R90 Sleep Method Changed My Life
We've been taught since childhood: "You must get 8 hours of sleep." But have you ever slept for a full 8 hours only to wake up feeling groggy? Or sometimes slept just 6 hours and felt energetic?
It's not you; it's the "8-hour rule" that's too crude.
Nick Littlehales, the sleep coach for Manchester United, proposed the R90 Sleep Recovery Program, which completely overturns this traditional concept.
What is R90?
The core of R90 is: Sleep is calculated in cycles, not hours.
A complete sleep cycle is approximately 90 minutes. During this cycle, you go through Non-REM (light, deep) sleep and REM (dreaming) sleep.
If your alarm jolts you awake during deep sleep, you experience "sleep inertia" and feel exhausted. But if you wake up at the end of a cycle (light sleep), even with less total time, you'll feel refreshed.
Aim for 35 Cycles a Week
R90 suggests planning sleep on a weekly basis.
- Ideal: 5 cycles per day (5 x 90 mins = 7.5 hours).
- Weekly Goal: 5 cycles x 7 days = 35 cycles.
If you miss a cycle one night (sleeping only 4 cycles, 6 hours), don't panic! Just make up for it later in the week with a controlled nap (30 or 90 mins) or an extra cycle another night. Aim for roughly 35 cycles a week.
How to Start?
- Fix Your Wake-Up Time: This is your anchor. Do not change it.
- Count Backwards: Calculate your bedtime based on how many cycles you want. E.g., if you wake at 7:00 AM and want 5 cycles, you should aim to sleep at 11:30 PM.
- Buffer Time: Going to bed doesn't mean falling asleep instantly. Allow 15-20 mins to wind down.
Use a Tool
To make tracking easier, I developed the R90 Sleep App.
It helps you:
- Automatically calculate the best sleep/wake windows.
- Track weekly cycles instead of stressing over daily hours.
- Integrate with HealthKit to analyze sleep quality.
Stop being a slave to the clock and start listening to your body. Try R90 tonight.
