How long is each sleep cycle?

From what I've read and experienced, a typical sleep cycle is around 90 minutes. I usually feel most refreshed if I wake up at the end of one of these cycles, rather than in the middle. It's interesting how the body works, but I'm no expert, just my observation.

I always wonder about this because I feel so groggy sometimes even after sleeping a lot. Is it true that each sleep cycle is around 90 minutes? I read that somewhere, but then sometimes I wake up feeling so tired even after 6 hours. Does anyone else feel like they never complete enough cycles?

It's completely normal to be curious about sleep, especially when you're trying to optimize your health. A typical sleep cycle generally lasts around 90 minutes, moving through different stages from light to deep sleep, and then REM sleep. We usually go through about 4-6 such cycles a night. Understanding this can actually help reduce some of the anxiety around sleep if you feel like you're not getting enough quality rest.

My sleep tracker app tells me that a full sleep cycle, including all stages from light sleep to REM, averages about 90 minutes. So, if you aim for 7-8 hours of sleep, you're usually completing 4-5 full cycles. It's pretty cool to see the data on how consistent your cycles are. Helps with feeling more rested!