Our Sleep Cycle: The Science Behind Sleep
The following excerpt is adapted from my ebook Banish Insomnia Now:
There are five stages of sleep.
Stage 1
This is a period of Light Sleep when you can easily be woken. Your eye and body movements slow down during this stage.
Stage 2
After about ten minutes of light sleep, we tend to move into Stage 2 where the brainwaves move slower and eye movements cease. The heart rate slows down and the body’s temperature decreases.
Stage 3
The period of deep sleep begins. During this stage, the brainwaves alternate between very slow and faster movements.
Exercise during the day helps to promote this stage of sleep. This is the rejuvenating stage of sleep that helps us to feel refreshed when we wake up in the morning.
This stage of sleep also releases the growth hormone in children.
Stage 4
This is the period of deepest sleep when the brain produces slow moving delta waves.
During deep sleep, the cortex, which is the largest part of the brain, enters a stage of recovery. The cortex helps to govern thought and action.
If we miss out on this stage of deep sleep, we are liable to wake up feeling moody, forgetful and irritable. Our concentration will be poor and we will be unable to give proper attention to tasks.
Sleepwalking, bedwetting and “sleep terror” may begin from this stage of sleep.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine combine Stages 3 and 4 into one category called Slow Wave Sleep.
Stage 5
This is the period of REM sleep when dreaming occurs. It starts about 90 minutes after we fall asleep.
During this period, we breathe faster and our eyes begin to move rapidly (hence the name Rapid Eye Movement sleep). Our brain activity intensifies and our muscles become motionless.
Dreams during the REM sleep stage tend to be very visual with the most vivid dreams occuring during the early hours of the morning.
REM sleep takes up about 20-25% of our sleeping time.
We should pass through the non-dream and dream stages of the sleep cycle about five times a night, although this varies from individual to individual.
To read more, purchase my ebook: Banish Insomnia Now.
If you’d like general information about how to get fall asleep naturally, register for a free web seminar series made up of short audio and video presentations with tips for getting more sleep. To register, enter your email address in the form below:
Related Topics:
Banish Insomnia Now, Dreams, Sleeping Disorders | Chantelle | 
August 25, 2011 5:00 pm
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