Stages of sleep with non-REM activity 2
Stages of sleep with non-REM activity 2
What happens to the body when we sleep? 3
Tips to get a good night’s sleep 4
An average human will spend at least one-third of their life sleeping. Good quality sleep, an adequate number of hours at the right times, is just as essential for survival as food and water. When a person sleeps, their body relaxes into a restive state, essential for overall health. Sleep enables the brain and body to slow down and recover. Without sleep, the brain cannot learn and create new memories, affecting physical and mental acuity.
If a person does not get adequate sleep, the body’s fundamental processes such as thinking, concentration, moods, and stamina are all affected. A normal adult requires at least seven to nine hours of sleep. Children and teenagers must sleep longer. Let us learn deeply about what happens to your body when you sleep.
Normally, one progresses through four to five sleep cycles and each sleep cycle is made up of four individual sleep stages. The four stages of sleep are divided into two categories:
Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep
Non-REM sleep
The REM sleep stage is dramatically different from the non-REM stage. Each sleep cycle takes between 70 to 120 minutes with more time being spent in non-REM sleep. The majority of REM sleep happens during the second half of the night. The progression of sleep stages and cycles in one sleep period is known as sleep architecture.
The first three stages of sleep make up for the non-REM activities. In stage 1, one is transitioning into sleep. In stage 2, the body and mind slow down as we settle into sleep.it is easy to awaken in the first two stages of sleep. In stage 3, the body enters into a state known as deep sleep where it goes into recovery mode by further slowing down its processes. Simultaneously, the overall brain activity also slows and shows varied patterns of pulses of activity that are believed to help prevent unwanted awakenings.
In the fourth stage, a person enters REM sleep. In this period, brain activity shoots up to the same levels as when one is awake. In this stage we have intense dreams, an increase in breathing and heart rate, and most muscles are paralysed. This keeps us from acting out those vivid dreams.
Once we fall asleep, thousands of brain neurons switch to a sleep state and send signals throughout the body. Research shows that healthy sleep is good for cardiovascular health, regulating metabolism and boosting the immune system. The different functions of the body affected by sleep are -
During the non-Rem sleep stage, respiration reaches its lowest rate in stage three. In the REM sleep stage, breathing can become irregular.
In stage 1, the heart rate begins to slow down and reaches its slowest pace during stage 1. During the RE sleep stage, the pulse quickens to the same rate as when one is awake.
As we progress through each stage of non-REM sleep, the body’s total energy expenditure drops and in the REM stage, most muscles are paralysed in a condition called atonia. Throughout all sleep stages, the respiratory and eye muscles are active. That is why, each stage is defined by the presence or absence of rapid eye movement.
Studies of the brain waves during sleep show clear patterns associated with each sleep stage. In the early non-REM sleep stages, brain waves slow down considerably, though there are numerous quick bursts of brain activity in Stage 2 and Stage 3.
In the REM sleep stage, the brain activity accelerates and shows different types of brain waves. This heightened brain activity is most associated with vivid dreaming. While non-REM sleep is associated with reduced brain activity, it plays a critical role in facilitating proper brain functions while one is awake. Whereas REM sleep is an essential enabler of critical cognitive abilities such as memory formation.
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The circadian rhythm plays an important role in regulating the production of numerous hormones such as -
Melatonin helps promote sleep
Essential growth hormones to support metabolism, bone and muscle development
Cortisol which is responsible for the body’s stress response
Leptin and ghrelin that controls appetite
A person’s sleep quality can also affect daytime hormone production.
Sleep is important for good health. Here are a few tips to improve one’s sleep quality -
Sleep is vital for the body to be rested and lack of sleep puts a person at the risk of contracting depression, hypertension, or migraines. There is a strong connection between good health and restful sleep, so one must ensure that their body gets adequate rest each night.
