Different Stages Of Sleep
Do you know what happens every night when you fall asleep? Did you know that there are five distinct stages of sleep? Our bodies need to progress through all five stages in order to get a good night sleep and to be fully revitalized for the next day. When we first fall asleep, we start with stage 1 and progress from there. Each night, you go back and forth between the stages, without even realizing it. Here are the different stages, and what they do:
Stage 1: This is the beginning of your night of rest. You are just falling asleep, and if someone wakes you up at this stage you probably will think you didn't fall asleep at all. At this stage, your body temperature starts to fall, your muscles start to relax, and your heart rate starts to slow down. You will be in this stage for only about five to ten minutes.
Stage 2: At this stage, you are considered fully asleep. Your body temperature continues to fall, your heart rate continues to slow down, and your muscles are now relaxed. The brain waves slow, and eye movements stop. You will spend 45% - 60% of your sleep in this stage.
Stage 3: This is the start of the deep sleep stage. You are completely relaxed and your brain waves are even slower. They are referred to as delta waves, and are mixed with very small fast waves. In this stage, as well as stage 4, you might sleepwalk, or talk in your sleep. This stage occurs about 40 minutes after you initially fall asleep, and spend about a total of 3-8% of your sleep in this stage.
Stage 4: This is the deepest stage of sleep. There are even more delta brain waves occurring at this stage. There is no muscle movement, and no eye movement either. If you wake during this stage, or stage 3, you will be very groggy and disoriented. You spend about a total of 10-15% of your sleep in this stage.
REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep: This is the "busiest" part of sleep. This is the dream stage. In this stage, your heart beats faster, your breathing becomes irregular, and your eyes move back and forth rapidly. About 20-25% of sleep is in this stage.
Over the course of the night, you will cycle through stages 2, 3, 4, and REM sleep about every hour and a half.
Related Asleep Articles
Your Snoring May Be A Cry For Help
Many people snore. You may know of several yourself, or maybe you are the one that snores in your house. Often this is nothing more than a partial block of the airway caused by the tongue, but in some cases, this could lead to more dangerous and potentially lethal situations. Read more to find out if you could have the apnea sleep disorder.
How To Minimize Jetlag
Whenever you fly cross country or around the world, you will have some jet lag. The result of jet lag is a run down and tired feeling on your trip. Did you know that there are some ways to minimize jet lag so you can enjoy your trip?
Fall Asleep Easier With These Helpful Ideas
Do you have a hard time falling asleep at night? We all do at some time or another. Sometimes your head is full with stressful thoughts from the day. Maybe we're nervous about something that is going to happen the next day. Did you know that there are things you can do over the course of the day that will help you sleep at night?
Fall Asleep Easier With Alternative Non-Mainstream Methods
Do you ever have trouble falling asleep? Maybe you've asked a friend or family member what they do to fall asleep. If you have, you've probably discovered that everyone has a different method. Some might work for you and others might not. Finding the one that works for you is a process of trial and error. Here are a few methods you can try:
How Much Sleep Do You Need?
Just how much sleep do you need every night? The answers varies depending, in a large part, on your age. Some people need nine hours a night. Others can do just fine with five hours of sleep. Depending on what age group you fall into, you can determine about how many hours of sleep you need each night.
Sleep Better With The Right Bedroom Setup
Do you have trouble sleeping at night? Maybe you have tried all of the tips to sleep better like sleeping at a regular time, exercising, and eating right, but you still can't sleep. Maybe the problem is that your room just isn't set up right.
Sleep Tips From Around The World
Trouble getting to sleep is a universal problem. It can strike anyone, anywhere around the world. Next time you have trouble falling asleep, try one of these methods from around the world:
Tips On Falling Asleep Faster
Sometimes you just can't get to sleep at night. For some people this is a very common occurrence. For others it's something we only worry about once in awhile. There's not much more stressful than lying there twisting and turning when we know we should be sleeping. Next time you can't fall asleep at night, think about some of these tips:
Latest Asleep News
- Woman Asleep in Stolen Car Charged with Theft | WDEF News 12 ...
SWEETWATER, Tenn. (AP) - A woman found sleeping in a car thatwas reported stolen from an East Tennessee motel has been chargedwith theft.
- Insomnia – Why Can't I Fall Asleep? | Insomnia Treatment
perform you come across trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? As a previous sufferer of Insomnia, I get all nearly how it bottle distress your wellbeing.
- How NOT To Fall Asleep ? | yamidian
it's really pissing me off that after a couple of hours after smoking i just fall asleep dead. i tried munching, playing, drinking energy drinks - nothing seems.
- God Is In The TV | Asleep Beneath Volcanoes - Asleep Beneath Volcanoes
Proggish electronica with the kind of live instrumentation sound of Death In Vegas and a boatload of ideas that keep their lengthy tracks evolving, changing and brimming with life.
- Fallen Asleep Together (Very Lovely) | Fun Pics Every Day
Celebrities without Makeup · Fallen Asleep Together (Very Lovely) · Stuck In Mud · Cool T-Shirts · Funny Pics · :) · Nature with the Sense of Humour · Sometimes Nature Is Funny · Yes! It's A Woman · Cool Ads ...